Best "K" brand soprano?
- Thread starter kkimura
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Arcy
Strummin' in the Rain
Kmise! 
Yes, an answer so bad that the forum won't let me post it
Yes, an answer so bad that the forum won't let me post it
I had the chance to buy a Kamaka soprano but wasn't impressed by it. I now have a KoAloha and that is wonderful.
John Colter
John Colter
Tomthebaptist
Well-known member
CPG
Well-known member
I'd go with Kiwaya if it must start with K
... also I am in love with my Pohaku.
In both cases that's only if you're into the vintage martin-ish thing
... also I am in love with my Pohaku.
In both cases that's only if you're into the vintage martin-ish thing
Last edited:
Well, this might be the best one:
https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?146868-FS-Kinnard-Cedar-Figured-Walnut-Soprano
https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?146868-FS-Kinnard-Cedar-Figured-Walnut-Soprano
Kamaka ukuleles are the most consistent from size to size. If I were going to score their instruments, each size would score similarly.
KoAloha ukuleles sound better on the smaller end of the spectrum. Their tenors sound great, but they really shine with their sopranos and concerts.
Kanile'a ukuleles sound better on the larger end of the spectrum. Their tenors, super-tenors, baritones, and guileles are where their quality really shows.
I don't have much experience with Ko'olau, if you're even counting them, but Ko'olau sopranos are pretty rare, and I've never played one. If Pono ukuleles are any indication, they're pretty consistent in sizes, like Kamaka.
Based on all that, for me, KoAloha and Kamaka are the way to go with smaller sizes. I like the Kamaka sound, but once I got a Kamaka in a bigger size, I had little desire to get one of their sopranos. On the other hand, one nit-pick I have about KoAloha (and Opio and Rebel) ukuleles is that their sopranos don't have frets beyond the 12th. Their fretboard extends past the neck, but no frets. As someone who plays songs that occasionally go past the 12th fret, this is a bit annoying.
KoAloha ukuleles sound better on the smaller end of the spectrum. Their tenors sound great, but they really shine with their sopranos and concerts.
Kanile'a ukuleles sound better on the larger end of the spectrum. Their tenors, super-tenors, baritones, and guileles are where their quality really shows.
I don't have much experience with Ko'olau, if you're even counting them, but Ko'olau sopranos are pretty rare, and I've never played one. If Pono ukuleles are any indication, they're pretty consistent in sizes, like Kamaka.
Based on all that, for me, KoAloha and Kamaka are the way to go with smaller sizes. I like the Kamaka sound, but once I got a Kamaka in a bigger size, I had little desire to get one of their sopranos. On the other hand, one nit-pick I have about KoAloha (and Opio and Rebel) ukuleles is that their sopranos don't have frets beyond the 12th. Their fretboard extends past the neck, but no frets. As someone who plays songs that occasionally go past the 12th fret, this is a bit annoying.
I basically agree with rafter on the last page. As far as sopranos go, Kamaka and KoAloha are the way to go when talking about actual K brands.
KoAlohas are punchy, bright and loud, somewhat modern sounding I'd say.
Kamakas are more subdued especially with the stock strings, although a Kamaka soprano will still have that lovely jangly sound. Put some fluorocarbons on it and you will get a nice punchy sound as well. Probably the most traditional uke you can get new.
Kanile'a ukes excel in the lower frequencies so, in my opinion, their sopranos sound really muted. I'm one of those awful soprano purists but even I went with a Kanile'a concert instead of soprano because it's nice to get some more depth in the sound of a Kanile'a. I've heard positive things about the sopranos as well but I certainly prefer the larger sizes regarding Kanile'a.
I know aNueNue isn't a Hawaiian brand, let alone a K brand, but I'd say they have established themselves alongside the aforementioned brands in terms of quality and recognition. All of their ukes are great but I especially like their sopranos. It would be tough to find a soprano with a more full and balanced sound than the US200 Moon Bird. The sound is so full it almost sounds like a concert.
If you want a cheaper alternative to those Hawaiian K brands specifically, Ana'Ole ukes are great quality and something like 60% of the price of a K brand. They lack the high quality finish and bling of the K brands but they sound excellent. Their sopranos seem to be quite rare though.
And of course you can't forget Kiwaya. I'd say they excel traditional mainland US type mahogany sopranos but they have some koa models as well. I'm always a sucker for these.
KoAlohas are punchy, bright and loud, somewhat modern sounding I'd say.
Kamakas are more subdued especially with the stock strings, although a Kamaka soprano will still have that lovely jangly sound. Put some fluorocarbons on it and you will get a nice punchy sound as well. Probably the most traditional uke you can get new.
Kanile'a ukes excel in the lower frequencies so, in my opinion, their sopranos sound really muted. I'm one of those awful soprano purists but even I went with a Kanile'a concert instead of soprano because it's nice to get some more depth in the sound of a Kanile'a. I've heard positive things about the sopranos as well but I certainly prefer the larger sizes regarding Kanile'a.
I know aNueNue isn't a Hawaiian brand, let alone a K brand, but I'd say they have established themselves alongside the aforementioned brands in terms of quality and recognition. All of their ukes are great but I especially like their sopranos. It would be tough to find a soprano with a more full and balanced sound than the US200 Moon Bird. The sound is so full it almost sounds like a concert.
If you want a cheaper alternative to those Hawaiian K brands specifically, Ana'Ole ukes are great quality and something like 60% of the price of a K brand. They lack the high quality finish and bling of the K brands but they sound excellent. Their sopranos seem to be quite rare though.
And of course you can't forget Kiwaya. I'd say they excel traditional mainland US type mahogany sopranos but they have some koa models as well. I'm always a sucker for these.
I'll probably keep my Kamaka soprano with Kamaka strings forever, if for no other reason than to remind me what Kamaka thinks a standard ukulele should sound like. I'll leave the differences among Hawaiian K's to folks like rafter and Dohle who seems to have a lot more knowledge about all the brands.
Tomthebaptist
Well-known member
I have a Kala Elite koa soprano, and it does sound amazing!
I admit that I kind of reject the original question though. I don't think there really is one "best" of any instrument, it is all too subjective. What one person loves, another person doesn't. Now the later clarification that we are just trying to suss out what our own personal favorites are... that's a different question and one I need to ponder some more. I am mainly a concert player, but I do have a few sopranos, including my Kala Elite, a KoAloha, and even a Martin Konter. They all sound very different from each other. Guess I need to make some time to really compare them. I'll have to get back to you.
merlin666
Well-known member
For Kamaka we should also distinguish between Pineapple and regular shape.
Joyful Uke
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LOL. That's exactly what I thought of.
I would love to see a ranking of your ukuleles. I'm not mainly a concert player, but your list of ukes includes many that I've liked or am interested in, though also quite a few that I've never tried. I'm guessing you wouldn't have a straight, linear ranking for them, but if you had to put them in an order of preference, I'd be curious what your ranking would be.
You're right that there's a lot of subjectivity involved, but there's enough overlap that other people's opinions can be meaningful points of data. I don't think my opinion trumps anyone else's. But I bet if enough people offered opinions, we'd start to see some broad patterns from which we could derive some conclusions that might fit with own preferences. Maybe enough to make predictions, since we can't all go out and buy everything we're curious about. Anyway, whenever I see these "what's the best X" type of question, I invariably see experienced people demur because of the subjectivity involved. Yet I'm interested in hearing other people's opinions. Especially people who've had more experience. Maybe better just to ask "what's your favorite X?"
My "k"en Timms is awesome
My "k"en Timms is awesome
*applause*
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