Kamaka HF-2 Concert vs. HF-1L Long Neck Soprano

Swiftsailor98

Swiftsailor98

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Calling all Kamaka players!!

I'm looking at some nice Kamakas on Reverb. Does anyone have good description for difference in sound and feel between the long-neck soprano (HF-1L) and the concert (HF-2)?

Following a theme from another recent post, if yours disappeared, which one would you buy?

Stay safe and healthy.
 
Blind sounds from @man0a 's video above
(these are .wav files to retain their original qualities; each file is 1 ukulele, there's an additional one)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Eawv-tlQ7wuIoo8f-oLhMeDo2A_1QEU0/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hm17LJ7uDMT1-sYv7tUEbPlsbFhsvJxK/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i9jh1THZstHuKUDRcaUKYWrhcXNoxvnW/view?usp=sharing

and the key (don't open until you've decided which sound you like best):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OllL1mmBERUTEYa1IXcLEDBAwt80l0bf/view?usp=sharing
 
Last edited:
Not how I thought that was going to turn out. Thanks for that blind "taste" test. I made my pick!

The neat thing is that if I pursue my choice it would be unique in my collection. I

Cheers and keep strumming!

I'd encourage others to try this blind comparison, you might learn something about the sound you like.
 
That was fun thank you for that. I could hear (I think) the concert being a little more full in sound and the std soprano being a little more balanced but gosh darn for that song if I didn’t like the long neck soprano the best.

What song is that by the way? It was whimsical and fun.

Well done.

clear said:
Blind sounds from @man0a 's video above
(these are .wav files to retain their original qualities; each file is 1 ukulele, there's an additional one)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Eawv-tlQ7wuIoo8f-oLhMeDo2A_1QEU0/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hm17LJ7uDMT1-sYv7tUEbPlsbFhsvJxK/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i9jh1THZstHuKUDRcaUKYWrhcXNoxvnW/view?usp=sharing

and the key (don't open until you've decided which sound you like best):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OllL1mmBERUTEYa1IXcLEDBAwt80l0bf/view?usp=sharing
Click to expand...
 
ghostrdr said:
That was fun thank you for that. I could hear (I think) the concert being a little more full in sound and the std soprano being a little more balanced but gosh darn for that song if I didn’t like the long neck soprano the best.

What song is that by the way? It was whimsical and fun.

Well done.
Click to expand...

Yup, me too. The long neck soprano was my choice. And I'll be darned if I can remember the name of that song, though I know it well!
 
I did prefer the concert in the blind test, but by the narrowest of margins. I suspect that if I had listened on a different day, the long neck would have won my favor.

Thank you very much for making these recordings!
 
I always enjoy when people do recordings like this. Thanks!
My pick was the concert.
 
Does anyone know what that song is?

When my alarm clock went off this morning, that song was in my dream, so it's certainly catchy.
The dog that I just lost to cancer was happily dancing around to the song, so it was a happy dream, in spite of the sad loss.
 
While researching for a new ukulele : ) I came across this song again; I think its name is sukiyaki.
 
Thanks @clear, for the song title and the blind samples. I just tried the samples now before watching the original video. I was able to identify the second as the concert, but having a 3rd uke threw me off. For some reason, I assumed you had included a non-Kamaka, and though they did all sound like Kamakas, the first sample sounded least Kamaka-like to me. So I thought the long-neck was last and the first uke was some other brand. I ended up liking the concert best and then the soprano, which is also the order they sounded Kamaka-like to me.

When I watched the original video, it seemed like the long-neck instruments had more of a, I don't know, chime to them than the rest. Then again, I'm not super confident in my ability to pick out tonal qualities. Still, this being the second recent thread with a blind sample of an instrument I own or have experience with, it seems I'm at least decent at picking out ukuleles I'm familiar with.
 
I listened to the video a few times between the the std and the long neck soprano because I was surprised how they didn't sound the same. The std neck seemed a little warmer or (less chimey as snowden put it). So by the time I realized there was a fun test, it was easy to tell them apart. I would guess the slightly different sound is due to the longer neck having strings with a little more tension than the std neck. Still, I was surprised there was a difference I could hear.
 
snowdenn said:
Thanks @clear, for the song title and the blind samples. I just tried the samples now before watching the original video. I was able to identify the second as the concert, but having a 3rd uke threw me off. For some reason, I assumed you had included a non-Kamaka, and though they did all sound like Kamakas, the first sample sounded least Kamaka-like to me. So I thought the long-neck was last and the first uke was some other brand. I ended up liking the concert best and then the soprano, which is also the order they sounded Kamaka-like to me.

When I watched the original video, it seemed like the long-neck instruments had more of a, I don't know, chime to them than the rest. Then again, I'm not super confident in my ability to pick out tonal qualities. Still, this being the second recent thread with a blind sample of an instrument I own or have experience with, it seems I'm at least decent at picking out ukuleles I'm familiar with.
Click to expand...

The 3 samples are all from the video, so they are all Kamakas. I added one to make it a bit harder to guess (rather than just the 2 the OP was interested) and also because I'm considering buying one of them. Unfortunate for me, right now ukuleles are flying off the shelves and the stores must be super busy because none of them is replying my emails : ( and the one store I called doesn't seem to answer phones. I may just have to buy a used one locally; but I much prefer new.
 
clear said:
The 3 samples are all from the video, so they are all Kamakas.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't realize until after I saw the answers and the video. I guess since I'm most familiar with the HF-2, that's my reference point for a Kamaka-like tone. And when I listened to the blind samples and watched the video after, the long-necks seemed to have the least Kamaka-like sound to them, which of course, is incorrect, since they're Kamakas. But to my ear, they seem the most different from the others and have a slightly more choral chime to them. I would not have expected longnecks to sound distinguishable, especially via blind samples.

Which one are you thinking about getting? I think I've seen all three from the blind sample at more than one retailer.
 
Swiftsailor98 said:
Not how I thought that was going to turn out. Thanks for that blind "taste" test. I made my pick!

The neat thing is that if I pursue my choice it would be unique in my collection. I

Cheers and keep strumming!

I'd encourage others to try this blind comparison, you might learn something about the sound you like.
Click to expand...


Which did you pick? I'm a little late, and it sounds like more people prefer the long neck, but my vote is for the concert. I don't have experience directly comparing them, but the sound sample confirmed my preference.
 
snowdenn said:
...
Which one are you thinking about getting? I think I've seen all three from the blind sample at more than one retailer.
Click to expand...

I was all set on buying a long neck soprano, but now I think I should get a standard because I'm happy with my current long neck but I don't have a good standard. Locally, I can get a used long neck for $990, HMS has a new one for $1200. I need to know how thick the soprano is at the lower bout area.
 
clear said:
I was all set on buying a long neck soprano, but now I think I should get a standard because I'm happy with my current long neck but I don't have a good standard. Locally, I can get a used long neck for $990, HMS has a new one for $1200. I need to know how thick the soprano is at the lower bout area.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you mean by thick--width or depth?--and you should double check my numbers, but I've got: 174mm wide at the lower bout and 62mm depth at the bottom for an HF-1.
 
snowdenn said:
I'm not sure what you mean by thick--width or depth?--and you should double check my numbers, but I've got: 174mm wide at the lower bout and 62mm depth at the bottom for an HF-1.
Click to expand...

Mine measures the same +/- 1mm as snowdenn's.
 
@snowdenn, @Ed1: Thank you! That's just what I have been looking for (depth).

I have a thick soprano (at 68mm) that's not as comfortable as my 59mm soprano. I think Kamaka's 62mm would be fine for me. Thanks again.
 
I thought I chime in my bit as I have played all 3 sizes of Kamaka mentioned here.. standard, long neck soprano, concert. All are strung with the stock black nylon strings.

My vote will be for the concert if just based on sound alone. But I got the standard instead, as it is the most comfortable for my short stubby fingers.

In my humble opinion, the concert has the fuller voice and longer sustain out of all. The body really vibrates hard when even lightly strummed. Both the standard and long neck are about the same for volume and sustain except that the standard has a brighter voice.

The standard and long neck are just as good and I’m just nit-picking only. Only thing I dislike on the concert is the head stock design. It’s unique but not for me though.
 
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