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El Jefe
Aloha
14 Posts |
 Posted - 06/20/2002 : 03:23:58 AM
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Does anyone have a comment on the tone and playability, projection, volume etc of the Pineapple Uke shape..specifically the concert size and Tenor (though I dont recall seeing a tenor)
Is the sound better, worse or just different?
And who seems to have this model dialed in.. I know there are a few makers who make them...including Ko'olau, Kawika nd Kamaka
Thanks
El Jefe
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2002 : 1:34:03 PM
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hi el jefe,
i have a concert pineapple made by jerome werner in waianae. it's all koa, unbound, glossy finish, and strung with a high G. i got it because i think pineapple ukes looked neat. i had compared several ukes at the time, some by werner and some kamakas, and thought this one sounded this brightest. i don't think that they sound different from a standard shape, but there are so many variables i'm unable to run a controlled experiment.
they are a bit harder for me to hold than the standard shape but not so much so that one should avoid them.
aloha,
keith
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Sarah
`Olu`olu
571 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2002 : 2:31:27 PM
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When we visited Kawika Hurd's workshop, he was making bunches of those for Japanese customers. He makes wonderful 'ukuleles, but he didn't seem to think much of the pineapple ones. I got the impression that for him, they were just money-makers satisfying a demand.
Maybe Reid can chime in with his recollection of Kawika's pineapples.
Sarah
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2002 : 2:47:58 PM
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Yeah, what Sarah said. Kawika thought they were only fit to be wall ornaments and he said that's where most of them will wind up. He really didn't like making them.
Of course, YMMV.
...Reid
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2002 : 5:04:18 PM
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... a bit of history: sam kamaka sr. is the inventor of the pineapple ukulele. according to brudda bu's website, he invented it in 1916 to have "a small ukulele with a fuller and warmer sound". the web site then states that maybe he invented it because it was easier to make.
he has a bunch of photos of old kamaka pineapples, some painted to look like kinda like a pineapple.
i think they're kinda cute. then again, i have this thing about ukuleles....
aloha,
keith
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El Jefe
Aloha
14 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2002 : 8:07:37 PM
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Reid
David Hurd may not appreciate them or like making them but
I am curious..sounds like you may have some...
what's your opinion..do you have a few Kamakas and is it
true the shape changed over the years?
I a totally blind test can you tell whether someone is playing a Pineapple or standard uke shape of the same size?
and I dont like plastic trowelled into my ukes but then again YMMV !!
El Jefe
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2002 : 8:50:05 PM
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aloha all,
i asked john kitakis of ko'olau about the differences. he said that in his experience, when made correctly, a pineapple does have a deeper tone.
ko'olau makes pineapples, which you can see on their website www.koolauukulele.com
keith
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2002 : 9:01:55 PM
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I don't know anything but what I am told... Just ask Sarah and Andy.
I don't have any `ukes and may never, I am old enough so that I may croak first. It is just an itch.
It was the cuteness factor that got Kawika, I *think*. He said that his making of them was purely economics. He made a joke about his "first major mistake" (which I remember with crystal clarity): "I underestimated the power of discretionary income!" He strives for the best in sound, that is clear. It was also clear that he did not think the sound was up to his other creations.
If you like it, go for it.
...Reid
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2002 : 9:07:02 PM
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Oh yeah, I forgot.
Bruddah Bu is Craig, a nice guy in Kaleponi, who also knows the Browns and Uncle Sol, of Maui. He is totally grooved, which makes him a person I admire, even though he sells health insurance. (The latter is a true (he does that)joke, so don't hurt me.)
...Reid
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Julie H
Ha`aha`a
USA
1206 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2002 : 02:18:26 AM
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OK, I have to weigh in on the Pineapple discussion now. I have several ukes, but the one I pick up the most is my Tony Graziano pineapple, standard size. Tony is a fine luthier in Santa Cruz, California. This uke is pineapple shaped and painted as one. Very nice to look at, and sounds fantastic. It stays in tune fairly well unless I fool with the tuners too much, and it illicits plenty of comments. It is the one I use for "performing", and the one I took to Aloha Music Weekend in April as well as Kahumoku's workshop in June. It travels well, small enough to hop on the plane with me. I just LOVE it! Aloha, Julie
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