Scotty's Music on Kauai

I am not affiliated with Scotty's in any way but I had a great time there so I thought I would share...

On my annual trip to Kauai this month, I decided I was finally going to stop in to Scotty’s Music to check it out. I have been to Larry’s (both in Koloa and Kapaa) many times but they seem to really only carry Kamoa and even though I played probably 20 different Kamoa’s, I just couldn’t find any that sounded good to me. Disappointed with them with the exception of the new electric guitar type Uke…it sounds great. Anyway, I have driven by Scotty’s a ton of times and there really wasn’t ever a good time to stop in so I did this time. I ended up playing some great Ukes and D’Lissa the person helping us was absolutely wonderful. She was happy to help and gave me some really good details on some of the smaller builders on the island that they had in there…they were great Ukes. Anyway, my wife and I got to try out a lot of ukes, no pressure and a great atmosphere. I played Kanilea’s, Kamaka’s, KoAloha’s, Reposa’s(sp?), some small builder that uses a logo very much like Loprinzi’s, some wonderful Islanders, Kala’s and probably some more that I can't recall. Great selection and a really wide selection which is nice since most places stay in their niche market and either carry Kala's or Kamaka's but not both.

After this trip, I now have a new place to check out the latest and greatest Ukes to play.

Ah man, I love Kauai. I missed going into Scotty's when I was there. I will stop in next time. It was Sam's dad at Larry's that turned me on to the uke.

Yeah, Larry's is fun but now that they almost exclusively have Kamoa, it was a different experience. Scotty's just had a huge variety and was cool to just pick up and start strumming a huge range of brands. Go next time, it is fun!

Mouthy1 said:

Yeah, Larry's is fun but now that they almost exclusively have Kamoa, it was a different experience. Scotty's just had a huge variety and was cool to just pick up and start strumming a huge range of brands. Go next time, it is fun!

Click to expand...

Wow, I'm surprised. I know they carry Kamoa since he owns them, but they always had lots of Kamakas and some KoAlohas and Kanileas every time I was there before, especially the store in Kapa'a.

Did you play the all koa Kauai built Kamoa? I am really looking forward to trying one of those out when I am there next week. Also, do you remember how much those electric guitar style models were?

I want to say again, the Kamoa thing is my opinion and doesn't mean everyone will feel the same so take my opinion for what it is worth. I prefer a clear loud sound with a little complexity mixed into it so that is my preference. Another example is I don't particularly like the sound of Kamaka's but I do LOVE Kanilea and KoAloha's.

They did have a very small smattering of other brands like about 4 GStrings and I think a couple of KoAloha's but that was it. I was surprised too since they used to have a great variety of higher enders.

I didn't play the all koa new version but I did play the all koa old version(not sure where it was built) and I was not blown away with anything except the mini guitar type with steel strings. I think they retailed for about $300ish. You have to play them plugged in and they do sound great even if my playing wasn't great. They said they were selling out and if you can, grab one, try it out and then resell it for about the same. Pretty fun and very unique to play.

Hmm.... perhaps you should go there when Scotty is there to "help" you.

I think I may know what you mean but maybe that is a different topic

Thanks for a great show while we were there. Excellent work as usual and you guys rocked!!! My mother in law loved it too. It is so cool to know that you can entertain a 3 and a half year old and a 65 year old with the same musical material. You gotta feel good knowing that!

Aldrine Guerrero said:

Hmm.... perhaps you should go there when Scotty is there to "help" you.

Click to expand...

Exactly! I had a very unlpleasant experience there a number of years ago and have never been back since. Don't care to get into details and probably shouldn't even have responded to this thread.

Scotty's was closed just about every time I drove past it, so after all these years I've still never been inside. I'm surprised to learn that Larry's cut down on the other brands and now mostly just sells Kamoa; they had a ton of Kamakas and other Hawaiian-made ukes last time I was there. Is that why Ukulele Uprising is down now?

Aldrine Guerrero said:

Hmm.... perhaps you should go there when Scotty is there to "help" you.

Click to expand...

Haha, I was thinking the same exact thing...

But it is where I bought my Kamaka, and Scotty helped me find a curly HF3, and sent me some other photos for another uke I was thinking of getting.

Pueo said:

... we went through every box they had, they let me check them all out, but I went with the one the had on the wall in the first place. There was no rush or feeling like I was being a pain - it was THEIR idea that I check them all, to make sure I was getting exactly what I wanted. Very cool.

Click to expand...

Well, that wasn't EXACTLY my experience. I was there last December and they knew they had me already reeled in on a Kamaka HF-3. I got a great price, BTW. Scotty did in fact offer to have me try out some new-in-box-and-still-untuned Kamaka tenors, but pretty-much cut me off after the third one (I think he had at least 4 more). I ended up getting the first one I played, which was the on displayed, and had an unfigured grain (as opposed to the curly-grained ones at the same price he was pulling out from their shipping cartons), but I certainly WOULD have appreciated trying 'em all since they all sounded different. In they guy's defense, though, it was Xmas week and the store was pretty busy.

Apart from feeling like I was being rushed a bit, I guess my other criticism of the place is the code they use for price tags. It's all letters, like "XXYZZ". You have no way of knowing what the price will be until you talk with one of the salespeople. Maybe it's their way of getting around the maker's MAP requirements. (MAP = "minimum advertised price". If a dealer displays a price lower than MAP, they can lose the brand's franchise).

I guess I had a great experience and D'Lissa was super. The variety was great and while the 11-4 hours weren't ideal, I did manage to get in there with a little planning and a very understanding wife. I consider myself lucky on this one and will try again next year and see how that goes.

I purchased a Raymond Raposo "Island Ukulele" there in April 2010. It's a nice koa built uke with excellent craftsmanship. I know some don't like them, but I played it at a friends wedding just after I bought it, so it has meaning to me...

Anyway, I too got the "super short" demo time on some Kamaka's from Scotty, as I was actually looking to get one. I didn't find him to be unpleasant, but just wasn't the vibe I wanted when shopping for a uke.

Definitely have a great selection, just sales tactics are a bit funky.
That said, I'd surely visit again on my next trip.

Cheers,
Skottoman

mschway said:

If a dealer displays a price lower than MAP, they can lose the brand's franchise).

Click to expand...

Not really true. We as dealers can list any price in our store, that does not violate MAP. MAP is strictly for when we advertise, as it stands for Minimum Advertised Price. There are some exclusions to that, Mesa Boogie and some other brands have strict "you can only sell at this price" rules.

PedalFreak said:

Not really true. We as dealers can list any price in our store, that does not violate MAP. MAP is strictly for when we advertise, as it stands for Minimum Advertised Price. There are some exclusions to that, Mesa Boogie and some other brands have strict "you can only sell at this price" rules.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification. I was just trying to give Scotty the benefit of the doubt here. The coded price tags are an annoyance, and you never know if you're being quoted a good price (OTOH, for those familiar with Kamaka's MAPs would be pleased with Scotty's first offer).

PS: DON'T get me started on Mesa, or the thread will soon get hijacked! (I'm a service tech)

I drove by Larry's in Kapa'a today and they weren't open yet but I parked and looked through the windows. I didn't see anything but Kamoas in stock. That is too bad. Kamoas are wonderful ukes, but I'm sorry to see that they don't carry the other brands any longer -- or at least many of them, that doesn't leave Kauaians with many options other than Scotty's -- where I have had some good, but mainly "eh" service. I did see a couple of the hollow/semi hollow electric ones on the wall, but none of the Kauai koa ones. I'm heading over to the Koloa store this afternoon, hoping to try out one of the Kauai made koa ukes.

I suggest playing the electric Ukes. They were really fun.

That's too bad about the Larry's Music in Kapa'a. I know Sam is gung ho on his Kamoa ukuleles, but I liked being able to play a bunch of different ukuleles in one place with helpful people and no pressure. I tried to visit Scotty's when I was in Kauai last year, but I got there a bit late and it was already closed.

Staci, please say hi to Sam's parents for me!

mds725 said:

That's too bad about the Larry's Music in Kapa'a. I know Sam is gung ho on his Kamoa ukuleles, but I liked being able to play a bunch of different ukuleles in one place with helpful people and no pressure. I tried to visit Scotty's when I was in Kauai last year, but I got there a bit late and it was already closed.

Staci, please say hi to Sam's parents for me!

Click to expand...

Sorry, didnt see this in time to tell them hi!

I am glad to see that the Koloa store did have a few Kamakas, a few KoAlohas, and a couple Kanileas. They were sold out of the Kauai koa ukes, but should get some more in soon. And Sam's mom, as always, was a sweetheart. So I stand corrected, you can still get non Kamoas from them...but at least today, only at the Koloa store. I do hope to try out those koa ones next month though, even if it means I have to sell my Kanilea or Pineapple Sunday to buy one.