I completely agree on the price. I hate the fact that Kamaka don't really have an intermediate price for their deluxe models. The standard models are all north of a grand so if the deluxe models were, say, 40% or 50% more expensive I could buy that (literally). But no, they're often double the price, sometimes even more so. I personally don't think they're worth the money unless you're a professional player. The deluxe models and beyond are also the only Kamaka models that have that nice nitro gloss finish. The standard models have a semi-gloss finish which isn't nearly as nice, in my opinion. If money was literally zero issue I'd definitely get one of these baritones, or a deluxe concert if I was going for regular tuning, but the value for me just isn't there.
Kamaka are a weird brand for me anyway. There is zero doubt about their quality, obviously, but I've just never really bonded with them. I had a Kamaka soprano which was completely the wrong instrument for me even though I'm mainly a soprano player. There's just something about that particular resonance of the Kamaka sound that doesn't sit right with me right. Quite recently I bought a Millar concert which emulates those very traditional types of ukes with nylon strings and a very warm sound, you know, like Kamaka do, and I immediately fell in love with it. Never had that with a Kamaka. I do want to give them another go though. Maybe if I get to go Hawaii some day I could try them out properly and figure out if they ultimately are for me or not.
