This is a beautiful 2014 Kamaka HP-1 soprano in exceptional condition. Apart from minimal hazing by sound hole, minor wear on lower fretboard and a single 1 mm. nick on bottom edge (way too small to capture in photo), no significant wear. All original. Lovely, deep grained koa top, back, sides and faceplate; rosewood bridge and fretboard; mahogany neck. 13-9/16” scale length, 16 frets, 12 frets to the body. Superb Gotoh UPT planetary tuners with pearloid buttons. Compensated saddle for perfect intonation. Comes with original Kamaka logo arch-top case in excellent condition.
As someone fortunate to own a number of sopranos, I’ve had the chance to compare this instrument not only to the guitar-shaped HF-1 but a vintage Martin and a Kiwaya KTS-6, among others. This is arguably the best sounding of all, with a perfect combination of warmth and articulation, as well as excellent volume and sustain. For recording, this instrument is unbeatable — good mics love pineapple! I've elected to keep the HF-1 only because it has a pickup system installed and thus gets more use.
As seems to happen with Kamaka slotted bridges, the string slots have become very slightly worn. They still hold the strings fine, but as a precaution against further wear in years to come, I can also include an additional, unused Kamaka bridge.
These instruments seem to be increasingly difficult to find. Current list price I believe is in the $1500-$1600 U.S. range, but none of the dealers I’ve checked has any in stock. Price is firm. I’m willing to consider trade or trade-and-cash offers for high-quality tenors or concerts such as Kamaka, Mya-Moe and vintage Martin, but please don’t bother with offers involving instruments of lesser quality, or anything other than tenor or concert scale.
Please feel free to contact me for more information or exact shipping cost. I pack with great care and can usually have items in the mail within 24 hours of payment. For Canadian buyers, payment by e-transfer preferred; for international buyers, cashier's check or wire transfer. Because PayPal now demands a copy of seller's driver's license, birth certificate or passport for cross-border transactions of a certain value, I can no longer accept this form of payment.
As someone fortunate to own a number of sopranos, I’ve had the chance to compare this instrument not only to the guitar-shaped HF-1 but a vintage Martin and a Kiwaya KTS-6, among others. This is arguably the best sounding of all, with a perfect combination of warmth and articulation, as well as excellent volume and sustain. For recording, this instrument is unbeatable — good mics love pineapple! I've elected to keep the HF-1 only because it has a pickup system installed and thus gets more use.
As seems to happen with Kamaka slotted bridges, the string slots have become very slightly worn. They still hold the strings fine, but as a precaution against further wear in years to come, I can also include an additional, unused Kamaka bridge.
These instruments seem to be increasingly difficult to find. Current list price I believe is in the $1500-$1600 U.S. range, but none of the dealers I’ve checked has any in stock. Price is firm. I’m willing to consider trade or trade-and-cash offers for high-quality tenors or concerts such as Kamaka, Mya-Moe and vintage Martin, but please don’t bother with offers involving instruments of lesser quality, or anything other than tenor or concert scale.
Please feel free to contact me for more information or exact shipping cost. I pack with great care and can usually have items in the mail within 24 hours of payment. For Canadian buyers, payment by e-transfer preferred; for international buyers, cashier's check or wire transfer. Because PayPal now demands a copy of seller's driver's license, birth certificate or passport for cross-border transactions of a certain value, I can no longer accept this form of payment.
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