I enjoyed touring the Kamaka factory when I was on vacation in Hawaii. Wish I could afford one. I guess you can say they are hand made, but it really is a small factory with all the modern tools and methods. The family is still very much involved, but the construction moves from one station to the next like any manufactured instrument. That being said, I'd love to have one.
All top end acoustic stuff is made that way now. Machines do most of the forming, and then humans finish it off. Just makes for better, more consistent quality all around.
I love Kamakas, just so beautifully crafted and that gloss is so nice and the binding! I've turned around a lot on baritones, wish I could afford one as nice as this!
That's one pretty instrument. I'm like you in that I prefer a guitar to a baritone uke but it sounded pretty good. A Kamaka uke is definitely on my list of ukes to purchase in the future but it will probably be a tenor. Great review!
Sounds delightful to play - I’ve definitely a small feeling of envy for you having a go at it. The strumming vs picking observation was good here - the strumming sounded good to me but the picking blew it absolutely out of the water. I also really appreciate the reviews as being transparent - you make your preferences in instruments clear, and don’t let them affect the marks. Useful for awareness, and in the case of some of the top of the range ukuleles, simply entertainment, in a “phwoar, look at that ukulele” sense.
Beautiful looking uke! Random thoughts because you asked why so expensive while I was thinking the same: I believe Hawaii has a high cost of living which would include getting raw materials. Also, thinking hourly, how much should a craftsman earn no matter the instrument or product? In this instance, is there much time difference between building an acoustic guitar vs ukulele? All that said, I would expect a flawless instrument for half that price.
Agree with all of that but is Hawaii much more expensive than Montana - a Gibson J45 uses far more materials and is cheaper than this? Made in USA by craftsmen too
It may have something to do with economy of scale. I dont know how many ukes kamaka build or how many guitars martin build but i guessing martins manafacturing scale would be larger, making materials and processes cheaper and more efficient ...result: lower priced nstrument for same amount of work. Miminum wage in montana is 20% less than hawaii ..major factor
@@GotAUkulele I got curious and looked it up: 2021 Cost of Living Calculator: Missoula, Montana vs Honolulu, Hawaii · A salary of $23,920 in Missoula, Montana should increase to $43,375 in Honolulu, Hawaii I agree with you, I just try to understand why some things are the way they are.
Wow, wow, that fingerpicking sound was amazing! I hope to hear one in person some day. Won't be mine though! Not in that price range! As always, great review!
Hi Baz, the aNueNue ANN-UT5K you reviewed a couple of years ago was a £3000 instrument which you felt was too much for a factory produced ukulele and perhaps that opinion continues with the HF-4D. For me, this instrument, especially in cedar, is a rare beauty, only produced on a limited basis by Kamaka and probably sits alongside a small peer group as one of the best baritones in the world. So is it expensive when considered in that context, no, I do not believe it is.
Just don't think they can have it both ways on the finishing issues. I could have given it a better score on value, but would have needed to trim back on fit and finish. Don't get me wrong - it's still a marvellous instrument but if you spend this sort of money with Kanile'a - you get flawless finish
I agree that Baritones don't sound great strummed. I have a Pono AB, which is turning out to be a just in case i need it instrument. I have guitars and Tenor ukes and it just sits in the middle, Jazz seems to suit it. The SUS custom baritone strings work really well with it. I love Kamaka ukes but £2.5K for a Uke that would at best be used once a month is too much. Better spending the money getting the Kamaka Tenor long neck which can be strung with both GCEA or DGBE strings...and its a grand cheaper (which you can go buy a half decent guitar with).
Baz, this was your usual excellent review. Unfortunately, this is way out of my price range, but it was a treat to see and hear. I don’t know if it’s overpriced or not. I’d be interested to know how the construction of an instrument like this one differs from constructing a quality acoustic guitar, other than the amount of materials used. I like baritones, precisely because they are guitar-like. I have hand problems that make it difficult to play my guitars these days. I don’t particularly like soprano ukes - don’t own one - and play mostly tenor and baritone. Recognizing, of course, that this is a purely subjective opinion on my part. Looking forward to the next review - I always learn something!
it's a good point you raise and one I have discussed with both guitar and uke luthiers. The bill of materials is actually a small part of the price of an instrument, though when you move to Hawaiian Koa it does become more prominent - koa is significantly more expensive than, say, mahogany. Especially when, like Kamaka do - they age it for 4 years. The construction of a uke is less intensive, but they are actually more fussy on accuracy. The smaller you go with scale length, the harder it is to dial the intonation in. As such, a soprano is tougher to 'get right' than a baritone. Which then starts to undermine the cost increase. Perhaps the guitar comparison wasn't fair, but I bought a USA, hand made Gibson guitar for less than this.
I'm not sure why you say baritones are not particularly suitable for strumming? Richie Williams from UOGB plays baritone, plays all over the neck, strums it, picks it, barre chords, even plays slide? Although I do agree they can sound a bit muddy but one can always use different tunings and strings? I have three baritones, one nylon strung, tuned up to F#,B, Eb and G#? The other two both have steel strings, one tuned to G,C,E and A and other one tuned to D,G,B and E. Am I correct in saying that the Kamaka's D string is wound steel over nylon and all the rest are all nylon , what is the tension like on the nylon strings? Nice review and uke but way too expensive?
I said I don't like them for that. Others mileage may vary! Both the wound strings on this, the D and G are steel over nylon and the other two are plain black nylon
Thanks Baz for your review. Im not impressed by the sound, it seems to be boomy and oberdriven, especially when strummed. It looks nice in my eyes, but is brutally overprized and a deluxe model with this price should have some deluxe features which i cant find (i mean, they even skimp a back binding). Finish at this price point should be immaculate (i dont see, why a family business shouldn’t be able achieve this. Its simply a matter of dedication). Hand built seems to be also a stretchable term. I pretty sure they use a lot of machines and power tools, even CNC probably. Dont get me wrong, i like and respect Kamaka ukes, but half the price would be more reasonable. The rest you pay for the name.
I would love to hear this one in cedar. And I suspect that white on the bridge is to keep the bass strings from eroding the tie-bar. On all my tie-bar ukes, I drill out a spare saddle to make one long string-button, simply to spare them the dents and the wear from the knots. BTW, every baritone I’ve played (which is not many) has strummed better at the base of the fretboard or over the soundhole, which is counterintuitive, but there it is.
Been reviewing for over 10 years, hundreds of models - worked with all UK uke stores to get loans, several others and many brands. NEVER damaged a single instrument in all that time. Do you think SUS would loan me a 2.5k instrument if that was a risk?
Looks beautiful, made beautifully, and sounds beautiful. But, the price. :( Way too much! If you can afford one and really want one, go for it. For most people, this is an easy pass. Just out of the average person's budget. Great review!
Personally, I think there are much better instruments for that kind of money. I would even take a Kamaka soprano over this one. It’s all good though, as it gives people choices, some love baritones. I have always been a bit underwhelmed by them though. Sorry.
That's a very nice looking ukulele and a very nice sound especially with the fingerpicking. The price, however, sounds a bit much. I, personally, wouldn't buy any instrument for that amount of money. Similar to yourself, I'm not a big lover of baritones mainly due to them being so similar to guitars. I like that the other ukulele sizes provide something different, eventhough they're both built similar they are two completely different instruments in sound but the baritone doesn't really have that difference at least in the same way as the others.
I think it's a bit more complex - I think the are too expensive - but the base build quality is up there with the best i've seen no matter the country. But - I think the markup between standard to deluxe is off the mark here. I gave it a bye on the tooling marks (as they don't bother me) - BUT.... for 2.5k they should not be there - they can't have it both ways - either I up the value for money element of the score and drop the fit and finish - or the other way around. It's a high score - but there are much higher in my review list.
@@GotAUkulele I hope Kamaka are not taking customers for granted - for a long established company that’s been at it for over a 100 years, now using more modern techniques and machinery as well, I don’t think it’s now still acceptable for them to send instruments out with finish flaws and tooling marks at this price point. This is a LOT of money. If they are sending them out like this, then they need to reduce the asking price considerably for it to be considered value. Maybe they should take a look at what modern builders like Kanilea are doing. Kanilea are on a much higher level in the finishing and detail. Kamaka are a big established brand name and will probably still be here for a long time to come, because of loyal customers and the history, but please don’t take your customers for granted. This instrument is representing Kamaka as a top of the range Deluxe, where you would think extra special attention would have gone into it. This is all just my opinion, I may be wrong, others may think differently.
I'd agree with you that it should be perfect for the money - it's why I had a choice to either chip the value for money down or the fit and finish - they can't have it both ways. Saying all of that - I don't think they are taking customers for granted - it's likely more just a very old fashioned approach that the family haven't changed. Doesn't make it right of course - and people DO buy them!
The sparkle in your eyes 💜
It came alive when you picked it ! My ears perked up !
Definitely a picker!
Has a wonderful Barry tone 😀 nice instrument lovely sounding
I like it when you play an instrument that makes your eyes twinkle and your beard sparkle . 💛
Oooh - sparkly beard! ;-)
Nice to see this kind of uke, thx Baz, and thx Alex!...crazy price😏...
I guess pricing is subjective of course - if I had a million in the bank i'd probably buy it without thinking... But... I don't!!
I enjoyed touring the Kamaka factory when I was on vacation in Hawaii. Wish I could afford one. I guess you can say they are hand made, but it really is a small factory with all the modern tools and methods. The family is still very much involved, but the construction moves from one station to the next like any manufactured instrument. That being said, I'd love to have one.
All top end acoustic stuff is made that way now. Machines do most of the forming, and then humans finish it off. Just makes for better, more consistent quality all around.
Indeed - even Pete Howlett over here in the UK has moved to more automated processes - means more consistency
I love Kamakas, just so beautifully crafted and that gloss is so nice and the binding! I've turned around a lot on baritones, wish I could afford one as nice as this!
Thanks for the review! Nice to see a baritone on your channel!
I do try to get them all the time - but loans are out of my hands - and brands tend to send other sizes.
To be honest, I don't know any uke players with a baritone myself so I guess it's rather a special interest.
I felt heaven in my ears with that riff :)
Certainly a pretty one fingerpicked!
That's one pretty instrument. I'm like you in that I prefer a guitar to a baritone uke but it sounded pretty good. A Kamaka uke is definitely on my list of ukes to purchase in the future but it will probably be a tenor. Great review!
Nice seeing a Baritone! I don’t play them but I like the sound.. of course this is a ukulele priced way over my head😂. Thanks as always my friend….DOC
And mine!
Another great review !!! Thank you
My pleasure - thanks!
Awesome! Looks and sounds great! I'd love to own a Kamaka someday, but I'll probably get a soprano or concert if that ever happens.
oh, sweet goodness! what a drop-dead gorgeous thang… BARI-power - oh yeah, man!
I love the classy look of it. Cheers fella.
Sounds delightful to play - I’ve definitely a small feeling of envy for you having a go at it. The strumming vs picking observation was good here - the strumming sounded good to me but the picking blew it absolutely out of the water.
I also really appreciate the reviews as being transparent - you make your preferences in instruments clear, and don’t let them affect the marks. Useful for awareness, and in the case of some of the top of the range ukuleles, simply entertainment, in a “phwoar, look at that ukulele” sense.
Beautiful looking uke!
Random thoughts because you asked why so expensive while I was thinking the same:
I believe Hawaii has a high cost of living which would include getting raw materials. Also, thinking hourly, how much should a craftsman earn no matter the instrument or product? In this instance, is there much time difference between building an acoustic guitar vs ukulele? All that said, I would expect a flawless instrument for half that price.
Agree with all of that but is Hawaii much more expensive than Montana - a Gibson J45 uses far more materials and is cheaper than this? Made in USA by craftsmen too
It may have something to do with economy of scale. I dont know how many ukes kamaka build or how many guitars martin build but i guessing martins manafacturing scale would be larger, making materials and processes cheaper and more efficient ...result: lower priced nstrument for same amount of work. Miminum wage in montana is 20% less than hawaii ..major factor
@@GotAUkulele I got curious and looked it up: 2021 Cost of Living Calculator: Missoula, Montana vs Honolulu, Hawaii · A salary of $23,920 in Missoula, Montana should increase to $43,375 in Honolulu, Hawaii
I agree with you, I just try to understand why some things are the way they are.
@@julesbrunton1728 Good point!
Are baritones ever tuned re-entrant? I'd think an octave-up 4th string would brighten it up some and make it a bit less muddy when strumming chords.
They can be - but most go with low D - more for picking I guess
Wow, wow, that fingerpicking sound was amazing! I hope to hear one in person some day. Won't be mine though! Not in that price range!
As always, great review!
Thank you!
Hi Baz, the aNueNue ANN-UT5K you reviewed a couple of years ago was a £3000 instrument which you felt was too much for a factory produced ukulele and perhaps that opinion continues with the HF-4D. For me, this instrument, especially in cedar, is a rare beauty, only produced on a limited basis by Kamaka and probably sits alongside a small peer group as one of the best baritones in the world. So is it expensive when considered in that context, no, I do not believe it is.
Just don't think they can have it both ways on the finishing issues. I could have given it a better score on value, but would have needed to trim back on fit and finish. Don't get me wrong - it's still a marvellous instrument but if you spend this sort of money with Kanile'a - you get flawless finish
I agree that Baritones don't sound great strummed. I have a Pono AB, which is turning out to be a just in case i need it instrument. I have guitars and Tenor ukes and it just sits in the middle, Jazz seems to suit it. The SUS custom baritone strings work really well with it. I love Kamaka ukes but £2.5K for a Uke that would at best be used once a month is too much. Better spending the money getting the Kamaka Tenor long neck which can be strung with both GCEA or DGBE strings...and its a grand cheaper (which you can go buy a half decent guitar with).
That's a good way of looking at it - heck - you could buy two Moonbirds for this money!
Baz, this was your usual excellent review. Unfortunately, this is way out of my price range, but it was a treat to see and hear. I don’t know if it’s overpriced or not. I’d be interested to know how the construction of an instrument like this one differs from constructing a quality acoustic guitar, other than the amount of materials used. I like baritones, precisely because they are guitar-like. I have hand problems that make it difficult to play my guitars these days. I don’t particularly like soprano ukes - don’t own one - and play mostly tenor and baritone. Recognizing, of course, that this is a purely subjective opinion on my part. Looking forward to the next review - I always learn something!
it's a good point you raise and one I have discussed with both guitar and uke luthiers. The bill of materials is actually a small part of the price of an instrument, though when you move to Hawaiian Koa it does become more prominent - koa is significantly more expensive than, say, mahogany. Especially when, like Kamaka do - they age it for 4 years. The construction of a uke is less intensive, but they are actually more fussy on accuracy. The smaller you go with scale length, the harder it is to dial the intonation in. As such, a soprano is tougher to 'get right' than a baritone. Which then starts to undermine the cost increase. Perhaps the guitar comparison wasn't fair, but I bought a USA, hand made Gibson guitar for less than this.
I'm not sure why you say baritones are not particularly suitable for strumming? Richie Williams from UOGB plays baritone, plays all over the neck, strums it, picks it, barre chords, even plays slide? Although I do agree they can sound a bit muddy but one can always use different tunings and strings? I have three baritones, one nylon strung, tuned up to F#,B, Eb and G#? The other two both have steel strings, one tuned to G,C,E and A and other one tuned to D,G,B and E. Am I correct in saying that the Kamaka's D string is wound steel over nylon and all the rest are all nylon , what is the tension like on the nylon strings? Nice review and uke but way too expensive?
I said I don't like them for that. Others mileage may vary! Both the wound strings on this, the D and G are steel over nylon and the other two are plain black nylon
Beautiful instrument, I love mine! 🎵
Yes - very!
Thanks Baz for your review. Im not impressed by the sound, it seems to be boomy and oberdriven, especially when strummed. It looks nice in my eyes, but is brutally overprized and a deluxe model with this price should have some deluxe features which i cant find (i mean, they even skimp a back binding). Finish at this price point should be immaculate (i dont see, why a family business shouldn’t be able achieve this. Its simply a matter of dedication). Hand built seems to be also a stretchable term. I pretty sure they use a lot of machines and power tools, even CNC probably. Dont get me wrong, i like and respect Kamaka ukes, but half the price would be more reasonable. The rest you pay for the name.
I would love to hear this one in cedar. And I suspect that white on the bridge is to keep the bass strings from eroding the tie-bar. On all my tie-bar ukes, I drill out a spare saddle to make one long string-button, simply to spare them the dents and the wear from the knots.
BTW, every baritone I’ve played (which is not many) has strummed better at the base of the fretboard or over the soundhole, which is counterintuitive, but there it is.
That's a good point - you may well be right.
Sus did a good comparison of the 3 cedar spruce and koa on their channel 😉
Am I the only one to take a sharp intake of breath at min 6:07 when I heard what sounded like the uke hit the table 😱
It was the rubberised leg of the camera tripod!
Been reviewing for over 10 years, hundreds of models - worked with all UK uke stores to get loans, several others and many brands. NEVER damaged a single instrument in all that time. Do you think SUS would loan me a 2.5k instrument if that was a risk?
@@GotAUkulele we believe you honest 😁
@@GotAUkulele sorry Baz didn't mean anything by it, just an observation of the noise.
Looks beautiful, made beautifully, and sounds beautiful. But, the price. :( Way too much! If you can afford one and really want one, go for it. For most people, this is an easy pass. Just out of the average person's budget. Great review!
Thanks Chuck!
Crazy money, nice to see and hear though
Worth what people are prepared to pay I guess - and they DO buy them. I could never justify a Ferrari - but saw one only yesterday in my town!
Where can I sign up for your job? ;-)
Honestly / if you saw the state of my house and boxes piled everywhere you may not!
You pay for the name, lovely instrument though. When I become a multi millionaire I might get one.
I think there is some of that - but also paying for heritage, US rent, taxes, power etc. Still - pricey!
Personally, I think there are much better instruments for that kind of money. I would even take a Kamaka soprano over this one. It’s all good though, as it gives people choices, some love baritones. I have always been a bit underwhelmed by them though. Sorry.
No apologies needed!
That's a very nice looking ukulele and a very nice sound especially with the fingerpicking. The price, however, sounds a bit much. I, personally, wouldn't buy any instrument for that amount of money.
Similar to yourself, I'm not a big lover of baritones mainly due to them being so similar to guitars. I like that the other ukulele sizes provide something different, eventhough they're both built similar they are two completely different instruments in sound but the baritone doesn't really have that difference at least in the same way as the others.
Wow, nearly as much as my bicycle.
Yep - serious wedge of cash.
If you get one, don't get the two confused!
Snakewood buttons, not Koa.
Is that right? Thanks
How did you have that tuned??
Standard baritone tuning - DGBE - low D
It's a beautiful ukulele at a status symbol price. For that reason, I won't give Kamaka a penny.
I think it's a bit more complex - I think the are too expensive - but the base build quality is up there with the best i've seen no matter the country. But - I think the markup between standard to deluxe is off the mark here. I gave it a bye on the tooling marks (as they don't bother me) - BUT.... for 2.5k they should not be there - they can't have it both ways - either I up the value for money element of the score and drop the fit and finish - or the other way around. It's a high score - but there are much higher in my review list.
@@GotAUkulele I hope Kamaka are not taking customers for granted - for a long established company that’s been at it for over a 100 years, now using more modern techniques and machinery as well, I don’t think it’s now still acceptable for them to send instruments out with finish flaws and tooling marks at this price point. This is a LOT of money. If they are sending them out like this, then they need to reduce the asking price considerably for it to be considered value. Maybe they should take a look at what modern builders like Kanilea are doing. Kanilea are on a much higher level in the finishing and detail. Kamaka are a big established brand name and will probably still be here for a long time to come, because of loyal customers and the history, but please don’t take your customers for granted. This instrument is representing Kamaka as a top of the range Deluxe, where you would think extra special attention would have gone into it. This is all just my opinion, I may be wrong, others may think differently.
I'd agree with you that it should be perfect for the money - it's why I had a choice to either chip the value for money down or the fit and finish - they can't have it both ways. Saying all of that - I don't think they are taking customers for granted - it's likely more just a very old fashioned approach that the family haven't changed. Doesn't make it right of course - and people DO buy them!
You lucky Duck 🤡👍
Certainly a fun hobby!
Great looking instrument but I'm not a musician just a happy uke club Strummer and I just don't like the sound sorry
Fair enough