Just gonna weigh in here a bit. I have a large collection of ukuleles (33) today that includes Martins, KoAlohas Kalas, Flights, Oscar Schmidt. Ohana, Kmise, Caramel and Enya. If I had discovered the magic of the less expensive Kmise and Caramel ukuleles earlier my collection would probably be much smaller. The kmise tiger flame and the caramel glossies are my absolute favorites and are my go to ukuleles. No clue how they can sell a wonderful ukulele and accessories so reasonably but they do. Thanks for your great videos!!
I love the Kmise tiger flames and am so happy to find someone with lots of experience with all types of ukes including expensive ones who so enthusiastically also appreciates them. Your comment really warms my heart. Thanks! Rich
Hi Rich thanks for your reviews on the Caramel ukuleles. After slot of thought and a few doubts I decided to buy my first baritone, a Caramel Mahogany solid from Amazon partly based on your reviews. It has been changed a bit with a slotted headstock but what a lovely instrument I am so pleased with it and I think it sounds great. The rounded edges of the body were a surprise. Thanks again 👍👋
That beautiful, gorgeous, lovely Kala is my favorite, of your collection. It's absolutely stunning! But, the zebra, glossy Caramel is a very close second. You comments were spot on, with the comparison. A joy to watch!
Hi Rich, your comment about letting your desire to either play one or fewer vs a desire for multiple instruments lead in how you purchase makes sense (to the cost conscious buyer, like myself). I'm a beginner but I've had the approach of keeping a soprano, a concert and a tenor in my collection. As I advance in my playing and knowledge, I may upgrade in any of those sizes, giving away my current one. I've had a blast purchasing multiple affordable ukuleles to give away though. Thanks for sharing your videos and opinions!
Thanks, David. We are blessed with quality affordable ukuleles so why not experiment? If each instrument is a big expense, you're not likely to have three baritones with different tunings. Rich
Great video. All this information is very helpful. Some of the oldest, raggedy instruments have the most beautiful voices. And each instrument has its own beauty. Thank you for your videos and help.
I know this is a Caramel/Kala discussion, but there are brands I would encourage people to look at beyond just Kala. An incomplete list would be: Flight, Ohana, Mainland, Islander, Oscar Schmidt, and Lanikai. That’s if you want to spend more on a more familiar name and also want to buy from an established ukulele specialist. As others have noted, buying any of the large name brand ukuleles from a warehouse is running a risk with setup (whereas ukulele specialists include a setup) but it sure seems like Caramel and Aklot have solved that equation somehow.
Chris, I haven't worried about setup in five years or more. The special setups I've gotten over the years, far as I could tell, were rip offs. I bought an expensive Zager guitar that came with extra special set up from Denny Zager himself. Super. There went $850. When I began my guitar lessons first thing my guitar teacher did was give my new Zager guitar a super duper setup. He said it needed it! I despised the guitar, setup or not, and never could tell it was easy to play! Several years later I sold it for $300 and was glad to see it gone. Rich
It's always nice to hear you talk about the off-brand ukuleles, because I have a low budget and a sort of awful Pokemon "gotta try 'em all" compulsion. Started with a $20 no-name ukulele off Temu (which was fun) upgraded to an Uma 03cp concert pineapple (love it) couldn't resist a Janny soprano from Temu because it was cheap and made of spalted maple (gorgeous) and still wanted to try a mango ukulele, nylgut strings, and real bone saddle and nut, all of which I recently got in an on-sale Flight Supernatural. (My most expensive uke so far.) I'm hoping that will stop me from running up my credit balance any more for a while. Though maybe a Caramel will be in my future some time :D
Ukulele shopping can be more fun than ukulele playing! These days finally the balance has tilted to playing for me so I'm not tempted to add to my pile of 80. Of the brands you mentioned, the only one we have in common is Uma. Mine is a solid top tenor given to me by Bernadette.😊😊😊
Thanks Rich, I think I'll buy a caramel ukulele and play it the rest of my life, I just can't justify spending that much more money for a instrument that sounds and play's the same, if something happens to my caramel I'll be able to afford to replace it 👍🏆.
I like Kala as a brand. I think they're falling behind other brands in innovation and modern design, though. I own one, and it's gorgeous (cedar top and ziricote sides), but I do wish it had things like chamfered edges, stealth tuners, a black nut and saddle, a comfort edge, etc.
In my limited experience (3 Kalas in the past), I would be reluctant to buy a Kala again without a professional setup, as the action on all three I had was way too high. Also I feel the Kala necks are too thick for my comfort. On the other hand, my one Caramel has perfect action and intonation, and the neck is very comfortable to play; I feel I truly lucked out on that one ($29!). I purchased an Ohana cedar top soprano which was properly set up and decided I wouldn't invest in any more Amazon/eBay ukes; sometimes you luck out, sometimes you don't. I feel it's less expensive and less risky to be sure the uke is right the first time.
We found some half price Caramel baritone ukuleles on Amazon a few weeks ago. Used to be Caramel sold them on eBay all the time. Not any more. Here's a recent video about a deal on baritones: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TSlxHjs8yps.html
I don't think you'll find anything on eBay or Amazon at the moment. On eBay I'd search the term Caramel Ukulele Factory Defect. On Amazon I'd look at all the listings for the size ukulele I wanted and see what the buying options are. Some have Amazon Warehouse deals which can save a lot of $$. Facebook Marketplace could offer some super deals, though you may have to offer to pay shipping on some of them.@@mchaywood83
Just curious if the Kala has a better fret edge finish or not than the Caramel. I have several Caramels and my first disappointment with them was the soprano gloss mahogany where the intonation was way off and the finish not so great.
Caramel fret finish these days is as nice as on Kalas. I love the Caramel mahogany gloss soprano and have purchased a few of them, all very nice. Rich Davis
Pretty zebrawood Caramel CB103. I got a five pack of Caramel baritone ukuleles delivered to me direct from China yesterday. It will be very exciting looking at these 1 x 1 over the next few days. Some, surely, will be zebrawoods. Rich
Hello David so your paying more money for a brand name and you get no extras with your expensive ukulele.so you buy a less expensive uku you get so much more with your package.
David my ears aren't so great but they love the way many of my laminate ukuleles sound. I do not prefer solid top or all solid over my favorite laminate ukuleles. Not at all. Best wishes. Rich
