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Posts: 396
| I have a Bushman Jenny uke which plays great; however, I'm looking for a bit of an upgrade. I like the tenor size. Anyone play one of the Rick Turner compass rose models? How about Kamaka? Any ideas? |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Witko's got some Kamaka's, I believe . . . |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | What don't you like about the Jenny? That'll dictate what to look for in a new one. Dave |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . Darla? . . how do my dictate?? . . ."
- Buckwheat
(sorry . . couldn't resist . . .) |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | [edited] |
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Posts: 396
| Originally posted by Tupperware:
What don't you like about the Jenny? That'll dictate what to look for in a new one. Dave For the price, the Jenny is quite a bargain. I haven't seen or heard a less expensive model that is close. Some ukes I've heard seem to have a slightly better balance of treble and bass (for a Uke) that is. I just don't know how much more I need to pay to get even a slight improvement. I'd like to get a new Uke so I can keep one at my work. I'd rather get a nicer new one and keep the Jenny at work. Any ideas? |
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Posts: 972
Location: PDX | How about a guitar? They have a couple more strings, but sound a whole lot better! :)
_____
gh1 |
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Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Problem is that the Jenny is such a good uke for the money, that you really have to pay quite a bit more for something "better". And "better" is very subjective.
The Jenny is mahogany and as such has a certain sound. Very nice for a uke, especially with the right strings. It might be nice to augment it with either a Spruce or Koa uke. In my opinion spruce is better in a smaller body soprano or concert. Koa in nice in any size.
Ko'olau and Kamaka make some very nice stuff but plan on spending 3x what the Jenny cost. The choices are almost endless. My personal favorite and go-to instrument is the Kamaka H3 Tenor. It is kind of plain-jane, but it has a great sound to it. And an added benefit (for a guitar player) is that it has a somewhat wider neck, so easier to play. Glyph and Graziano also make some nice stuff, as does Marc Schoenberger at Ukiyo (he just built a few on ovation mando bowls - VERY interesting).
I'm not sure this was any help. Send me a PM if you want to talk by phone and maybe some bells and lights will go off.
Randy - You gots anything to add here ???
Dave |
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Posts: 5575
Location: big island | my first choice: older (1930's - 1960's) martin tenors are usually available on eBay selling between $900 and $1400 depending on condition.
koa kamaka tenors are excellent, however, i prefer their six string and eight string models.
ko'olaus are supreme and costly (over 2K) however, the maker, john kitakis is importing an excellent ukulele with the "pono" brand on it. koa tenors cost around $600.
if you shop eBay, you will find countless options in all price ranges. |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | Okay, a little off subject...I have a Ka-Lae soprano which, from the Kamaka website is monkeypod. Yet, I have also seen that not all were monkeypod. I have had it side by side with Koa...dark but it is at least 61 years old. The carvings of monkeypod that I have seen didn't have the defined grain. I don't care as it is a rememberence of my grandfather...question is how do you tell?
From 1940 to 1946, Johnny Lai was given permission by Sam Kamaka Sr. to use the Kamaka factory on evenings and weekends when business was closed. Lai used the name "Ka-Lai" on the ukes he made, a combination of "Kamaka" and "Lai." The name was later changed to "Ka-Lae" because it sounded more Hawaiian. Lai's ukuleles were made of monkeypod wood, a less expensive alternative to Kamaka koa ukuleles. |
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October 2006
Posts: 5575
Location: big island | monkeypod trees are very prevalent all over hawaii. they were introduced from south america in the early 1800s. it is softer and less dense than koa. the trees grow huge and have an amazing canopy. most things made from monkeypod nowadays are made in the phillipines and china and are quite inexpensive. our local walmart is full of touristy "hawaiian" wooden carvings/bowls made elsewhere and imported. monkeypod is not known for its acoustic properties though, although i have heard a few that sounded decent. monkeypod wood that has come from the burl of the tree will show some curl and silking, but nowhere near that of koa. |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | No idea what this would have sounded like as there is a crack on the lower left bout. Oiled it but left it unrepaired. My grandfather could excel on it during the bar-b-que at StoneHaven overlooking the Willamette River. Now, a non-playing rememberence.
Defined? Fooled me as to the type of wood. |
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OT- Ukulele upgrade advice