Mahogany is also light – these instruments are very easy to hold and carry while playing. I also like cedar as a top wood, but it’s not very common. Spruce – commonly used as a top wood on guitars, but sometimes on ukuleles – is sound-wise a more resonant wood, but on a small instrument can be a bit harsh (again, to my ears – your mileage may vary). Mahogany is also a good choice for a small body because it’s clear and bright, without being too brash and offers a reasonably close equivalent in tonal range to the original Hawaiian koa wood. To my ears, laminates don’t have the depth of sound (in musical terms, the ADSR envelope isn’t as sharp a peak, and drops off more sharply at the SR part of the curve). This isn’t always as noticeable on smaller instruments, such as the soprano scale, but it often is on a tenor-sized uke. In general, laminate tops do not provide the clarity of sound you get from a solid wood top. The bamboo uke is a laminate, however (see below). The mahogany instruments are solid tops, not laminates another surprise: low-priced instruments tend to be made from laminates because it’s a less expensive material. So let’s look at these three in a bit more detail.
I would have expected them to be selling for at least double and more what they list for, especially when they come with the gig bag and other items. While not super fancy, they were far better than anything at that price range I’ve seen in the past. I was surprised – pleasantly so – by the build quality and the sound. But I agreed to look the Kmise instruments over and review them.Ī few weeks later, I received a mahogany tenor, a bamboo tenor (Aklot) and a mahogany guitarlele (a short-scale six-string guitar). Fit and finish was not very good on those I had examined in the past. Most low-end instruments I’d previously encountered are mass-produced, with low-quality tuners and strings, poor action, poor intonation, mediocre sound. I had not developed a good impression of most lower-priced ukuleles in the past. At that price, how good could they be? I asked myself.
FANTASIA WHEN I SEE YOU UKULELE SERIES
Their Aklot series (see the bamboo uke, below) is a bit more expensive than their other models, but not much. That’s at the low end of a price range in instruments that can reach several thousand dollars at the upper reaches.
Most of the Kmise ukulele line sells on Amazon for under $100 CAD, including many with a gig bag, strap, and tuner. (I plan to buy their U-bass to compare it to others I’ve had…) Not just ukuleles, however: they offer a wider range of instruments and accessories (many are listed on Amazon), including singing bowls, harmonicas, kalimbas, u-bass, banjoleles, pickups, violin bows, effects pedals and more. I had never heard of the company and never seen any of their instruments in music stores.Ī bit of online searching showed them as a Chinese maker of modestly-priced instruments. I was somewhat skeptical when a representative from Kmise ukuleles contacted me recently, and offered to send me some of his company’s instruments to review.
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