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Mims Ukes
- Thread starter Nickie
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Mim
Well-known member
The problem is it puts work at a stand-still. I wish I could just chat, but then work get so backed up!
Buying direct and not having the Mim setup does not sound like a savings. Her set up makes such a difference. I recently purchased an Ohana concert from her and am extremely impressed with the sound and playability. It is a whole different world than my Kala tenor. Mim is the best.
Mark.T
Well-known member
Mim set up Ohana ukes for me and my six-year-old daughter and they’ve been great for us. Before that I had a Makai concert whose bridge was failing but it sounded way better than it had any right to sound. I, er, broke that uke trying to replace the bridge. Too bad...
Mim
Well-known member
I agree with many of your points. But as a retailer there is also something to be said for quality control and customer service of the parent company. So sometimes reputations are hard earned for a reason. Having someone who honors warranties is important. Also I know owners who have bent over backwards to make sure their employees, dealers, and customers are taken care of. Then there is development and innovation.. Ohana has developed many of their styles. With models that can be seen from no other company. Flight as well. There is not just one factory in Asia, but many, and the difference in quality from one to the other is dramatic.
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UkeStuff
Well-known member
Bill,
All I'm going to say is that while they may sell ukuleles built other places, they aren't all equal.
All I'm going to say is that while they may sell ukuleles built other places, they aren't all equal.
I certainly understand what Mim had to do, makes good business sense. Six years ago I called her about choosing a uke with very specific requirements, cutaway, electronics, good projection and sustain, she recommended the Kala cedar top acacia. When I bought it, as I've noted in other posts, it immediately became my go to gig uke, and I had customs at the time. I always recommend her first to anyone looking for a uke. I got to meet her a couple of years later at NAMM West, she has no need to deprecate herself. Thank you Mim, and there's no doubt you're going to do well with the new items.
This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)
• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)
• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
This is what I meant when I said Kala hasn't kept up with their competition. I'm not under the impression that brands like Ohana or Flight are somehow that much better regarding actual build or sound quality but what they do is innovate and produce new and interesting models. In this regard, Kala has stagnated in my opinion.
I do think that the Cailfornia-made Kala Elites are pretty nice and they make some interesting designs and use some atypical tonewoods, but you're basically looking at luthier-built instruments, not mass production models.
Having bought from Mim and getting to watch her do the setup on the uke, I know what a great job she does. However, in May I bought a Kala KA-FMCG from Kala at it's 20% off sale, never thinking how it would hurt dealers. Because of this thread, I've learned to be more careful in the future. I like the uke I bought. After taking it to my repair/set-up guy and paying $40 more I enjoy playing it. My point is that right now, if you were to buy a Kala uke from Mim at her 10% discount and get her setup, you would be getting a slighter better price than I got after paying Kala and the setup man. So don't wait for the next round of discounts from her. That Kala uke you want to satisfy your UAS may be gone.
Besides the great setups and all the other good things Mim is involved in, without trying she's also an advocate for a "steady-state economy." Growth, for growth's sake isn't a good thing and as frustrated as I get when I want to look at her website and it's closed, I tip my hat to her and her standards. More folks should be like her.
Besides the great setups and all the other good things Mim is involved in, without trying she's also an advocate for a "steady-state economy." Growth, for growth's sake isn't a good thing and as frustrated as I get when I want to look at her website and it's closed, I tip my hat to her and her standards. More folks should be like her.
Jerryc41
Well-known member
glennerd
Well-known member
For quality (based on recent model years), I'd put them on par, although the Ohanas I've got from Mim are impeccable. The solid Ohanas seem way punchier and lighter than the solid Kalas from what models I've tried. Ohana just needs a nicer neck profile (sopranos, at least).
acmespaceship
Well-known member
:smileybounce:
Huh? I always feel like I'm talking to a super-long-time friend when we talk.
I really want to meet you in person, one of these years. (When we don't need masks, or 6' distancing.)
-Kurt
(And I have to add that, while I've played several Kala ukes, I only own one: the Kala KA-KTG-CY that I bought from, at the recommendation of, and setup by Music Guy Mike. A beautiful instrument, but I don't need another. And my bass is the Fluke Timberline, also from Mim. If I need work on that, I'm about 1-1/2 hours from Magic Fluke -gas is less expensive than shipping.)
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the.waz
Member
Yes! Your individual pictures are what made the difference between me buying from you versus somewhere else for a few dollars less. There is so much variety in wood grain and hue, I want to see the instrument I am buying. Setup is a bonus.
More on the topic of the thread, talking to you is what made the difference between me buying a Kala laminate and an Ohana solid top. You did not push me toward the Ohana but patiently explained why you like them so much. I appreciate that you can back all that you sell even if you have personal preferences.
That Ohana in my avatar…you’ve touched that.
I think that’s important! It’s a brand you had your name on, so I would hope it’s a brand you still back even if it doesn’t make business sense to sell them. I have a (non-Mim) Kala Ubass and have played a couple of friends’ Kalas, and they are fine instruments. I understand folks saying that the competition left them behind in terms of value, but that doesn’t somehow make them poor instruments. In fact, suddenly I’m tempted to pick up a couple set-up Dolphins or Sharks for the little people…
Cadia
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I would always want to see the instrument I'm purchasing beforehand. Wouldn't buy it otherwise. Every acoustic wood instrument is an individual. It's one of the fascinating qualities of ukes and guitars.
I agree. Just because Mim has made the business decision to not carry Kalas anymore doesn't mean they are of lesser quality. She has sold them and set them up for years, and I don't think she would have carried them if she didn't believe they offered good value and were decent ukes. But they're undermining their dealers.
snowdenn
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To be fair, unless your tech guy was at a big box shop like Guitar Center, taking your Kala to him for setup still supports a small business. I love that someone like Mim exists as an alternative to places like Guitar Center, and I've bought from Mim before and probably will again, but the way her quota's been filling up for weeks now, I don't think she's hurting for business the way some local shops might be.
Some of your money went to Kala, and some to your tech. If you had bought from Mim, some would have gone to Kala, and some to her. For me, in addition to thinking about whether I want to support Mim or a local shop, there's a question about whether I want my dollars to go to Kala at all. Personally, I don't think they're "the bad guys," but I've never really cared for their brand, and given what we're seeing about their behavior, I don't really see a reason to start supporting them.
Rllink
Well-known member
In no way am I trying to take the light off of small business. I would rather buy from a small business that has a more inviting home feeling to it when I walk in than some big box store. The funkier the better. But be aware that the people working at the big box stores like GC are people who live locally in your town too, with families and kids that go to your schools. They spend their money support locally as much as anyone else. So supporting them supports the community in many ways as well. I don't think we should act like they are outsiders and interlopers coming in to take advantage of us.
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Mim
Well-known member
Yeah, this makes me think I may need to make something super clear! I seriously still don't have a problem with Kala as a whole and my salesman feels like a friend and there are a lot of people I know in the company I have much love for! So let me make sure I make that clear!
I did not want to make a stink about it. And would not have initiated a thread on UU, but since it was brought to my attention I figured I would weight in, because it is best to be blunt than invite speculation. Vaguebooking and speculation are my least favorite things. And it has been so lovely connecting with people and also seeing everyone's views and insights!
So please don't think I am kicking a turd or wanting to stir up trouble with Kala. I would have quietly slunk away, but the point system sent me reeling and suddenly opened a pandoras box where my brain finally went, "DING! Wait a minute! NO WONDER I have a hard time selling Kala now. And it would have been nice to have been told." And since I was on "stay-cation" and I am the queen of procrastinating paperwork (took me 18 months to finally open my Gator account) I had to act quick if I was to do a swap out. I had been meaning to open a Makai and Flight account anyway, but never had the money to do so. Because I never just trickle into a brand, I sort of go whole-hog from the get-go. Then I realized... ahhh... if I liquidate the Kalas, let people know, and fight fire with discount fire, I can get some income and finally commit to these other 2 brands. Everyone was super easy to reach and bing-bang-boom... I did a major business change in less than 24 hours and my soul went "Ahhhhhhhhh... this feels right!"
I guess I did lay out the back story, but as I said it is nothing you can not find out if you are on your e-mail list. I threw shade once, I will own up to that. I said they need a setup, but I think every ukulele needs a setup. EVERY ukulele... EVERY. ONE. Every brand. Every... ukulele. So I would have said that about any brand. Haha. I am a picky gal.
And I think the honesty in this process is refreshing and thank you all for understanding. And from a business perspective it is very insightful. Please still buy the Kalas you love without any ill feeling towards the brand. Just because Mim get a burr in her booty about the points system does not change that they are a good instrument... it is just not working for me right now and I have the ability to shed some light onto some other lovely brands by some lovely people! Their loveliness does not negate the loveliness of Kala. Just the points system... not lovely for me... lovely for you... just bad for the Mim!
This is how I think about it... the world changes, business models change, and for some companies with the new internet platforms available, having a dealer is just unnecessary. There was one brand name at NAMM that had absolutely no interest in me as a dealer... I was shocked. But then someone whispered in the person's ear that I had an Instagram following and suddenly they wanted to give me a free uke. They were not looking for dealers, they were interested in me as an INFLUENCER. I gotta say, I was flattered that thought of me that way, but my 5k followers in no way gives me ukulele "influencer" status. Haha. Also I won't influence you... I will guide you to the best uke for you. Not the best uke for my pocket. So that is when I realized that even that was a new business model. Give out free ukes, have the influencer say "use my code for 10% off". Influencer get a commission for every purchase direct from the brand. I think the Kala move is just a different business model that is working for them. And I also see it this way... there are people... who are going to buy their uke off Amazon. They just are. They have prime. They have a gift card. They are sending it as a gift. It is better for it to be a Kala than some other brand. Same with Walmart. Walmart wants to put Ukuleles on their site. It might as well be Kala. If not, someone else will fill that spot that might not be as good and we know Kala is ok.
But I did feel like I needed to take a solid stand for two reasons. One, I know some other small businesses have been hurt by these practices and we have talked it over. And I have a tendency to take a stand for my friends more than myself. Two, when I decided to no longer offer Baritones, I just phased them out. And I still field e-mails of people looking for a Baritone. I got one yesterday from someone looking for a Kala Baritone. It made my husband laugh. He said, "The two things you decided to quit doing." So I figured a announcement was in order.
So the moral of the story is, please don't think Mim was trying to stir the poop... if you want a Kala, buy a Kala, and I can give you the name of some great businesses that still offer Kala so you can continue to support local... please keep an eye on my Makai and Flight inventory because I think it is going to match the Mim very much and y'all will be glad I have 'em... and follow me on Instagram because it DRIVES my kids CRAZY! They don't understand how their dorky mom managed to have so many followers!
