How do new Kamakas compare to vintage?

Gadzukes!

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How does a new Kamaka compare to a vintage for build quality, sound, wood, etc?

I know "vintage" covers a lot of ground with Kamaka, but I'm curious what people have to say.
 
My experience is pretty limited but it seems what I have read most people will agree that the new Kamaka hands down sounds better than the older Kamaka's. I had one vintage Kamaka and two new Kamaka's and I was very disappointed in the sound of the older Kamaka and blown away by the sound of the two newer one's that I had.
 
My experience is pretty limited but it seems what I have read most people will agree that the new Kamaka hands down sounds better than the older Kamaka's. I had one vintage Kamaka and two new Kamaka's and I was very disappointed in the sound of the older Kamaka and blown away by the sound of the two newer one's that I had.
i have a Kamaka 8 sting since 1979 and I love it. so well built. the sound is excellent. it is a quality musical instrument. Because of this, I got all caught up in the "having to have a vintage uke" syndrome and kept going after an older Kamaka. I finally purchased a beautifully preserved Kamaka soprano from the early 1950's. I got it online. when I unpacked it and played it, I was sooooooo disappointed. It truly was more like a toy (to me). Campared to today's Kamaka's there was no comparison. I sold it immediately. I believe that the instruments made today are hands down better, musically, than the early 1950's (but not my 1979).

Others may/will differ with me on this and I am anxious to hear. I know MM Stan has a mid '50's soprano and I know that he has been around Kamaka's for a long time and is very knowledgeable about them. Would be interesting to see if he responds here. These were just my opinions so I am curious as to what others think.

By the way, on the Kamaka FAQ site they talk the comparison of their vintage models with today's and the Kamaka people say that unless you are considering an older model as an heirloom piece, it is better to buy new since the build is better and the instruments are musically better. I read this before I purchased the 1950's soprano thinking "they just want to sell more new ukulele's." But sadly, I found this to be true. Also, what is surprising is the difference (a world of difference) between the build, and quality of the 1950's and my 1979. the '79 is closer in build to the models of today.
 
My experience is pretty limited but it seems what I have read most people will agree that the new Kamaka hands down sounds better than the older Kamaka's. I had one vintage Kamaka and two new Kamaka's and I was very disappointed in the sound of the older Kamaka and blown away by the sound of the two newer one's that I had.

I'd pretty much agree with this. My preference for most things (clothing, furniture) is to buy vintage over new, but as with cars, I've found that I prefer new ukes. When I was first uke shopping I played every vintage Kamaka I could get my hands on and was consistently underwhelmed. Not that they weren't nice - they were, but not nice enough to justify the "vintage" price. Then I encountered my first new Kamaka and was blown away, so much that I went on to buy three more (one has since been sold).

It's difficult to generalize though since every Kamaka is a different instrument, even straight-from-the-factory new. When I bought my pineapple, I had two to choose from, and while both were amazing, one had the exact sound and feel I was looking for.
 
I will be interested to watch this link, too. Obviously, ukulele building has come a long way in the last hundred years or so. Is that good or bad?

In the piano business, a couple hundred of progress made it possible for many manufacturers to build a lot of crummy pianos, but technical advancements and maturity in craftsmanship allowed the high-end builders to make FAR superior instruments. Hands down.
 
I would buy a new model Kamaka..because they have better substain and resonation...however there are some
great sounding kamaka's out there....and alot of so so ones..you know the ones up for sale are probally the later
ones...nobody sells a good sounding vintage ukulele..probally it get passed down the family or given or sold to
friends..
 
I believe all instruments today are more consistently built.
The technology today takes much of the guess work out of building, but it is still an art form so there is plenty of room for the builder to make a difference.
I have a nice collection of vintage and new instruments. I have played and heard many vintage uke & guitars that blow way some new instruments, but I have heard my share of duds too.
Along with the build is how has a vintage instrument been cared for during it life.
 
This is an interesting thread, and I am also interested to her what others think.

My thought is that in general, Kamaka is doing a better job in the last few years, and the general quality of their new instruments is quite good. I have a Kamaka from the late 90's and the sound is good, not as pleasing as my vintage Martin and Favilla, but quite good overall. I suspect that if I change the saddle from the original plastic to bone, it will really come to life. I have played brand new Kamaka's and as MM Stan says, some are really great and some are just good (if that makes sense).

In general, I wouldn't say that new ukuleles are better instruments as compared to vintage ones. As I see it, the building process is not terribly different from 80 or 90 years ago, with the exception of a little more precision and consistency. However, precision and consistency doesn't equal great sound, just the possibility for precise and consistent instruments.

The build on my 30's Kamaka pineapple is pretty rough, but it is great to play and I think it sounds good. Would a new pineapple sound better.....probably, but will a new pineapple ever be as cool, I don't think so.
 
My experience is pretty limited but it seems what I have read most people will agree that the new Kamaka hands down sounds better than the older Kamaka's.

I've played a bunch, both old and new. They sound different (as can be expected), but I wouldn't go so far as to say that the newer ones are "hands down" better than the old ones.

I own two Kamaka pineapples myself- one just a few years old, and one from the 60's/70's (white label, slanted fretboard where it meets the body, double kk sticker on headstock, etc.). Maybe I should do an A/B recording and post the sound clips here as a sort of a blind "taste test." Would people be interested in that?
 
I've played a bunch, both old and new. They sound different (as can be expected), but I wouldn't go so far as to say that the newer ones are "hands down" better than the old ones.

I own two Kamaka pineapples myself- one just a few years old, and one from the 60's/70's (white label, slanted fretboard where it meets the body, double kk sticker on headstock, etc.). Maybe I should do an A/B recording and post the sound clips here as a sort of a blind "taste test." Would people be interested in that?

My White label Kamaka is sooo much better than the gold label I had from the 1950's. The white label is a solidly built instrument. the Kamaka I had from the 1950's was in a sense fragile. Let me put it this way, not just the sound but even the feel was way different. As I said in my original post, the 1950's Kamaka felt like a toy to me, while the 1979 felt solid.
 
A while back I was asking about vintage Kamakas and new Martins. I was told that I had it backwards I should be looking at new Kamakas and vintage Martins. I would love a new Kamaka but to be honest the price tag is just too high for me now. It is just a little cheaper than one month's mortgage (yeah I got a good deal on my house). It is a difficult purchase to justify. I could get another K-brand for less or even some customs for that price. I do think they are like any other ukulele though buy the one that sounds the best in your price range.
 
While my white label '70s Kamaka standard is rather rough construction-wise inside the body, it sounds remarkably wonderful! Build quality has improved in many ways in my 2011 standard and pineapple, commensurate with price, but it would be hard to say that sound quality is better (or worse) than That '70s Uke.
 
I also (like RyanMFT) have a 30's Kamaka pineapple ukulele. It is an excellent sounding and playing instrument, light as a feather, and actually has a pretty solid build. The extremely thin neck is different, but really nice. Mine is currently strung with Martin strings which seem to be right for this uke as the tone and sustain are very good. All that being said, I have wondered what a new Kamaka soprano would sound like in comparison. First chance I have I'd like to try one, but I am fortunate to have a good playing vintage version.
 
I have a factory second from 1979. I think that it sounds better than what I've played at Kamaka at the factory and other retail stores. Just me.
 
I have a mid-70's white label soprano that sounds great and has a very light but excellent build. I guess a fair question might be, how do the vintage Gold Label instruments on average compare to the pre-1999 White Label instruments vs. today's current builds?
 
Stuff coming off a production line follows a mathematical thing called a Probability Distribution or similar. Basically this means that for any test, 50% will be above the average and 50% will be below the average. 1% will be really bad and 1% will be really good, etc. I think Kamaka have been in business since around 1916, almost 100 years and have made a lot of ukes, so a small % is likely to be a larger physical number. Here we have posts reviewing a few old Kamaka ukes, that may not be a useful statistical sample. Also if you read the history of the 100 years it has not all been beer and skittles and there have been some hard times where compromise was the only way ahead.
I suspect there are some really great vintage Kamakas around, and some lemons, whether they are for sale or you can afford them is another question. Perhaps, a good thing is to make sure you listen before you buy particular models with this particular brand? Maybe even have some fun making sure you know how to pick the age and models?
A second thing to consider is that the primary market for Kamakas has been the people of Hawaii, who enjoyed a particular sound, perhaps a sound that is no longer popular?
Then there is getting the right strings etc.
My Kamaka was made in 2000, does that make it vintage? It sounds great still.
:agree: This is an excellent post --- thanks
 
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