New Uke Day (NUD) Amazing find! Late 60s early 70s Kamaka HF-1D!

[hollisdwyer]

Congratulations on acquiring a great instrument.

 

[ukeclass]

I'd consider keeping that original...and for yourself.

Keeping original tuners can’t hurt tbh; and I have a really good ear, so it’s not the end of the world. but I will be changing to modern strings and not keeping the originals ones on

 

[ukeclass]

UPDATE: I have sent this uke to Kamaka, to get an even more professional overhaul. The luthier I bought it from did a good job, but I wanted to go further. If I wanted this special uke to look and play just like brand new, I knew it needed to go back to where it was made! Refinish, new gotoh UPTs, possible refret, new saddle and nut, etc. I’ll post an update once it returns!

 

[Ukecaster]

UPDATE: I have sent this uke to Kamaka, to get an even more professional overhaul. The luthier I bought it from did a good job, but I wanted to go further. If I wanted this special uke to look and play just like brand new, I knew it needed to go back to where it was made! Refinish, new gotoh UPTs, possible refret, new saddle and nut, etc. I’ll post an update once it returns!

Cool find, but why would a re-fret, new nut & saddle be needed on a never played uke?

 

[ukeclass]

Cool find, but why would a re-fret, new nut & saddle be needed on a never played uke?

That’s a great question; the luthier messed with the action and lowered it too much, and so I’ve got buzzes. So I’d like to optimize it by putting a new nut and saddle in as well. Also, even by adjusting the action myself, the frets are not level so I get some dead notes. Probably and partially stems due to age and lack of property humidity. When I said likely never played, it was based on what condition the luthier found it in and his description thereof. It indeed looked unplayed, but still had flaws.

 

[Troou2]

Disclaimer: I'm not sure if I will keep this or return it, but I'm leaning towards keeping it. I just need to play it a bit more first!

So I picked up this little guy on Reverb the other day, and just received it an hour or two ago. Let me tell you the story behind this instrument before I talk about it.
A luthier in Maine was at a thrift store, and managed to find what looked to be a vintage white label HF-1 soprano. But this was no ordinary vintage uke. It appeared to have been brand new still in the box with the original paper, for nearly 60 years! Let's not forget to talk about the original Kamaka hang tag. It reads "Attn. Sam Kamaka" Makes me wonder if Sam himself built this one....Due to lack of proper humidification over that long of a period, it had developed a few issues. Luckily a luthier found it, and he basically had to take the whole instrument apart to fix the 3 small cracks that all appeared above the sound hole. And the original glue had crystallized, so the joints had all needed repairing. It even still has the original strings and tuners. And the friction tuners even work quite well! Action is extremely low at 1.5mm at 12th fret, yet there is no buzzing at all.

What is very distinct about this uke, per contact from Kamaka via the luthier, this uke is from the late 60s to early 70s, and appears to be a semi-custom that sits somewhere between the HF-1 and HF-1D models. With a very curly koa top, koa binding on the sides, and dots on the bridge, none of that is typical of a HF-1, in my opinion. This thing sure is a beauty and I can't believe I stumbled upon it. Even the headstock and neck have some nice curl to it!

The finish is also glossy (which I have never seen on ANY of the vintage Kamaka's I have seen), but the luthier did have to touch up the finish in a few places in the restoration process. Has anyone else ever seen a vintage gloss Kamaka? I feel that due to the glossy finish alone, I've found a diamond in the rough!


The fretboard shows no sign of wear AT ALL!

Has anyone else ever purchased a restored/basically unsold brand new vintage uke before? I wonder if this is the kind of heirloom ukulele that I would want to give my son for his first instrument. (He just turned 1 year old, and I cannot wait to start teaching him ASAP!!)

I have not, but I would have bought that one!

 

[Neil_O]

Holy cow guys! I just found out some amazing new info about this uke. I just spoke on the phone with Chris Kamaka, who actually confirmed to me that this is not a semi custom model at all…it’s actually the full fledged HF-1D of that era! He told me that the during that time they deluxe features included a maple binding, curly koa bridge with dots, curly koa headstock and neck, koa fingerboard, gloss finish, and finally a 4A grade koa top! I cannot believe I happened upon this gem!! The action was so low (1.5mm at 12th fret) that finger-style playing was almost impossible, so the luthier who I bought it from is crafting me a new bone saddle, as he shaved it down too much. Plus….new bone nut and saddle instead of original plastic, instant upgrade. Also, @revdocjim I am definitely already planning on putting gotohs on it. I actually changed to gotohs on my other vintage soprano and have had marvelous results!

I was under the impression that the older Kamakas had Ebony as the black parts, not plastic! If you remove them please let us know what material it is.

 

[ukeclass]

I was under the impression that the older Kamakas had Ebony as the black parts, not plastic! If you remove them please let us know what material it is.

Good ask. I tinkered with both, and they indeed are PLASTIC, NOT ebony. Would’ve been an interesting material for a nut and saddle though.

 

[ukeclass]

Update 1: Chris Kamaka is personally repairing this instrument. He told me that during the time period this instrument was made, Kamaka did not make many deluxe or customs models. So, I requested him to do as much as he can to look and play as new. Currently he is working on resetting the neck, as the luthier I bought it from glued it on at the incorrect angle. After that, he will sand some areas of the finish and make it look more uniform throughout.

 

[ukeclass]

HOLY COW....It is done....Chris is amazing!

It looks so so so so good, I may have to do a new NUD, as the instrument looks nothing like it did when it arrived at the factory!

 

[ukeclass]

I'd consider keeping that original...and for yourself.

I’ll share just one pic a little early….and after discussing with Chris, we decided it would be best to keep it as original as possible. So we kept the friction tuners. I have to say I’m impressed at the redone semi-gloss! At this point; the only thing not original is the saddle and nut, but considering both are bone, I don't really see that as an issue.

 

[badhabits]

Is that the original bridge? It looks light(er)... I might have gone darker but that's my preference shining through...

 

[ukeclass]

Is that the original bridge? It looks light(er)... I might have gone darker but that's my preference shining through...

Yup, original bridge. New saddle though.

 

[Kenn2018]

Wow! That is a little beauty.

Nuts and saddles eventually wear out. So it is not unusual for a vintage instrument to have replacements.

What a treat to be able to talk to Chris Kamaka have him work on the restoration.