Ken Timms Mahogany Soprano - REVIEW

[bazmaz]

Quite simply - wonderful.

The uke to cure UAS

http://www.gotaukulele.com/2017/11/ken-timms-soprano-ukulele-review.html

 

[Ukecaster]

Great review Baz. I agree, they are indeed very special ukes, like the finest example of a vintage Martin you can find, but brand new, without the issues that vintage ukes can have. However, the hand rubbed finish is a bit more delicate than most, more care/vigilance required there, probably wipe it down after playing, which I rarely do with my other modern finish ukes.

Ken has a bunch of uke building videos on YouTube. I like this one, where he reshapes the standard tuner buttons into the Keystone shape that he uses on his ukes. They not only look cool, but give you a bit more finger room back there. What a craftsman!

 

[bazmaz]

That's exactly how it feels!

 

[bazmaz]

And thanks to Ukecaster for setting me straight on the serial number meaning. Review now edited for accuracy. Cheers.

 

[EDW]

Quite simply - wonderful.

The uke to cure UAS

Yes, but since I don't have one, it has created an acute case!

 

[Graham Greenbag]

Yes, but since I don't have one, it has created an acute case!

I might well be alone in not understanding all of this.

Timms Ukes are effectively not available to the general public (you can’t place an order for one and you can’t buy a new one off of the shelf) so what’s the point in wanting one when they are so very difficult to get hold of? I just don’t get the point of a review of something that others effectively can’t buy either, but perhaps my interest doesn’t match that of a significant percentage of other readers? When I read a review it is primarily to see whether, at some point, the item might be worth me considering purchasing. If something isn’t reasonably available then surely a review is of simply academic interest, or is it maybe voyeurism?

Let me be clear that nothing negative is intended here. Baz is (rightly) everyone’s hero and I’ve now doubt at all that Timms Ukes are amongst the very best. However Mr T’s production is so very small (say twenty five a year) that it just seems strange to me that anyone should want to read a review of them or really hunt high and low to maybe, if they’re very lucky, get the chance to purchase one. Maybe I’ve missed something or are just a miserable old git but, as with many other things, aren’t you inviting discontent and unhappiness into your life if you let yourself decide that you really want something that you’re unlikely to ever have?

 

[bazmaz]

They are not that difficult to get hold of though. They are just not on the commercial market, but that is no bad thing and in no way makes a review invalid. It would be invalid if he had stopped building, but he hasn't - thought that IS why I don't review vintage instruments. When comparing this to other luthier instruments though, they are actually easier to get hold of (my usual luthier now has a waiting list of 6 months). With a Timms - you see them you buy one. If you are slow you miss one. That's just the way it is. He WILL make more though. I missed many. Then decided I had to really go for it - I emailed him, he gave me an indication of when he was putting one up, I made a note, I saw it, I bought it. Simple.

Let me give you another, (not me) real world example. When I bought this very one I mentioned it to a few friends and sent them some phototgraphs as they were interested. Two of those friends in the last 5 weeks have also bought one. One bought a used one and one bought a new one direct from Ken. It's do-able.

To suggest they are in some way 'unavailable' or difficult to get is, frankly just wrong. It's not as easy as walking into Argos and buying one with a credit card, sure... But they ARE available all the same... I know which I would prefer.

Maybe I should stop with luthier built reviews?

 

[Kevs-the-name]

Graham.. I am afraid I disagree with a couple of your points. - and agree with a few others! (Barry's reviews are really good)

Ken Timms soprano ukuleles are in fact ‘available’ to purchase. When I decided I wanted one, I watched eBay and purchased one when it came available. There are 9 positive feedback reviews left for Ken in the past 6months; and 25per year certainly makes them available to purchase. They are not commercially made like say a Kala, but that is what makes them a bit special. There was more chance of me purchasing one of these than a Moonbird, or another Koaloha. these are also very difficult to get hold of in the UK.
A review is just that. a review. it isn’t a sales pitch, and certainly isn’t an advert encouraging you to buy. It does however let you know whether something is worth hunting down.
I offered Barry Maz my Myamoe Resonator to review, and he declined because they are NOT available to purchase new anymore. The Timms certainly are.

As a new builder myself, I may only produce 6-12 ukuleles a year, and Barry might review one. Are they readily available to purchase? Unfortunately not.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

To be fair all round I was editing my post, to better explain my points, whilst Baz and Kev were adding theirs.

I have defined what I mean by availability and it appears to differ from what Baz and Kev think - I’ve no problem with that at all. If you have to email the builder to get one (importantly in this case Joe Public doesn’t have those contact details) then, to me, the product is effectively not available to the general public. If, as I seem to recall Kev did, you have to ask on this forum about instruments for sale then, to me, the product is effectively not available to the general public. (Edit. http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?129732-WTB-Ken-Timms-Ukulele).

My post wasn’t intended as a criticism and I said that very clearly above, but it seems to have been taken as one and that saddens me. I used words like ‘I don’t understand’ and ‘maybe I’ve missed something’, to my mind such words invite explanations ......

 

[bazmaz]

Having to contact a builder in no way means they are hard to get hold of, surely?

I remain confused.

Seriously - as available as Makala Dolphins? Nope..

Avaialable with a small amount of research? Yes...

 

[bazmaz]

Wow - I have been reviewing instruments for best part of 9 years. Some have proved divisive. I never, NEVER thought a Ken Timms would be a divisive one...

*(ps - that edit - baz is 'everyone's hero' ?? Passsive aggressive much Graham? )

Actually - thanks for totally destroying a post about a very nice ukulele.

 

[AndyM]

There have been a few Ken Timms ukes appear on Ebay recently.I think they are more available than some Luthier built ukes because he doesn't take orders with a waiting list,he only seems to sell direct on eBay.

 

[bazmaz]

Quite - as I say if you want one you have to do a 'bit' of work to find one. To suggest this is a downside seems bonkers.

 

[EDW]

I don't know of many luthier built instruments that I would say are readily available. I have known of some that have waiting lists that are years long.

I enjoy the reviews. They give me a sense of what qualities one looks for in a good instrument and gives me a perspective. They give me helpful info in the event one pops up for sale ad gives me a sense of what people are talking about.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

Wow - I have been reviewing instruments for best part of 9 years. Some have proved divisive. I never, NEVER thought a Ken Timms would be a divisive one...

*(ps - that edit - baz is 'everyone's hero' ?? Passsive aggressive much Graham? )

Actually - thanks for totally destroying a post about a very nice ukulele.

Certainly not intended to be passive aggressive or unpleasant in any form. I’m just not that type of person and would draw your attention to a sentence in my earlier post: “ Let me be clear that nothing negative is intended here“. I’m sorry that you feel that your post has been damaged in some way, that wasn’t my intent.

My comments invited explanation for things I didn’t understand. How you read something is beyond my control but if asking questions isn’t acceptable here then where is it?

If you feel unhappy then it’s a simple matter for the mods to delete my first post and everything after it. Would you like to request one of them to do that, if that would make you happy then I wouldn’t object to them doing that at all.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

I don't know of many luthier built instruments that I would say are readily available. I have known of some that have waiting lists that are years long.

I enjoy the reviews. They give me a sense of what qualities one looks for in a good instrument and gives me a perspective. They give me helpful info in the event one pops up for sale ad gives me a sense of what people are talking about.

This (above) I can relate too and a response to my questions along those lines would have seemed reasonable and appropriate to me. I find the alternative response quite strange but like I said in an earlier post if one of the mods would like to trim this thread back to before my first post then that’s fine by me.

 

[ProfChris]

Returning to the uke itself, I've played half a dozen of Ken's ukes and they were all extremely good indeed. They are also remarkably consistent - some might be a fraction better (I think I'm lucky enough to own one of those), but none drop below extremely good. And they are all better ukes than any of the modern Martins I've played - just as effortless to play, but sounding noticeably fuller and richer.

To buy one you simply set up an eBay search for "Timms ukulele" and you'll get an email when he lists the next one. Then you have to outbid the others, of course. They occasionally come up for sale second-hand, but only two or three a year and usually at the same price as new ones or even higher, which I think says all you need to know.

 

[Ukador]

Thank you very much for the review Baz. It's great to see how much you enjoy playing this Uke and I can absolutely subscribe to what you are saying about the Uke.

Availability is limited of course but if you really want one its not that complicated to get one.

 

[Ukecaster]

Yup, not impossible at all, just set up the ebay search with email notification, and place a WTB ad and network here on UU. Having some good tradebait helps too

 

[Graham Greenbag]

Timms Ukes are effectively not available to the general public (you can’t place an order for one and you can’t buy a new one off of the shelf) so what’s the point in wanting one when they are so very difficult to get hold of?

It seems to me that the last three posts above clearly show that special arrangements are needed for purchase and therefore Timms are not easy to get hold of. I would suggest that my definition of effective availability is valid.

Profchris:
To buy one you simply set up an eBay search for "Timms ukulele" and you'll get an email when he lists the next one.

Ukador:
Availability is limited of course but if you really want one its not that complicated to get one.

Ukecaster:
Yup, not impossible at all, just set up the ebay search with email notification, and place a WTB ad and network here on UU. Having some good tradebait helps too