Help! I am not sure whether my kamaka is fake:(

Just bought a kamak soprano on ebay, and I found the serial number is 093442, which should be made at DEC 31 2009. I wrote an email to Kamaka to ask about some relevant information about this uku, but they told me that the ukuleles made in 2009 should start with 090!!!!

Who told you it was made in 2009? Maybe they were misinformed? I really don't know anything about Kamakas. Maybe if you post some detailed pictures or maybe a sound sample, there are others here that can give an opinion. Or maybe email some photos to Kamaka, perhaps they can spot something that way. Good luck.

By the way, you don't need to post in multiple places. I figured this does belong here in tech support so decided to repost my answer.

lol I got it!

I have uploaded some pictures about the serial number. Thanks in advance!

Scroll down to the bottom to see the current label. I second emailing Kamaka about the serial number, they are very helpful.

Or wait for mmstan or Hawaii50 to find this thread.

Pardon my ignorance, but are there many counterfeit ukuleles on the market marked as genuine ?

And same question about Kamakas specifically, has anyone encountered a fake ukulele that is marked as a genuine Kamaka or other brand?

I know there are some ukes that are hard to tell the brand of, but I am curious of there are many copies...

Thank you a lot, and kamaka has replied me, please see the response!

Thank you for your interest in Kamaka Hawaii, Inc. In your original email, you wrote 0933442. There was issue with that number because there are only 3,000+ ukuleles made per year. You had added an extra number. My error, only the first 999 ukuleles start with 090. There was an extra number in your original email. After the two-digit year is the sequential number of ukuleles. So the first ukulele in 2009 is 090001.

The ukulele with serial number 093442 was a Kamaka soprano. We can't verify the authenticity of a Kamaka unless we see it in person. Certain features such as the "kk" decal on the headstock, the label in the sound hole, the shape, or tuners, may identify a uke as a Kamaka, but are by no means conclusive. You can email photos of the ukulele to sales@kamakahawaii.com. Our expert eyes cannot always identify in pictures any flaws, repairs, modifications, or even counterfeits for that matter. But we can see if there are any noticeable irregularities.

Aloha,
Alice
Office Administrator

Brian1 said:

Pardon my ignorance, but are there many counterfeit ukuleles on the market marked as genuine ?

And same question about Kamakas specifically, has anyone encountered a fake ukulele that is marked as a genuine Kamaka or other brand?

I know there are some ukes that are hard to tell the brand of, but I am curious of there are many copies...

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There was a problem with Japanese-made Kamaka knockoffs during the 1960s but I haven't heard of this being an issue in recent years. Not sure how many of the fake Japanese-made ones there are out there - I've never actually encountered one, and I've been around a lot of ukes in the years I've been playing.

janeray1940 said:

There was a problem with Japanese-made Kamaka knockoffs during the 1960s but I haven't heard of this being an issue in recent years. Not sure how many of the fake Japanese-made ones there are out there - I've never actually encountered one, and I've been around a lot of ukes in the years I've been playing.

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Thanks for the info. That makes sense. I have to say I feel a little guilty about asking but I would love to see and compare a knock off to an original.

If something is worth knocking off and trying to pass as something else it makes me wonder why wouldn't another brand of high end ukuleles start to emerge. I'd imagine it would be much harder to knock off something that looked just like a Kamaka and sounded like one than it would be to simply make a quality ukulele.

I nearly bought a Ohana knock off of a Martin 3k because I like the look but can't justify the investment of a real 3k, but it was obviously marked.

Brian1 said:

I nearly bought a Ohana knock off of a Martin 3k because I like the look but can't justify the investment of a real 3k, but it was obviously marked.

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Hang in there Brian. The price of vintage ukuleles has dropped these past few years.
I'll be listing some again sometime in the next couple of months and still looking to a trade for a Style 0 or 1 WWII Martin.

Brian1 said:

Thanks for the info. That makes sense. I have to say I feel a little guilty about asking but I would love to see and compare a knock off to an original.

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The only time I "saw" one was an eBay listing some years back - there's still a thread about it here. The pictures are long gone as is my memory of what it looked like, but judging from the comments in the thread, it didn't even look like the real deal.

Judging from the pics, that is a real Kamaka! Legit even down to the red serial sticker, hard to fake that.