A new home for my ukes, and a new uke?

My family and friends know the saga I had with the seam separations on my Kamaka, and the recent crack that developed in my Kamoa soprano, so I had purchased a room humidifier and hygrometer for my office.  My ukes used to be displayed on my wall with these really cool Hawaiian themed uke wall hangers.

Once I set up the hygrometer, I was shocked to see that my office was getting humidity readings in the 30s.  I began using the humidifier and it worked pretty well, but I was dismayed to see that I had to keep my office door closed constantly in order to regulate the humidity better.  I tried putting all of the ukes back in their original cases but just didn't have the space in my office to store them properly that way, plus it was a pain when I wanted to play them to have to drag the cases out of the closet.

So I did some research online and came across a post on Ukulele Underground by a woodworker (and UU member) who made himself a cabinet for his ukes.  He placed a humidifier inside and it managed to keep the humidity regulated, while still maintaining ease of access.  I contacted him and commissioned him to build me a cabinet for my ukes, though since he had only natural or black stains available, I told him we would stain it ourselves (to match my office furniture in a darker brown).

He built me the cabinet, and my spouse spent the next few weeks (on days off) staining and lacquering the cabinet.  Eventually we plan to build a shelf system below it to house my cases, music books, and uke accessories.

But I couldn't be happier with the cabinet.  I have all four of my main ukes hanging inside -- resting on a foam pillow I made and covered with brown fleecy felt so that they don't rattle or touch one another.  The case has the humidifiers hidden in the back out of view, and I keep the hygrometer inside where I can easily see its readout.  I'm pleased to note that it is maintaining its humidity between 45-53% on a regular basis now.  I have solved my humidity issues but been able to keep the ukes readily accessible.

In other related news, I'm heading back to Hawaii again on April 10th and I have my eyes on getting an all koa Kauai built Kamoa uke.  If I end up liking it (as I'm sure I will), I will be posting my Pineapple Sunday up for sale in order to finance the purchase of the new ukulele.  I have found that I like the sound of my KoAloha tenor the best, and the looks of my Kamaka tenor the best.  I'm hoping that the Kamoa uke will combine looks/sound to be my new favorite.  And how can I lose if it is built in Kauai, my favorite place on Earth?  I feel guilty selling the Pineapple Sunday but I rarely play it, and I have no business buying a new uke without selling one of my current ones.  Check out the video below (at the 7:20 point) to see the one I'm currently dreaming of owning.

 

 

Kudos to KoAloha and my new crown bridge tenor

For the longest time I have thought that KoAloha made the best sounding tenors of all the major K factories, but I really hated the bowtie bridge they used.  I had vowed I would not buy one until I found a used crown bridge tenor for sale.  Luckily for me, a guy I know decided to thin out his uke herd, and so I bought a KoAloha crown bridge tenor from him.

I strung it up with my favorite strings last night (the Worth CHLGHD set) and it settled in nicely. My first impressions are that it seems like it is much louder than my other ukes (except for my Pineapple Sunday). It sounds wonderful and I plan to use it as my traveling uke. I have been searching for a crown bridge tenor for a while, and having a one piece top is cool to boot.

My Kamaka will probably always remain my favorite (though I suppose that could change the more I play this one) because I like the curly koa appearance, and the neck and body just seem to fit me really well to make it very playable. But since I keep having seam separation issues with it I decided it probably is time to retire it from traveling, and leave it at home where it won't be subjected to lots of flights each year.

I plan to try to do a comparison of my three K tenors in the future. Though I don't have sound clips or videos, I do want to at least consider things that I would like to have known before buying one of them (weight, tuner style, neck measurements, volume, etc.)

Since I am completely incapable of playing while standing (and some would argue barely capable while sitting), I needed to get either a strap button or input jack on the uke. While I like the uke leash for my Pineapple Sunday, or while sitting, I prefer a more traditional strap when playing a tenor and standing.

So I tweeted that I wasn't sure which route to take, and Paul Okami advised I should opt for the input. Since I already have a Mi-Si in my Kamaka, I bought the new LR Baggs 5-0 for my KoAloha.

I then mentioned to him that I was going to be in Oahu for a day, and while I knew they were crazy busy, was there any way I could make an appt. to get it installed. He had me speak with Brian, who kindly accommodated me and told me he would do it for me.

So a couple of weeks ago (in crazy pouring rain), I took the bus out to KoAloha. Brian warmly greeted me and told me he would call when he was finished. I also mentioned it had a tiny intonation issue at the 12th fret, and that the A string tuner was a little tight. He told me he would look at both for me while he had it.

Before I left, Papa and Mama KoAloha came in, and Papa smiled and told me, "I remember you!" I was shocked as I had done a tour of the factory about a year ago, and that was the only time we met. I told him why I was there, and that I loved my tenor and Pineapple Sunday and he said that made his day - what a sweet man.

A few hours later, Brian called to say my uke was ready and I headed back out to pick it up. When I got there, he told me that I didn't need to pay for the install as they wanted to thank me for my loyalty to the KoAloha brand. I was thrilled and gave him a big hug.

I can't say enough about the KoAloha customer service and ohana. They truly go above and beyond. I debated about mentioning this, as I thought they might not want me spreading it for fear everyone will expect free service. I also felt a little guilty as I may end up needing to sell my Pineapple Sunday next month. But I decided to post this anyway as it is just one more example of why, when anyone asks which of the K brands they should buy, my first recommendation will always be KoAloha. I like the history of Kamaka, and the beauty of the Kanileas, but you just can't beat the customer service of KoAloha.

PS - he also fixed my A string tuner, and the intonation is spot on. He did adjust the action a bit (it is now a tad higher on the higher frets), but he did an amazing job. He also put on some of the KoAloha factory strings, and I love the clear bell tones they are providing.  Of course now I'm worried about breaking a string since I can't replace those (they don't offer them for sale) but after much research, I opted to get a set of Worth CM-LG as a backup for my next string change, as they appear to be the closest match.