Tuesday, February 10, 2009

UAS forecast addendum

When I wrote my UAS forecast a couple of weeks ago, I forgot one uke that had been on my mind for quite a while. It's the KoAloha "Imaikalani" 6-string tenor (KTM-06). I played one at the KoAloha factory in Oahu about a year ago and was blown away by it. I had one of those Lanikai 6-strings (O-6) once and it did not really appeal to me that much other than its slotted headstock. When I tried that KoAloha 6-string, I thought it was really awesome. It was very easy to play despite having two extra strings to fret, and it sounded beautiful. But I couldn't buy it at the time, having already bought a uke on that trip. It's a pretty rare model and I have not seen one for sale very often. I would probably put it at #3 on that UAS forecast list, right behind the Kamaka tenor. Of course, now that I actually have the Kamaka tenor, I really can't get this KoAloha 6-string any time soon, so I hope I don't see one come up for sale at an attractive price. :p

By the way, I switched the strings on the Kamaka to Worth CTs and it sounds even better. I'll wait a while before rating it against the other ukes I have, so that I'm not blinded by its newness. But if I had to rank it right now, objectively it would probably go #5 behind the Koa Works and in front of the Kelii. However, I would say it's my 2nd favorite at the moment (remember the newness factor) behind the King. I guess I'm pretty stoked by the fact that I finally own a Kamaka. That will likely change in a few months, but I'm loving the Kamaka tenor right now.

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