I had to travel to Georgia for a wedding, and along the way, I stopped by to pay Kris Barnett a visit--he wanted me to try out the uke before he made me a new one, and I was happy to meet him. Kris is such a friendly and great guy. He has a three year wait list on his classical guitars, but he's venturing into the uke world just so he can continue learning and trying new things. His workshop is in a music store, and he was happy to show me around -- he has some fantastic classical guitars in progress -- looks like he mostly uses rosewood for backs and sides and cedar and spruce for tops.
We brought the uke into a recording studio--he was with his assistant who is a uke player, too. They were both very eager to hear what I had to say, since only about a dozen people have played his ukes, and even though they get rave reviews, they really were hungry for feedback.
It's a concert, fairly small. The neck is a bit thicker than I've seen before, but it actually feels good (I would not want him to make it thinner). The uke is also heavier than some of the others I've played, like a Collings or Mya Moe. I asked him about this, and he said that it's braced in certain areas where it's more necessary, and is very thin in other areas. The weight is fine though. Every centimeter of this uke is built to perfection. I see absolutely zero finish flaws or design flaws. This is pretty much perfection.
The design of this uke is really interesting. There is a tail piece, which makes it possible to have a much lighter bridge. The idea, I think, is that it will keep the strings at a consistent tension more easily and will not pull down the way that a standard bridge might. Also, because there is a lighter bridge, that makes it easier for the top to vibrate without interference. It also makes for a very elegant look. Almost seems like a cross between an archtop and a standard uke.
The body of the uke is also interesting and follows the design of his classical guitars. The body's top is not parallel to its bottom--there is a curvature that makes room for the neck. I believe this is done to make it so that the neck does not interfere with the vibration of the body -- although it's not quite like Rick Turner's cantilevered fretboard, I think some of the same ideas are there (although I'm no professional, and I have to admit that a lot of the things that Kris told me went over my head--he really knows his stuff).
OK, so now what you are all waiting for--the sound? It looks amazing, the ideas are great, so how does it sound already? In one word, tremendous! I have had the privilege to play many amazing ukes: Moore Bettah, Collings, Mya Moe, custom Kamaka, vintage Martin, Santa Cruz, William King, Pepe Romero, Maui Music, etc. I know that it's all personal preference after a certain point, and each person will have his/her own favorites, but after sitting down and spending time with this uke, I would have to say that it is probably the finest I've heard, perhaps just a small step behind my Moore Bettah and a Casey Kamaka made Ohta san I have. This ranking could change once I have more time to play it. The tone is probably closest to the Pepe Romero I've played -- very full sound, very satisfying--the opposite of clanky or tinny, almost like what I imagine it would be to take a great upright bass and shrink it down -- that type of richness with all the appropriate pitch/tone. The resonance is also amazing -- just playing a chord or a note is extremely satisfying, as the notes ring clearly, smoothly at length.
I will post a real review, and probably a video review when he gets around to building it and I receive it. That might be a while. Although this is an amazing instrument, Kris is still trying to figure out where he wants to go with the uke, so he's trying to understand us uke players more, and he's trying to sample as many as he can. I've invited him to visit me while he's in my area in a few weeks.
Really looking forward to sharing all this with you. I hope this is of interest to at least a few of you.
