bearbike137
Well-known member
I recently picked up a used 2002 Kamaka tenor that I really like. First, it is amazing how great a "broken in" uke sounds. From the marks on it, my used Kamaka was obviously played a lot and, man, it sounds like it. When I played in next to the 2012 Kamaka I had on trial, there was no comparison. While the new one was picked for me as the "best" among a half dozen that a dealer had in stock, it paled in comparison to the used uke. The 2002 was way more open and full-sounding, and louder. The 2012 was still very nice, however.
However, I also was surprised by how different the body shapes were for two Kamaka tenors made ten years apart. The lower bout and the bottom of the 2012 Kamaka is much rounder (and larger?) than the 2002 Kamaka. In fact, the 2012 version could not fit into the 2002 case - it wasn't even close. The 2012 neck is significantly beefier, too. Photos below (top: 2002, bottom: 2012. By the way, the photo of 2012 uke is NOT the one I had on trial.)
As Kamaka is the grandaddy of uke makers, so to speak, this surprised me a bit. It strikes me the same as if Martin changed the specs on their classic dreadnought design. I am not saying it is a bad thing or good thing - but I am curious if anyone knows when this change occurred and why? I know makers "tweak" their designs over the years, but this appears to be much more than a tweak.
However, I also was surprised by how different the body shapes were for two Kamaka tenors made ten years apart. The lower bout and the bottom of the 2012 Kamaka is much rounder (and larger?) than the 2002 Kamaka. In fact, the 2012 version could not fit into the 2002 case - it wasn't even close. The 2012 neck is significantly beefier, too. Photos below (top: 2002, bottom: 2012. By the way, the photo of 2012 uke is NOT the one I had on trial.)
As Kamaka is the grandaddy of uke makers, so to speak, this surprised me a bit. It strikes me the same as if Martin changed the specs on their classic dreadnought design. I am not saying it is a bad thing or good thing - but I am curious if anyone knows when this change occurred and why? I know makers "tweak" their designs over the years, but this appears to be much more than a tweak.
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