pbagley
Well-known member
Greeting all. Here is my first review. Feedback is welcome and appreciated.
I bought a Kamaka Gold Label Soprano ukulele on e-Bay. Big Risk. Generally I don't take many risks, but for some reason I was drawn to this little uke listing. Red flags all over the place. Seller has 0 feedback. I asked a question about an hour before the end of the auction and there was no answer. The listing mentioned a closed crack on the back but there was no photo of the back. Red flags...
But still I was drawn to this little uke. Price is low, and maybe I was drawn by a chance at getting a bargain price. I don't know. A minute or two before the end I bid and became the high bidder. I fully expected to be outbid in the last few seconds of the auction, but much to my surprise I was the winner.
Three long days later it arrived.
Initial impression was not very favorable. G string is weak. C string is floppy and weak. Sound is thin and nasal across the board. G on the C string (7th fret) is not in tune with the open G string. It does have a gold foil label matching the photos I've found on-line which is a relief, and the stacked K headstock decal looks like the photos found on-line as well. I think this is a 1954 to 1969 Kamaka. I cannot find a date code inside, but the sound hole is too small for my inspection mirror so I cannot check the underside of the top. The crack in the back is not exactly closed - I can see light through it. And there appears to be a bit of a crack on the top side of the neck heel. Strange kind of crack, can't really describe it or imagine how it got there. Interior has a lot of glue drips - kind of a sloppy build. It looks like there is a screw inside the neck block going into the neck heel - at least there is a hole with a splinter there that appears to have been made before the body sides were glued up. The top seems a little dished - higher around the rim and lower between the sound hole and the bridge. There is a fine crack below the bridge too. Perhaps not worth the $230 I spent.
That night the Kamaka taught me the Godfather theme. It was just what the uke wanted to play. I cannot explain these things, only tell you that my wife and I have observed that instruments seem to have songs in them - songs they want to play, or play more easily, or inspire in the player. This one had the Godfather theme. Strange. This little soprano likes minor keys and dark intimidating songs.
Day 2 I decided to measure the strings to see if I could identify what was on the uke. It was an odd mix and I could not match these to any set I found on-line.
- g .0024" C .0031" E .0030" A .0018"
A flash of brilliance: I could try the strings from my Dixie Banjo Uke to see if the intonation was out, or if it was just the strings. When my wife bought the Dixie a few weeks ago the seller told her these were a new set of Aquila Reds.
- g .0020" C .0030" E .0024" A .0019", using my dial caliper.
An interesting transformation. The Kamaka sounds better. Richer. Fatter. More interesting resonance from the body. In tune up the neck. But it seems to be shouting at me all the time. I kind of like it.
Strings were ordered on Amazon. Lots of strings. Oasis, Martin M600, Aquila Reds and a Lava concert set that may end up here in the end.
First trial strings - Martin M-600s. I removed the reds and returned them to the Dixie. They settled in immediately.
The Kamaka was pretty clean, but I still cleaned up the fretboard and bridge with some lemongrass oil. The rest was cleaned with Martin guitar polish. The friction pegs were adjusted to have more consistent tension. Installing the strings I find the C string slot is too tight. The old string was really tight in the slot, very difficult to remove. The red was pretty tight too. This Martin C string was not going in, so I took a thin metal ruler and some sandpaper and made the slot slightly wider. Same at the nut - not perfect and I will need to order some guitar maker nut files to make this right. It is OK for now.
The Martin M600's take a couple of days to settle in and hold tune. First impression is that the C string is a little louder than the rest. The E string has a bit of a bridge buzz that I did not hear with the Reds or the mystery strings it arrived wearing. After another two days these strings are sounding better. Not shouting like the Reds, but more mellow and maybe a touch more refined. I think the string to string volume has become more consistent. I like these strings, but I'm not sure I love them.
Tonight I installed the Oasis strings. These are settling in, not quite holding tune yet but doing better than the Martin M600s were at this point. They seem to play in tune. Not a lot big difference from the M600's to my ear. I'll have to write an update after these have had a few days to settle in.
I bought a Kamaka Gold Label Soprano ukulele on e-Bay. Big Risk. Generally I don't take many risks, but for some reason I was drawn to this little uke listing. Red flags all over the place. Seller has 0 feedback. I asked a question about an hour before the end of the auction and there was no answer. The listing mentioned a closed crack on the back but there was no photo of the back. Red flags...
But still I was drawn to this little uke. Price is low, and maybe I was drawn by a chance at getting a bargain price. I don't know. A minute or two before the end I bid and became the high bidder. I fully expected to be outbid in the last few seconds of the auction, but much to my surprise I was the winner.
Three long days later it arrived.
Initial impression was not very favorable. G string is weak. C string is floppy and weak. Sound is thin and nasal across the board. G on the C string (7th fret) is not in tune with the open G string. It does have a gold foil label matching the photos I've found on-line which is a relief, and the stacked K headstock decal looks like the photos found on-line as well. I think this is a 1954 to 1969 Kamaka. I cannot find a date code inside, but the sound hole is too small for my inspection mirror so I cannot check the underside of the top. The crack in the back is not exactly closed - I can see light through it. And there appears to be a bit of a crack on the top side of the neck heel. Strange kind of crack, can't really describe it or imagine how it got there. Interior has a lot of glue drips - kind of a sloppy build. It looks like there is a screw inside the neck block going into the neck heel - at least there is a hole with a splinter there that appears to have been made before the body sides were glued up. The top seems a little dished - higher around the rim and lower between the sound hole and the bridge. There is a fine crack below the bridge too. Perhaps not worth the $230 I spent.
That night the Kamaka taught me the Godfather theme. It was just what the uke wanted to play. I cannot explain these things, only tell you that my wife and I have observed that instruments seem to have songs in them - songs they want to play, or play more easily, or inspire in the player. This one had the Godfather theme. Strange. This little soprano likes minor keys and dark intimidating songs.
Day 2 I decided to measure the strings to see if I could identify what was on the uke. It was an odd mix and I could not match these to any set I found on-line.
- g .0024" C .0031" E .0030" A .0018"
A flash of brilliance: I could try the strings from my Dixie Banjo Uke to see if the intonation was out, or if it was just the strings. When my wife bought the Dixie a few weeks ago the seller told her these were a new set of Aquila Reds.
- g .0020" C .0030" E .0024" A .0019", using my dial caliper.
An interesting transformation. The Kamaka sounds better. Richer. Fatter. More interesting resonance from the body. In tune up the neck. But it seems to be shouting at me all the time. I kind of like it.
Strings were ordered on Amazon. Lots of strings. Oasis, Martin M600, Aquila Reds and a Lava concert set that may end up here in the end.
First trial strings - Martin M-600s. I removed the reds and returned them to the Dixie. They settled in immediately.
The Kamaka was pretty clean, but I still cleaned up the fretboard and bridge with some lemongrass oil. The rest was cleaned with Martin guitar polish. The friction pegs were adjusted to have more consistent tension. Installing the strings I find the C string slot is too tight. The old string was really tight in the slot, very difficult to remove. The red was pretty tight too. This Martin C string was not going in, so I took a thin metal ruler and some sandpaper and made the slot slightly wider. Same at the nut - not perfect and I will need to order some guitar maker nut files to make this right. It is OK for now.
The Martin M600's take a couple of days to settle in and hold tune. First impression is that the C string is a little louder than the rest. The E string has a bit of a bridge buzz that I did not hear with the Reds or the mystery strings it arrived wearing. After another two days these strings are sounding better. Not shouting like the Reds, but more mellow and maybe a touch more refined. I think the string to string volume has become more consistent. I like these strings, but I'm not sure I love them.
Tonight I installed the Oasis strings. These are settling in, not quite holding tune yet but doing better than the Martin M600s were at this point. They seem to play in tune. Not a lot big difference from the M600's to my ear. I'll have to write an update after these have had a few days to settle in.
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