FS: Kamaka Tenor, White Label

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drmosser

drmosser

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SOLD: Kamaka Tenor ukulele, White Label (1980s). It is solid koa construction. No cracks. Very minor nicks or dings consistent with the age of the instrument. There are some wear marks on the top of the bridge, especially on the strings 3 and 4 positions, which may be the result of wound nylon strings (Martin M-620 for tenor uke) used by the previous owner (see close up photo of bridge). $650 delivered CONUS with payment by PayPal (I cover PayPal fee).

Kamak T-6.jpgKamaka T-1.jpgKamaka T-3.jpgKamaka T-5.jpg
 
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You say the Easter Bunny didn't bring you what you really wanted? Maybe you want his lovely Kamaka? You can't eat it, but it's sweet and lasts longer than chocolate. ;)
 
I can't believe this is still available at this price! In my opinion these vintage white labels are far superior to the new Kamakas. This is a steal.
 
Ernie said:
I can't believe this is still available at this price! In my opinion these vintage white labels are far superior to the new Kamakas. This is a steal.
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Do you think the used market is getting softer for older Kamaka? Maybe more people are buying custom ukes right now. Also, there are a lot of ukulele manufactures offering quality instruments around 300 -800 dollar price point.

From anecdotal evidence of past sales, it seems that the high end custom ukuleles are going quicker. I've noticed that many of the low end ukes or mid range seem to sit a while before selling.

Maybe there are less ukulele players than before. The people who have played a while may be upgrading to custom ukes or already have a Kamaka.
 
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Looks like someone threw a set of steel strings on it at some point for it to gouge the bridge on all four strings. I've never seen that before.
 
I've owned this ukulele less than a year and I've only installed uke appropriate strings. I can only speculate on what could have caused the bridge marks, but it's obvious that strings were the culprit. There does not appear to be any discernible affect on sound quality. Additionally, there is no evidence of any neck warping or affects on intonation that might be the result of prolonged use of strings with too high a tension. With new strings installed the marks are not readily visible. However, I included the photo of the bridge marks in the original posting so that there would be full disclosure to any buyer and no surprises when they changed the strings.

image.jpg
 
Do you think the used market is getting softer for older Kamaka? Maybe more people are buying custom ukes right now. Also, there are a lot of ukulele manufactures offering quality instruments around 300 -800 dollar price point.

From anecdotal evidence of past sales, it seems that the high end custom ukuleles are going quicker. I've noticed that many of the low end ukes or mid range seem to sit a while before selling.

Maybe there are less ukulele players than before. The people who have played a while may be upgrading to custom ukes or already have a Kamaka.
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I wouldn't call a Kamaka tenor low end or mid range, by any stretch. I do think the vintage models are superior to the current output. Maybe people are trying the newer ones (that sell for twice what is being asked for this one, btw), and getting turned off the brand. Even that is a stretch though- Kamaka remains a favorite brand among many players.
 
JustinJ said:
Do you think the used market is getting softer for older Kamaka? Maybe more people are buying custom ukes right now. Also, there are a lot of ukulele manufactures offering quality instruments around 300 -800 dollar price point.

From anecdotal evidence of past sales, it seems that the high end custom ukuleles are going quicker. I've noticed that many of the low end ukes or mid range seem to sit a while before selling.

Maybe there are less ukulele players than before. The people who have played a while may be upgrading to custom ukes or already have a Kamaka.
Click to expand...
I think the market is softer for all ukes. there are just so many competing brands at every price point. BUT there will not be any more vintage Martins, Gibson, Kamaka, etc. made, so there will always be a market for them . the ukes popularity ebbs and flows, and we are in an ebb, and it will flow again and the quality brands will sell eventually. I just sold a Kala on ebay for the same price as I was asking here, I won't net as much because of the fees, but you might try that.
 
Ernie said:
I wouldn't call a Kamaka tenor low end or mid range, by any stretch. I do think the vintage models are superior to the current output. Maybe people are trying the newer ones (that sell for twice what is being asked for this one, btw), and getting turned off the brand. Even that is a stretch though- Kamaka remains a favorite brand among many players.
Click to expand...

Why do you say vintage Kamakas are better than newer ones? Is the construction different? What is the main difference that you hear between a vintage Kamaka and the newer ones?
 
Why do you say vintage Kamakas are better than newer ones? Is the construction different? What is the main difference that you hear between a vintage Kamaka and the newer ones?
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The older ones sound more open to me, and the difference isn't just time. They are more lightly built and more lightly finished, in my experience.
 
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