A visit to Wilcutt Guitar Shoppe in Lexington, KY

wayfarer75

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A visit to Willcutt Guitar Shoppe in Lexington, KY

I live in Ohio but my husband has family in Kentucky. Yesterday we visited some of them, and while there we made a quick stop in Willcutt Guitar Shoppe where I finally, finally, FINALLY got to try out a Kamaka ukulele. They had a couple Kamakas in a display case (concert and a baritone), and pulled out a soprano from the back for me to try. From their website I would say there were more in the back. This is the closest Kamaka dealer to my location, as far as I can tell, so it was great to finally try one of the ukes out. I was very impressed by the soprano I played, and I thought the neck was nice and flat. I do want a pineapple, though, so there was no sale on the HF-1. I'm also now positive I want the Gotoh tuners. The Schallers didn't like me.

The other brands they had were Martin (2K tenor and soprano in the display case, and an OXK on the wall), Kala, Cordoba, Fender, Gretsch, even Diamond Head. The gentleman who helped me didn't seem to know much about the whole uke thing but was very willing to let me try out what I wanted. They have digital tuners to borrow while you try the ukes, too.

So, if you're in the area, check it out.
 
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Yeah, those are nice, indeed. But I was thinking more of this: http://www.theukulelesite.com/kamaka-pineapple-hp-1-soprano-w-deluxe-kamaka-case.html
If more of the K brands and other higher-end ukes were at stores near me, I could make a decision more easily. Just line up all the nice high end sopranos and try them all! (sigh...)

BTW, this is the soprano I played: http://willcuttguitars.com/ukuleles/kamaka/kamaka-standard-hf-1-ukulele-700
It was a great little uke, despite the Kamaka strings (feel good but sound too plinky for me) and the Schaller tuners. Besides, I would be willing to swap out the tuners for Gotohs if I had decided to buy it. And it is always nice to see a retailer post pics of the actual instruments they have in stock. I was impressed by the selection they had. They definitely don't list all their ukes on the website. I wished I had bought something (I hate trying without buying), but the timing is not right yet.
 
Thanks for this post.
I live in Louisville and have never heard of Willcutt. Im pretty sure a visit will happen shortly:D
 
As with most music stores that aren't big chains, Willcutt's hours are limited for those of us who work, so check the hours and maybe even call before you make the drive. You will be surprised at how small the showroom is, and will have to ask to see the higher end ukuleles. I ended up purchasing a Martin ukulele from them but by the time I could get there the Martin I really wanted had already been sold, probably an online transaction, but none of them were out in the showroom. They do let you try as many as you want, and are very nice folks.
 
i bought 2 martin sopranos by phone from willcutt. gr8 folks.

 
As with most music stores that aren't big chains, Willcutt's hours are limited for those of us who work, so check the hours and maybe even call before you make the drive. You will be surprised at how small the showroom is, and will have to ask to see the higher end ukuleles. I ended up purchasing a Martin ukulele from them but by the time I could get there the Martin I really wanted had already been sold, probably an online transaction, but none of them were out in the showroom. They do let you try as many as you want, and are very nice folks.

I agree. It was indeed not a large space, but it was jam-packed with instruments. Definitely not as big as Guitar Center and Sam Ash. But it seemed, for us uke players, a good place to check out. They have more ukes than the big chains I've visited in my hometown, and a better selection of brands. My visit was a last-minute decision, since I was going to be in the neighborhood anyway. If there's a uke on the website that one would want to see in person, it's a good idea to call ahead to make sure it's in stock before driving any distance.
 
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