Ukulele Window Shopping

‘Window shopping’ isn’t accurate this week. I promised myself a new uke once the ukulele strumming ebook was finished. So I bought myself a Kala Lacewood soprano from the Southern Ukulele Store guys. No doubt I’ll be letting you know my opinion before too long.

If money had been no object, I might have gone for this Custom Kamaka instead.

With all the unusual shapes and looks of the ukes around at the moment, I’m amazed no one has resurrected the skinny waist look of the Kumalae like this one. I just love that shape.

My favourite photo this week: Hawaiian Pin-up Girl. Usually when there’s a photo of a Hawaiian girl and a ukulele it also includes all the cliches: grass skirts, lei, a palm tree. But this girl is way too hip for that. Check her out doing her Whitesnake pose.

All cliches present and correct in his cartoon (which doesn’t entirely make sense).

World War II era ukulele badge.

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9 Comments

  1. Tamster July 17th, 2009 6:37 pm

    Looks like the Hawaiian pinup is playing a uke with rope binding. I love the look of that.

  2. J-Hob July 17th, 2009 10:43 pm

    So what made you choose the lacewood? I don’t really know anything about its properties as a tonewood.

  3. Plink Freud July 18th, 2009 1:23 am

    I just bought a Kala lacewood soprano from Musicguymic on ebay. I have been playing mostly tenor ukes, but prefer the sound and the ethos of the soprano. I have Ohana’s tenor neck soprano which has “the sound” and is still easy to play (sample clip here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS8WLY0aFaY) but I still feel a bit of a fraud and decided to plunge into the soprano world.

    The lacewood is beautiful. Very sweet sound, loud and rich, and not too brittle like many spruce tops. Best of all, for some reason I’m finding it easier to play than usual. And of couse it is gorgeous to look at (except for the fiddly bridge with its stupid black dots staring at me – I’ll have to modify that.) Good intonation and generally good finish, although amazingly my one has a 3 piece headstock – ie, they have joined 3 random pieces of wood together. The lovely veneer covers it at the front and you have to look hard to see it at the back, but really!!

    Anyway I love it so far. (I’ll try and post a sample clip on Youtube later in the week )

  4. Deploderer July 18th, 2009 1:58 am

    Help! I had decided to get myself a Bushman Jenny Tenor, but with you having brought the Kala Lacewood to my attention I’m stuck. Which way to go? The Lacewood looks great but from what I gather the Bushman quality is often better. Having been somewhat duped previously by a certain music store in West Yorkshire into buying a lovely looking “No name” Koa Concert with decidedly below par intonation I really need to get this second Ukulele purchase right.

    Any thoughts? Anyone?

  5. Woodshed July 19th, 2009 3:49 pm

    Tamster: Rope binding does indeed rock.

    John: Me either. But the top is spruce rather than lacewood. And I like a ukulele with a bit of bite.

    Plink: Thanks very much for the info. Good to hear it’s a quality uke.

    Deploderer: For entirely personal reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the instrument, I’ve taken against Bushmans. But I’ve never played one so I can’t be much help.

  6. Plink Freud July 21st, 2009 3:50 am

    Here is the promised clip of my new Kala Lacewood Soprano. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX8G0vJDT4I

  7. Woodshed July 21st, 2009 11:16 am

    Plink: Thanks for that. Mine arrived yesterday. I’m really enjoying it. I find it better for strumming than picking, but you do a damn good job with it.

  8. S.U.S July 22nd, 2009 8:26 am

    Hi Al,
    The Lacewood Kala really is a lovely ukulele, I’m glad you are enjoying it. I’m in ukulele heaven here, everyday new boxes arrive and I get to tune and play them all. It is great for my soul, but bad for my U.A.S.
    Paul (Luapelele)

  9. Woodshed July 22nd, 2009 4:18 pm

    Paul: Thanks for the uke. Loving it.

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