Have a Martin C1K, should I keep dreaming of K?

Hi all,

I already have a Martin C1K (solid koa concert) which I think it's wonderful. I tried it along a T1K and other, and I liked this one best. It was, IMHO, the best uke in whole store (Union Music, Worcester, MA). I've never played one of the K-brand ukes, nor seen one in person.

Am I to expect something so much better/different from one of the K-brand ukes? Should I keep dreaming about one of those? (and saving from my allowance!) or should I be satisfied with this Martin in terms of solid koa sound?

Opinions welcome.

Eugenio

No one is ever done buying ukes. I thought I would be satisfied with my uke I got 2 years ago, but ever since I started playing I wanted a KoAloha. So I finally got a KoAloha last year and thought I'd be satisfied, but now I also want a Kanilea or Kamaka Tenor... It's truly never ending haha. The fact that you are questioning getting a K brand kind of tells me that the feeling will always be there. Save up

Ukecaster said:

Hey E,
I'll bring my vintage Kamaka soprano some last-Thursday to their monthly uke night, you can check it out. Not a bigger uke, as you may prefer, but you might enjoy anyway. Not sure when though, as we have band practice on Thursdays, but I'll let you know. Probably over the summer.

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Yes, I'd like that, I'd bring my Martin. keep me posted.

Eugenio

What Kyle23 above said is true although I think it also has something to do with your preferences, for example, when I started with the ukulele 5 years ago and when I really started to look into what's good and not, I got the chance to purchase a used concert Kamaka on UU and as far as looks and feel goes, it was amazing, but the sound did not work well with me, so I sold it. Then I bought a used concert Kanilea (here at UU also) and again it was beautiful and plays great just like the Kamaka but the sound wasn't what I had in mind at the time so I sold it. Also, I didn't know about playing around with different strings at the time so if I knew what I know now, I probably would've settled with either as long as I found the right strings for the sound I was looking for. A few months later, I visited a local uke dealer and fell in love with a Pono Acacia Tenor Deluxe and loved how it felt and sounded. And then a year later, I was at a uke fest in NJ and saw a Martin C1K that one of the vendors had and it was love at first sight, when I held and played it, I knew that that was the sound I was looking for so I had to take it home with me. But as you probably know, those two (Pono and C1K) were two totally different sounding ukes but I loved both as I used them on different types of songs that I play. I still have both as my main players although I haven't played much lately because of work and family schedule. Anyway, to make the story short, in the span of 5 years, I've bought 43 different ukuleles and sold 16! So my advise is to try to purchase ukuleles in person if you can rather than online cause sometimes you might not hear exactly what you are looking for. Also it's good to go to meetups and such so you can check out other people's ukes and be able to decide if that is what you like. (sorry i rambled a bit, just finished putting my 2 year old to sleep and the past hour felt like a whole week of struggle)

Can you get over to The Music Emporium in Lexington? They have some Kamakas and the folks there are very nice. I'm sure they would allow you to test drive them.

http://themusicemporium.com/ukuleles

I will likely never part with my C1K, but that hasn't stopped me from wanting that "next". I just haven't decided the next one up the ladder yet... I am sure you'll also seek out another Uke even if you can't part with your C1K... especicailly being on the UU forum that drives UAS to the maximum.

hmgberg said:

Can you get over to The Music Emporium in Lexington? They have some Kamakas and the folks there are very nice. I'm sure they would allow you to test drive them.

http://themusicemporium.com/ukuleles

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That's a great idea, I'll do that.

ukuleleden said:

I will likely never part with my C1K, but that hasn't stopped me from wanting that "next". I just haven't decided the next one up the ladder yet... I am sure you'll also seek out another Uke even if you can't part with your C1K... especicailly being on the UU forum that drives UAS to the maximum.

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that's a good observation. Thanks.

".. being on the UU forum that drives UAS to the maximum. " A variation of this quote should the be motto of the UU Forums

If you're dreaming about it you will have troubled sleep until you do something about it.

I have 3 Martin ukes. a T2K, a T1K, and a C1K. They're all good. "1" ukes are so good I don't think I'd buy a "2". But here's what you don't get: the detail on a "1" uke isn't as good. The finish is rougher. The tuners are cheaper. The fret work is a little less fine. The action is higher. The tone is pure Martin and the 1s are a little louder than the 2.

I also have a KoAloha longneck pineapple and an Imua concert. The Imua is Honolulu-built and the equal of the K-brands. When I head out the door it's the uke that usually goes with me. The quality and finish just make it stand out. I think there's more sensitivity to the tone. The action and intonation were spot on from the start.

At home I play a Beau Hannam that none of my other ukes can hope to equal.

PereBourik said:

But here's what you don't get: the detail on a "1" uke isn't as good. The finish is rougher. The tuners are cheaper. The fret work is a little less fine. The action is higher. The tone is pure Martin and the 1s are a little louder than the 2.

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Regrading the fret work and action comparison, that may be a generalization, but not a hard and fast rule. I was able to select my C1K right out of the box from the local Martin dealer and the action was as nice and low (how I personally prefer the action) with sot-on intonation and right on par with a 2 Concert the dealer had for me to compare with. The frets were also dressed just as nice with no sharp or protruding ends. Agree on the finish difference being more appealing on the 2, but the 1 I was fortunate enough to be able to select has a beautiful soft stain finish with no flaws anywhere. This C1K is a key reason why I prefer satin finishes, especially with Koa.

Have a Martin C1K, should I keep dreaming of K?
Probably not. But you surely will.

Like you all commented, UAS will keep bugging me until I "do something about it", so I'd better start saving. But it's obvious that at this level of quality and $$ it makes a lot of sense to test the uke in person to see if it has the sound that I like or look for. Since I like to get ukes of different solid wood (my justification for UAS: "I'm a collector") the solid koa spot has already been filled by this C1K, so I'd consider (I think) a K-brand uke only if its sound is really special and different from what I already have .

Also, it does look, though, that I landed with a very good little uke. I'm hearing good comments on the C1K!

Thanks to all for your opinions.

Eugenio

I had a C1K and a Koaloha KCM 00 at the same time.

The Martin sounded like a ukulele, no bells and whistles just a sweet very ukulele sound. The Koaloha is pretty much custom build not a bog standard factory uklele. It was very light, very well crafted, looked stunning and well... none of this would matter without sound. The sound was imo the kitchen sink in and all the bells and whistles. Responsive at low and high volumes with no ceiling.

In the end I returned the C1K and... sold the Koaloha. I like a vintage tone so it's taste. I got a Martin S1 which you will prise from my cold dead hands. Still gotta try vintage Martin BUT, I have ticked off the K and regret nothing.

If you want a sedate K get the others. If you want to wake the neighbors get a Koaloha. Aftercare is above standard too.

Good luck with your search!

A K-brand ukulele is a lot different from C1K, but not necessarily significantly better.

Buying a K-brand ukulele would make the most sense if you wanted to get a different size than a concert. Otherwise I would suggest to keep dreaming (and saving up the allowance), but not actually buying one. For about a year or so, at least.

p.s. I used to have 5 ukuleles. Now I only have 2 but I enjoy having them a lot more. Not having enough time to play all 5 made me really anxious.

I think you should try a K brand... I did the opposite, I had a Kamaka HF-2 100th anniversary, a Kamaka HF-1 Gold label and an Imua Koa Soprano all three from Hawaii and felt incomplete when I saw the C1K and bought it...so it work both ways!!! And I still love my C1K...Yes I'm guilty as charged for UAS!!!

emarcano said:

Am I to expect something so much better/different from one of the K-brand ukes? Should I keep dreaming about one of those?

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In a word "No", but you can dream!

I had a C1K and was dreaming of a K...the C1K doesn't give up much of anything in sound to any of the K's...