fretie
Well-known member
OK, its not like I haven't got a couple of nice ukes to play. My Big Island tenor was a good sounding uke right out for the box that Mim sent it to me in. The Koaloha long neck pineapple that HMS mailed to my friend's place on the Big Island for me to pick up and play while on vacation in Hawaii this winter was a real winner, smooth with good volume. :shaka:
And there were quite a few ukes in between those two that did not quite make the grade though they were solid instruments in their own right they just did not fit my playing style or sound aesthetic.
Then along comes the Kamaka. Yes, another sight unseen, unheard purchase, yes, like all the others. Taking a chance. Willing to risk a little for that surprise good find. And this beauty did not disappoint.
I get it about you folks who are Kamaka fans. Its a subtle thing, I feel, hard to put into words. This soprano is, may I venture to say, just your basic Kamaka. No custom jobbie here. But oh so understated in its sound presentation.
The uke feels good in my hands, specifically, there's something about the neck that just feels like a perfect fit. The weight and balance of the instrument is right. And the intonation: no bad notes on this uke.
The tone is, well, again, understated comes to mind. Confident, even... volume if I want it, soft and sweet when it suits. I really understand how there are peeps that find a Kamaka is all they need in a uke. I get that now.
Soprano, its been a while since I had a soprano in the herd. For a time there I thought soprano was too small but we evolve as players and now I am at the place where soprano feels like perfect. Maybe its the Kamaka magic again. Fingerpicking, chord melody, strumming, it all sounds good on the Kamaka.
I'm totally won over!
And there were quite a few ukes in between those two that did not quite make the grade though they were solid instruments in their own right they just did not fit my playing style or sound aesthetic.
Then along comes the Kamaka. Yes, another sight unseen, unheard purchase, yes, like all the others. Taking a chance. Willing to risk a little for that surprise good find. And this beauty did not disappoint.
I get it about you folks who are Kamaka fans. Its a subtle thing, I feel, hard to put into words. This soprano is, may I venture to say, just your basic Kamaka. No custom jobbie here. But oh so understated in its sound presentation.
The uke feels good in my hands, specifically, there's something about the neck that just feels like a perfect fit. The weight and balance of the instrument is right. And the intonation: no bad notes on this uke.
The tone is, well, again, understated comes to mind. Confident, even... volume if I want it, soft and sweet when it suits. I really understand how there are peeps that find a Kamaka is all they need in a uke. I get that now.
Soprano, its been a while since I had a soprano in the herd. For a time there I thought soprano was too small but we evolve as players and now I am at the place where soprano feels like perfect. Maybe its the Kamaka magic again. Fingerpicking, chord melody, strumming, it all sounds good on the Kamaka.
I'm totally won over!