i play mainly fingerpicking when i'm playing alone, but lately i have been spending time with local musicians and usually do accompaining stuff. i don't need the extra bass or sustain my tenors have, i need something to cut through the guitars n voices, that's why i thought of a soprano.
thanks UUers !!!
You've just nailed it for me: you need a Koaloha. I played my Kiwaya concert tonight, and I have had all sizes of Koaloha and still have a Kolaoha tenor.
Kiwayas, like Martins, are excellent for percussive stuff. Like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWjen1YPvi4
Don;'t get me wrong, there's a lot of picking in there, too (on the video), but for short sustain, percussive stuff with excellent sound quality, mahogany Martin stsyle Kiwaya is great. I can tell you but I don;t know why, that Kiwaya is quieter than Martin. Again, no clue whey, but something feels "tight" about a Kiwaya (perhaps other Kiwaya owners can chime in here). I've owned two Kiwayas, and they both had this tendency. More than Martin, for sure. Still, if your intention is for stroing right handed technique, Formby style, triples and split strokes and the like, the short sustain, percussive nature of the Kiwaya is excellent. Bosko is a percussive ukulele player (although he plays the lead and solos, too), and he plays a Kiwaya concert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQHlPNFrQqU
The Kolaloha is louder for your group. It can actually be harsh if strummed vigorously, but under control, it sings. It is a fingerpicker's delight (as can be attested by the pro's that have used it, like Brittni Paiva (in the past) and Taimane Gardner).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RW7KCbwAx8
Whether you should get a soprano--and I love sopranos--for a group setting is a whole different question worthy of other's opinions. It might be too quiet (less for the Koaloha than the Kiwaya)? I don't know the answer, and you do have tenors, patico. So you likely know best.