Posts
A while back I had mentioned that I wanted to learn Gypsy Ukulele in anticipation of my Kepasa Gypsy Rose. Well, as the delivery date of the Gypsy Rose kept getting pushed out, I ended forgetting what I had learned of the tune. So now that I have the Gypsy Rose, the best I could do at the moment as far as posting a video with it is Blue Roses Falling.
I probably did about 6 or 7 takes but kept screwing something up. This is probably the best take before I gave up. I think it does give you an idea of what the Gypsy Rose sounds like.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Updated lineup rankings
Well, it's been forever and a day since I've rated my ukulele lineup. Since the last time, I've acquired many new ukes. Since the last lineup update, I have acquired a Sonny D purpleheart/spruce tenor and the Kepasa Gypsy Rose, while the Pono Ebony Deluxe has been sold off. Also, thanks to the Microsoft cash-back program and some musicguymic sale, I have a Kelii tenor and a Kanile'a super-tenor on the way. In addition, I have a DaSilva Santo reproduction that's being built (ETA unknown), so I'll need to get rid of a few more ukes soon.
The top candidates for liquidation are: Martin style 1 (don't play sopranos much), Compass Rose walnut tenor (probably an easier sale than the Sonny D), Kiwaya KTS-7 (soprano), and possibly the National concert (not a huge resonator fan). Look for some of these ukes to pop up on various ukulele sites and/or ebay in the near future.
OK, so that outlines what's currently in my collection. This time I'll rank the top 10:
1. William King long-scale tenor: William King enjoys a great reputation in the ukulele community and this uke definitely back that up. It has gorgeous master grade (I think) curly koa back & sides and a nice and tidy spruce top. It's also got a Jake Shimabukuro style slotted headstock with my last name in Chinese character (which coincidentally means "King") inlaid in abalone. But the reason it ranks #1 is because it sounds and feels soooooo good. Compared to all other ukes I own, this one has the best clarity and punch when picked or strummed and the feedback I get from it while playing is only experienced in the other two custom level ukes I own. The Mi-Si pickup also works great. Overall, it's far and away my favorite ukulele to play.
2. Kepasa Gypsy Rose: This is the second custom specified ukulele I own and I've been more than satisfied with it since receiving it in October after about a 16 month wait. It sounds as good as the Koa Works tenor and has the distinctive look of a Maccaferri guitar which I love. I also specified a strange headstock that was replicated by Kevin Crossett wonderfully. It's really an outstanding ukulele.
3. Koa Works tenor: This is the first "custom" ukulele I've owned and before receiving my King tenor it was the best sounding and playing ukulele I've played up to that point. It has great artistic appointments and it sounds and plays wonderfully. Along with #1 & #2 on this list, these three ukes are head and shoulders above all other ukes in my collection.
4. Bluegrass Ukulele cigar box tenor: Great sounding and playing uke that has added cigar-box mojo. Now that I have Jake Shimabukuro's autograph on it, it's even more special. It ranks with the best production ukuleles I've played in terms of sound and playability.
5. KoAloha Pineapple Sunday: I loved the shape of this ukulele when I first saw it and it sounds magnificent as well. It has a fairly distinct high pitched sound and is very loud. It's probably the easiest playing uke in my collection and very unique.
6. Kanile'a Custom SS: It's got some great looking curly koa and has a distinct deep sound. I really like the super soprano size and it is very well suited for travel. Looks and sounds great.
7. Honu deluxe concert: I really liked the honu themed design with the honu fretboard markers and bridge. With Worth CD strings, it sounds marvelous. Very long sustain and a nice and pleasant sound.
8. Compass Rose walnut tenor: This is really a great sounding uke. I strung it with a set of D'Addario J71 strings and I think it sounds great. What keeps it from being higher rated on my list is the narrow nut width. I haven't measured it but it is definitely less than 1-3/8", which I already find a bit narrow to begin with (my preferred nut width is 1.5"). So while this is a very nice sounding uke, I haven't found myself playing it too much due to the nut width preference.
9. Sonny D purpleheart tenor: I bought this uke because I was curious about purpleheart and also because I wanted something purple (I'm a Vikings football fan). It's a nice sounding uke but is a bit softer than the Compass Rose. I expected more oommph from the spruce top but it does not have the punch I thought it would have. Still, a sweet sounding uke from a pretty famous (I think) maker.
10. Kala tenor neck spruce top soprano: I got this baby for $110 from Elderly instruments. It really surprised me with pretty good sound and long sustain. I have other ukes that ranks below this one that sounds better, but it's hard to beat the bang for the buck on this uke. It's well made and have all the necessary appointments such as body & fretboard bindings (plastic), side position dots, and geared tuners. It's a great knock around uke.
Well, that's the top 10 rankings from my little collection. You might notice that the National concert and the Kiwaya KTS-7 didn't make the list. Both are great ukes but I just don't play them much. For the National, it's mainly because I'm not that into the resonator sound. While I recognize it's a high quality uke, the sound haven't grabbed me too much. Maybe that will change in the future. As for the Kiwaya, I haven't played it much because it's a soprano. I'm hoping that the DaSilva Santo reproduction, with a 1.5" nut width, will entice me to play the soprano scale more.
OK, that's it for this time. Hopefully it has been somewhat informative. I'm going to try to throw out a few reviews and videos in the coming month. Hopefully I get around to doing those. Thanks for reading!
The top candidates for liquidation are: Martin style 1 (don't play sopranos much), Compass Rose walnut tenor (probably an easier sale than the Sonny D), Kiwaya KTS-7 (soprano), and possibly the National concert (not a huge resonator fan). Look for some of these ukes to pop up on various ukulele sites and/or ebay in the near future.
OK, so that outlines what's currently in my collection. This time I'll rank the top 10:
1. William King long-scale tenor: William King enjoys a great reputation in the ukulele community and this uke definitely back that up. It has gorgeous master grade (I think) curly koa back & sides and a nice and tidy spruce top. It's also got a Jake Shimabukuro style slotted headstock with my last name in Chinese character (which coincidentally means "King") inlaid in abalone. But the reason it ranks #1 is because it sounds and feels soooooo good. Compared to all other ukes I own, this one has the best clarity and punch when picked or strummed and the feedback I get from it while playing is only experienced in the other two custom level ukes I own. The Mi-Si pickup also works great. Overall, it's far and away my favorite ukulele to play.
2. Kepasa Gypsy Rose: This is the second custom specified ukulele I own and I've been more than satisfied with it since receiving it in October after about a 16 month wait. It sounds as good as the Koa Works tenor and has the distinctive look of a Maccaferri guitar which I love. I also specified a strange headstock that was replicated by Kevin Crossett wonderfully. It's really an outstanding ukulele.
3. Koa Works tenor: This is the first "custom" ukulele I've owned and before receiving my King tenor it was the best sounding and playing ukulele I've played up to that point. It has great artistic appointments and it sounds and plays wonderfully. Along with #1 & #2 on this list, these three ukes are head and shoulders above all other ukes in my collection.
4. Bluegrass Ukulele cigar box tenor: Great sounding and playing uke that has added cigar-box mojo. Now that I have Jake Shimabukuro's autograph on it, it's even more special. It ranks with the best production ukuleles I've played in terms of sound and playability.
5. KoAloha Pineapple Sunday: I loved the shape of this ukulele when I first saw it and it sounds magnificent as well. It has a fairly distinct high pitched sound and is very loud. It's probably the easiest playing uke in my collection and very unique.
6. Kanile'a Custom SS: It's got some great looking curly koa and has a distinct deep sound. I really like the super soprano size and it is very well suited for travel. Looks and sounds great.
7. Honu deluxe concert: I really liked the honu themed design with the honu fretboard markers and bridge. With Worth CD strings, it sounds marvelous. Very long sustain and a nice and pleasant sound.
8. Compass Rose walnut tenor: This is really a great sounding uke. I strung it with a set of D'Addario J71 strings and I think it sounds great. What keeps it from being higher rated on my list is the narrow nut width. I haven't measured it but it is definitely less than 1-3/8", which I already find a bit narrow to begin with (my preferred nut width is 1.5"). So while this is a very nice sounding uke, I haven't found myself playing it too much due to the nut width preference.
9. Sonny D purpleheart tenor: I bought this uke because I was curious about purpleheart and also because I wanted something purple (I'm a Vikings football fan). It's a nice sounding uke but is a bit softer than the Compass Rose. I expected more oommph from the spruce top but it does not have the punch I thought it would have. Still, a sweet sounding uke from a pretty famous (I think) maker.
10. Kala tenor neck spruce top soprano: I got this baby for $110 from Elderly instruments. It really surprised me with pretty good sound and long sustain. I have other ukes that ranks below this one that sounds better, but it's hard to beat the bang for the buck on this uke. It's well made and have all the necessary appointments such as body & fretboard bindings (plastic), side position dots, and geared tuners. It's a great knock around uke.
Well, that's the top 10 rankings from my little collection. You might notice that the National concert and the Kiwaya KTS-7 didn't make the list. Both are great ukes but I just don't play them much. For the National, it's mainly because I'm not that into the resonator sound. While I recognize it's a high quality uke, the sound haven't grabbed me too much. Maybe that will change in the future. As for the Kiwaya, I haven't played it much because it's a soprano. I'm hoping that the DaSilva Santo reproduction, with a 1.5" nut width, will entice me to play the soprano scale more.
OK, that's it for this time. Hopefully it has been somewhat informative. I'm going to try to throw out a few reviews and videos in the coming month. Hopefully I get around to doing those. Thanks for reading!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Rose inlay sticker
I wanted to dress up the headstock of the Gypsy Rose so I got some "inlay stickers" from ebay. One of the stickers is a rose designed to be put on headstocks. I gave it a whirl and I think it really looks pretty good on the headstock of the Gypsy Rose. No, it's not a real inlay, but I thought it looked decent enough. Hopefully it doesn't peel off easily. :p
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Gypsy Rose Pictures
I've had the Kepasa Gypsy Rose concert ukulele for a few days now and so far I've been completely satisfied with it. It came to me strung with Worth BM's and seemed to buzz a little bit. I changed them out to Worth CDs and now it is perfect. Now that I've had a chance to compare its sound to some other ukes I have, the Gypsy Rose is actually closest to my Koa Works tenor. It sounds pretty similar with the same awesome feel. It is perhaps a tick punchier than the Koa Works tenor. Considering that the Koa Works tenor is one of the best ukes I've ever played, the Gypsy Rose has certainly exceeded my expectations.
Once I've had a bit more time with it, I'll try to post some commentary on it. (...I suppose I should get going on the commentary on the William King tenor huh? :P)
Here are a few pics I took:
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Gypsy Rose, Initial Impressions
Well, the Gypsy Rose arrived today. I had a chance to play it for several minutes, so here are some quick impressions of it.
First off, the sound and feel are excellent. I was hoping that it would approach the Koa Works tenor in terms of feel, and it does indeed have that nice feedback/vibration while playing it. It's hard to explain in words, but when you play these great custom ukes, you can tell. The sound is similar to the William King LS-tenor, so it is on the punchy side, which is what I like. The redwood top seem to result in a similar tone as spruce tops. So based on some limited playing, I'd say I'm very satisfied with how the sound turned out.
It certainly looks very cool, to me anyway. I've always thought those Maccaferri style guitars looked cool (that's why I wanted one of these in the first place) and this little uke certainly does a good job evoking the Maccaferri gypsy guitar. I specified an odd looking headstock, as seen in the previous post, for this uke just so it has something different, and I think it turned out pretty good. At least I like it now that I have seen it in person.
I haven't had a chance to check out the Mi-Si pickup, but it works great in the William King LS-tenor, so I'm sure it will be just fine here.
I ordered some inlay stickers that I intend to dress up the headstock with as it currently have nothing on it. Hopefully one of the stickers will look nice on the headstock. I'll post pics once I get the sticker applied.
So my initial impression is very positive. This should beat out the Honu concert as my favorite concert uke and should be good enough to vie for the "second favorite" spot behind the William King LS-tenor. I will try to post more complete impressions once I have spent some more time with the Gypsy Rose.
First off, the sound and feel are excellent. I was hoping that it would approach the Koa Works tenor in terms of feel, and it does indeed have that nice feedback/vibration while playing it. It's hard to explain in words, but when you play these great custom ukes, you can tell. The sound is similar to the William King LS-tenor, so it is on the punchy side, which is what I like. The redwood top seem to result in a similar tone as spruce tops. So based on some limited playing, I'd say I'm very satisfied with how the sound turned out.
It certainly looks very cool, to me anyway. I've always thought those Maccaferri style guitars looked cool (that's why I wanted one of these in the first place) and this little uke certainly does a good job evoking the Maccaferri gypsy guitar. I specified an odd looking headstock, as seen in the previous post, for this uke just so it has something different, and I think it turned out pretty good. At least I like it now that I have seen it in person.
I haven't had a chance to check out the Mi-Si pickup, but it works great in the William King LS-tenor, so I'm sure it will be just fine here.
I ordered some inlay stickers that I intend to dress up the headstock with as it currently have nothing on it. Hopefully one of the stickers will look nice on the headstock. I'll post pics once I get the sticker applied.
So my initial impression is very positive. This should beat out the Honu concert as my favorite concert uke and should be good enough to vie for the "second favorite" spot behind the William King LS-tenor. I will try to post more complete impressions once I have spent some more time with the Gypsy Rose.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Gypsy Rose, Finally
Well, it's been over two months since I last posted here. Kind of wondering if anyone is still reading this blog. I actually have a lot of ukulele stuff that I could be posting but just haven't had the time or motivation to do it.
Anyway, I just got notified that my Kepasa Gypsy Rose ukulele had shipped yesterday and is scheduled to be in my hands this Thursday. I ordered it in June of 2007, so it has taken a while to say the least. Kepasa ukes have a good reputation and is highly endorsed by the likes of Craig Robertson and Nipper. I ordered a Little Mac, which has evolved into a Gypsy Rose, with a D-soundhole, wide body, and a cutaway. I specified a redwood top, walnut back and sides, maple top and bottom bindings, and a Spanish cedar neck. The fingerboard and bridge are ebony, with diamond shaped position markers. It has a custom headstock shape with PegHeds tuners and is fitted with Mi-Si Acoustic Trio active pickup.
I had planned to to learn "Gypsy Ukulele" in anticipation of receiving this uke, but between the extended build time and being busy with a lot of other stuff this summer, I managed to forget most of what I've learned of the tune (which was about half of the tune). Hopefully once the uke is in hand I will manage some motivation to learn it.
I find myself not beside myself waiting for this ukulele, mainly because I already own what I consider the ultimate ukulele, the William King long scale tenor (hmm...I should get my butt going on a blog entry about it huh?). But also because I've waited so long for it, a few more days doesn't seem like much. To be sure, I am very much looking forward to it and I have no doubt that it will be a very nice playing and sounding uke. I would be very very happy if it is in the same category as the Koa Works tenor in terms of sound and feel. It will be interesting though, as I had asked for a more "guitarish" sound with this uke. So I'm pretty curious about how it turned out. It certainly looks cool.
Here are a few pictures Kevin sent me:
Custom headstock shape I drew and sent to Kevin. Kind of funky!
PegHeds tuners.
Redwood top. I choose a striped piece of redwood.
Mi-Si Acoustic Trio pickup.
Anyway, I just got notified that my Kepasa Gypsy Rose ukulele had shipped yesterday and is scheduled to be in my hands this Thursday. I ordered it in June of 2007, so it has taken a while to say the least. Kepasa ukes have a good reputation and is highly endorsed by the likes of Craig Robertson and Nipper. I ordered a Little Mac, which has evolved into a Gypsy Rose, with a D-soundhole, wide body, and a cutaway. I specified a redwood top, walnut back and sides, maple top and bottom bindings, and a Spanish cedar neck. The fingerboard and bridge are ebony, with diamond shaped position markers. It has a custom headstock shape with PegHeds tuners and is fitted with Mi-Si Acoustic Trio active pickup.
I had planned to to learn "Gypsy Ukulele" in anticipation of receiving this uke, but between the extended build time and being busy with a lot of other stuff this summer, I managed to forget most of what I've learned of the tune (which was about half of the tune). Hopefully once the uke is in hand I will manage some motivation to learn it.
I find myself not beside myself waiting for this ukulele, mainly because I already own what I consider the ultimate ukulele, the William King long scale tenor (hmm...I should get my butt going on a blog entry about it huh?). But also because I've waited so long for it, a few more days doesn't seem like much. To be sure, I am very much looking forward to it and I have no doubt that it will be a very nice playing and sounding uke. I would be very very happy if it is in the same category as the Koa Works tenor in terms of sound and feel. It will be interesting though, as I had asked for a more "guitarish" sound with this uke. So I'm pretty curious about how it turned out. It certainly looks cool.
Here are a few pictures Kevin sent me:
Custom headstock shape I drew and sent to Kevin. Kind of funky!
PegHeds tuners.
Redwood top. I choose a striped piece of redwood.
Mi-Si Acoustic Trio pickup.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Videos with William King Long Scale Tenor
I finally got around to recording a couple of videos using the William King long scale tenor 'ukulele I got a couple of months ago. It's far and away my favorite and I think the videos captures some of the nice tone this uke offers up. Hopefully you'll enjoy these.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps:
Going to California:
While My Guitar Gently Weeps:
Going to California:
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Lineup Update
It's been a while since I've done one of these lineup updates. (or updates of any kind) I finally found some time to take some pictures of all of my ukes. It's grown to 13 ukes now with still a few in the works. I definitely need to be getting rid of some of these ukes to keep things sane. The hard part is, almost all of these have some redeeming quality that makes it hard to part with. But I'm going to have to make some decisions soon.
New this time around are: William King LS-tenor, Pono Ebony Dlx, Compass Rose Walnut, National Mahogany, and Kiwaya KTS-7. Except for the King LS-tenor, these are "curiosity buys". I would say that the Kiwaya is the only one of the "curiosity buys" that was completely satisfying. The Pono Ebony Dlx is pretty nice, but it pales in comparison to the King. (then again, the 12 other ukes I have pales in comparison to the King) It stands out because I got it just a few weeks before taking delivery of the King and they both have spruce tops. It's not fair for the Pono but that's how it worked out. The National has a very unique sound that's loud and piercing. I'm not sure it's for me, but I do think it's a high quality uke. The Compass Rose came to me with very high action, which was very disappointing since I've read that Compass Rose ukes have almost exceedingly low action. I'm attempting to adjust it lower, but haven't had much time to do it, so it has been sitting in its case.
Anyway, below are some closer shots of each group of ukes I currently have. Enjoy.
Tenors & Baritone: Compass Rose Walnut, Pono Ebony Dlx, Pineapple Sunday, William King LS-tenor, Koa Works, Tom Guy Cigarbox, Bushman Cedartone Baritone.
Concerts: Pete Howlett Uklectic, Kanile'a "Custom SS", National Mahogany, Honu Super Dlx.
Sopranos: Kiwaya KTS-7, '30s Martin Style 1.
Sopranos: Kiwaya KTS-7, '30s Martin Style 1.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Kiss from a Gypsy Rose?
Well, over a year after placing the order for the Kepasa Little Mac/Gypsy Rose, I finally got to see a few pictures! Kevin Crossett sent me a link with a few pictures of the top, back, & bent sides of the Gypsy Rose. He had 2 redwood tops ready and I got to choose one. I went with the striped one on the left side.
The uke is obviously not completed yet and I have not idea when it will, but at least there are some parts completed. Hopefully it won't be that long before it's done. It's certainly a cool looking uke.
The uke is obviously not completed yet and I have not idea when it will, but at least there are some parts completed. Hopefully it won't be that long before it's done. It's certainly a cool looking uke.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Long time no post
Hmm...I'm not sure how many are still checking out this blog, since I haven't posted in over a month. I'm going to try to post some stuff soon. I've actually got a lot of 'ukulele material I could be posting, but I really haven't had much time. What I'll do here is share some of what I could be posting and hopefully get around to some of these in the near future.
As my last post indicated, I have acquired a Kiwaya KTS-7, Compass Rose walnut tenor, and a mahogany National concert (all used). So I could possibly be reviewing these some day. The Compass Rose was a huge disappointment though, as it arrived to me with very high action and the supposed D-TAR pickup is actually just some unknown passive pickup. I kept it anyway figuring I'd fix up the action, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. The other two "new" ukes are both really nice.
So now I have 13 ukes in my possession. Truth be told, I pretty much only play a few of them these days. By far the most playing time goes to the William King LS-tenor. I also play the Bushman Baritone a little bit for the different sound. The Bluegrass cigar box also gets some occasional play as it sits in my office right now. The Kanile'a supersoprano is now tuned to ADF#B and once in a while I bust it out for some Schizophrenic Snowflakes (by Aldrine Guerrero). Other than that, I haven't played the other ones much other than a few courtesy playing time. So I think I'll need to thin the herd sometime before the winter.
I really would like to post some videos with the King tenor and perhaps do some commentary on it, so that's probably the first new thing I'll post on this blog. Not sure when I'll get around to it, but hopefully not too long from now.
I'll try to get a lineup update picture in sometime and also rank them all.
Despite already having too many ukes, I still have a few custom ones on order. The Glyph mezzo-soprano is scheduled to be built in a year and a half, so that's a long ways off. The Kepasa Gypsy Rose was supposed to be completed this past March. It is now July and I have not heard from Kevin Crossett about it for 3 months, so I'm not expecting to ever see it. That's fine with me as I already have too many ukes. It's a good thing there was never any deposit involved for this uke. I had also ordered a Santo reproduction soprano from Mike DaSilva a couple of months ago. I'm not sure when that's going to be done, but perhaps September or October. So that's what's coming (or not coming, in the case of the Kepasa) in the future.
Anyway, that's the plan for now. I hope to at least get around to some of these. If you're still reading this blog, thank you very much.
As my last post indicated, I have acquired a Kiwaya KTS-7, Compass Rose walnut tenor, and a mahogany National concert (all used). So I could possibly be reviewing these some day. The Compass Rose was a huge disappointment though, as it arrived to me with very high action and the supposed D-TAR pickup is actually just some unknown passive pickup. I kept it anyway figuring I'd fix up the action, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. The other two "new" ukes are both really nice.
So now I have 13 ukes in my possession. Truth be told, I pretty much only play a few of them these days. By far the most playing time goes to the William King LS-tenor. I also play the Bushman Baritone a little bit for the different sound. The Bluegrass cigar box also gets some occasional play as it sits in my office right now. The Kanile'a supersoprano is now tuned to ADF#B and once in a while I bust it out for some Schizophrenic Snowflakes (by Aldrine Guerrero). Other than that, I haven't played the other ones much other than a few courtesy playing time. So I think I'll need to thin the herd sometime before the winter.
I really would like to post some videos with the King tenor and perhaps do some commentary on it, so that's probably the first new thing I'll post on this blog. Not sure when I'll get around to it, but hopefully not too long from now.
I'll try to get a lineup update picture in sometime and also rank them all.
Despite already having too many ukes, I still have a few custom ones on order. The Glyph mezzo-soprano is scheduled to be built in a year and a half, so that's a long ways off. The Kepasa Gypsy Rose was supposed to be completed this past March. It is now July and I have not heard from Kevin Crossett about it for 3 months, so I'm not expecting to ever see it. That's fine with me as I already have too many ukes. It's a good thing there was never any deposit involved for this uke. I had also ordered a Santo reproduction soprano from Mike DaSilva a couple of months ago. I'm not sure when that's going to be done, but perhaps September or October. So that's what's coming (or not coming, in the case of the Kepasa) in the future.
Anyway, that's the plan for now. I hope to at least get around to some of these. If you're still reading this blog, thank you very much.
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