Review of 2020 Kinnard Maple and Sitka Baritone

Doc_J

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Like all great artists, John Kinnard continues to refine his work. I recently received his latest baritone creation.
A few pictures are attached.

First the obvious, it’s gorgeous. The looks are really clean, simple yet well thought out. Nice composition, simple elegance! I’ve always been drawn to maple fretboards. This beautiful blonde baritone has all the other normal Kinnard attributes, including a flawless build and easy playability. It felt very comfortable.

Actually, it felt better than just comfortable in my arthritic left (fretting) hand. I don’t know what the magic formulas are for my comfort, but it was easy to tell in a few minutes how comfortable it was. Hard to believe it, but my left hand actually felt good after playing for nearly a half hour straight. I’ve had to sell some awesome ukes because of hand discomfort. Comfort trumps all else. If it hurts when you play it, you won’t play it. This is a very enjoyable baritone, indeed. Funny after playing this wider neck a while the standard baritone neck width began to feel a little crowded.

Love the sound. Impressive how responsive this baritone is even with the lighter gauge strings on it (Worth CMs with a .033” smooth wound Oasis warm on the 4th). Interesting how some songs sound a lot better on a great instrument. With these light strings I have been a half step to a full step above DGBE. It sounds terrific in all those tunings, but the lighter gauge strings play better with higher tension. It has opened up nicely and really does sing. I really enjoy how the notes are clear and distinct, yet blend well and warmly as a chorus. Every note on each strings sounds exactly as it should. Perfect intonation and depth!

This baritone truly seems to play outstanding in all modes finger style or strummed. The strings blend amazingly well on the main chords when strummed. On other baritones those chords can be a little harsh, or muddy. It’s surprisingly warm and crystal clear at the same time. This baritone seems to excel at whatever style I play on it. Great on Silent Night strummed or Hotel California played finger style. It has a wonderful blending of individual strings when strummed- you can hear the note separation in strums. It's a great mixture of harmonics and single note clarity.

I hear better projection from this baritone than most other baritones. By that I mean the sound gets outside the box or has no ’boxy’ element to the sound. Quite a few baritones have a little boxy/boomy/constrained component to their sound.

KinnardUkes has definitely advanced and refined their baritone design since an early Kinnard baritone I had a few years back. This current model is more responsive, clear, harmonic, and projecting than earlier model Kinnard baritones and most other custom baritones. Physically there are key differences in this latest Kinnard baritone, compare to one I had from 2015. The current top bracing is cross braced vs. fan bracing. The scale is 19-7/8 vs 19” on the 2015 model.

I’ve played quite a few baritones and I can’t think of anything I would want to change on this latest Kinnard baritone. The fit, feel, sound, looks are terrific. It's difficult to compare instruments as each builder has a different sound and strengths. This might be the best baritone I have played. It lacks nothing and has many strengths.

BTW I had not been thinking about a Kinnard baritone before I tried it. After playing it, I felt like it was designed and built just for me. Had to have it. Currently, it’s my favorite uke.

Recorded some samples of this baritone:
1 step up
https://app.box.com/s/w28lsooa0o0ico3jdwx5uglpd4vug9kp
1/2 step up https://app.box.com/s/rs345nflcy0fc1mpx3vw4grwu3ppl7bn
dgbe https://app.box.com/s/u0l32t9oirqg4l3f3kc4kljzgirljkux

Harvest Moon https://app.box.com/s/vtgqpu52dq81set7br5muco6bqoq84qf

Specs:
19-7/8 scale
Curly Maple body with cut away
Sitka Spruce top
Maple neck
Ivoroid binding Top and Fretboard.
Maple through-hole bridge,
Compound radiused maple fretboard 1-1/2” width at the nut
Quilted maple faceplate
Gloss body, Satin Neck finishes
Side sound port
Gotoh open gear tuners
Bone nut and saddle
P1090458 by hejenkins, on Flickr
P1090457 by hejenkins, on Flickr
P1090456 by hejenkins, on Flickr
P1090454 by hejenkins, on Flickr
 
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Congratulations on your acquisition. Kinnards are truly special instruments and it is no surprise that this one looks, sounds, and plays great. It is cool that you can play it longer and more comfortably than others.
 
Nice. Sounds like a "holy grail" class of instrument :shaka:
 
It's a beauty, Hodge. Glad to hear it plays easily and makes pleasant sounds. Have a good time with it!
 
That's such a beautiful uke, Doc! Baritones are probably my area of least interest right now, but your uke journey and reviews are fun (and informative) to follow! Thanks for posting.
 
Thanks for sharing about your wonderful Kinnard Baritone. About a year ago I was able to handle and play a Kinnard longneck soprano.....WOW.........quality craftsmanship and top notch sound all around....could not really justify a purchase at the time.......your Baritone sounds really very nice.......such a pleasure to hear.....I'm all smiles when I play a quality instrument....I'm sure you are as well....enjoy :)
 
That's such a beautiful uke, Doc! Baritones are probably my area of least interest right now, but your uke journey and reviews are fun (and informative) to follow! Thanks for posting.

It’s funny when I started playing the uke about 11 years ago I thought tenors were too long and hard to play. Primarily I played sopranos and some concerts at the start, then after a couple years I moved to tenors, lately I play mostly baritones. I’ve always kept an open mind to try different ukes and sizes. BTW I still play a soprano now and then.
 
That is a beauty! Thanks so much for sharing. It seems. to have captured the perfect blend of candy for both eye and ear. Thanks for posting the sound clips and review. Oh, and I agree with you - bari's are really nice.
 
I do a lot of window shopping, and saw that one, and that it disappeared from the Kinnard site quickly.
Glad that it went to you, and that you're enjoying it so much.

Really a unique, beautiful ukulele, and even more importantly, it seems perfect for you. My hands are picky about necks, so I understand why that's so important. Great review. Enjoy your Kinnard!
 
Fantastic bari Hodge. Just a delight to look at. Wonderful to listen to.

I love John Kinnard's tenor ukuleles. The sound is exactly what I like. They feel great to play. His craftsmanship and design elegance are world-class.

I'm starting to get arthritis in my hands. So I have an small understanding about your concerns. I'm really glad you found an instrument that feels good to play.

Congratulations. What an instrument!
 
Congrats! Love the sound samples and I love how it lets the gorgeous woods be the showcase.

It's lovely in all respects.

Bluesy.
 
What a lovely instrument, Hodge! Remarkable sound. Congratulations and best!
 
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