thinking about getting a new concert uke, budget of maybe up to $1000. opinions?

thesillydave

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i recently won a couple of cooking competitions and am thinking of using that $ to get a new concert uke. i have a 10 year old kamaka that is my daily player...have never played any other "k" brands, have played a collings but that one is out of budget range...looking for opinions! thanks!
 
I would recommend playing as many as you can before you purchase one. I got lucky with mine, I bought it without playing and it turned out to be one of the sweetest sounding ukuleles I've ever played. But there can be a lot of diversity in sound even within the same brand and model. I personally love my Kamaka (dated 2004), but it's often said on here that KoAloha has an edge in concert size. I've never played one, so I can't offer an opinion. The best thing to do is listen to a lot of sound samples and play a lot of ukuleles till you find one that sings for you!!
 
Dave.
I feel a Koaloha would nicely pair with the Kamaka.
 
I have played all the "K" brands. They're all excellent instruments. They play well and sound great. But, they are subtly different from each other. I chose a Koaloha Concert because, of all the ones I tried, it had a sound that I describe as rounder or more colorful than the others. Kanile'a may have the edge when it comes to consistency from one instrument to the next, and they make many lovely different models and may be the most beautiful to look at. Kamakas seem to edge toward the brighter sound than the other "K"s.
If you get the opportunity to play them all, and choose for yourself, you cannot go wrong.
 
I was going to recommend a Kamaka concert but since you already have one, I'm going to suggest a Kanile'a. I have mine strung with an Aquila low-g set and it sounds lovely and smooth. That way you'll have a bright, crisp sounding uke (the Kamaka) and a smooth sounding one, the Kanile'a.
 
I would come to UWC before you buy. there will be a ton of ukes, and uke makers there, Like Boat paddle. talk to people and play some ukes. you will have a good idea then.
 
Dave, what kind of sound are you going after (bright or more mellow)?
How many frets do you need? Any wood that you particularly want? How much bling on the uke?

For a $1000, there are lots of options (Including a Collings mahogany or custom Mya-Moe or Black Bear).
 
I would come to UWC before you buy. there will be a ton of ukes, and uke makers there, Like Boat paddle. talk to people and play some ukes. you will have a good idea then.

would love to go to uwc! but it always falls on our bluesfest weekend (my restaurant is in a resort/tourist town in the ozark mountains)
so it's hard to get away...maybe some day....!
 
Dave, what kind of sound are you going after (bright or more mellow)?
How many frets do you need? Any wood that you particularly want? How much bling on the uke?

For a $1000, there are lots of options (Including a Collings mahogany or custom Mya-Moe or Black Bear).

i think mellow...frets? normal amount? wood? not really sure...bling? don't really care..
 
hi Dave, so many options mate

If you've got 1000 KoAloha surely isn't the only option!!!! Reading this it sounds like there's stacks of love for them, well, fair enough, but think about lots of other builders who make incredible instruments.

Me and Doc must have similar taste in ukes cause his list is identical to mine...

Black Bear and Duane Heilman could build you a lovely custom instrument for under that price I'm sure; then there are the Mya Moe folks whose 'tradition' models are just as good as their blingier ones ...that would fall within your budget. You could also afford a low end Collings (ha ! 'low end' right...) but their UC1 Mahogany concert is an amazing ukulele with a big, mellow sound, tonnes of sustain. What about Pohaku???? Peter Hurney builds wonderful sounding ukes.

That's about the end of my experience but there's something gone badly wrong if you can't get an incredible sounding instrument from one of those people above...

Oh and well done on the cooking prize Dave...tell us more mate...what was the dish(es)? Remember brother, not too much red wine before the meal he he
 
Oh and well done on the cooking prize Dave...tell us more mate...what was the dish(es)? Remember brother, not too much red wine before the meal he he

there were 2 different festivals/ competitions in february here, a chocolate fest, placed fist in the professional truffle category, and a chili cook off benefit, placed second...new uke money!
too much wine? never heard of that! ha ha ha!
 
Or Mike Perriera ukes....style 3 at 800.00 ...or a Koaloha Concert.....comes to mind for sure...
 
It would be ideal to test ukes first, but let's face it: how many ukefests or uke retailers are you gonna find in the Ozarks?

So, future resale is always one factor of many to consider. Seems the K brands are most coveted, right or wrong, and as you already have a Kamaka, the next most desirable K brand, right or wrong, as your thread suggests, is Koaloha.

That said, I suggest an Applause. Lol
 
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It would be ideal to test ukes first, but let's face it: how many ukefests or uke retailers are you gonna find in the Ozarks?

So, future resale is always one factor of many to consider. Seems the K brands are most coveted, right or wrong, and as you already have a Kamaka, the next most desirable K brand, right or wrong, as your thread suggests, is Koaloha.

Nah, KoAlohas are just as bright, if not brighter, than Kamakas, IMO. If a more smooth (less crisp) sound is desired, go Kanile'a.
 
If I was spending $1k on a concert uke and had your uke collection, I'd go for either a Collings UC-1 (mahogany) or a mahogany Compass Rose nano-jumbo concert. I own a UC-1 and I think it plays and sounds great. I've never played a Compass Rose nano-jumbo, but based on what I know about Compass Rose (I once did own a CR tenor), I would be comfortable getting one sight unseen. The nano-jumbo looks cooler to me, so if I had to choose between them, I'd probably take the Compass Rose.
 
What about a vintage Martin?
 
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