YogiTom
Well-known member
I thought my UAS was well under control until I traded my Mele tenor for a "seen-better-days" but still awesome little Kamaka soprano. That got me looking on eBay, which got me to "watching" on eBay, which led me to bidding...you get the idea. Point is, I picked this up for $160 all-in, and couldn't be happier.
From what I could gather, these ukuleles were produced between 1963-1970 in Japan as a collaboration with the Tokyo Stringed Instrument Manufacturing Co. for sale in the Japanese market. Apparently there was a wave of counterfeit Kamakas being sold in Japan at the time, and this was Kamaka's response as a way to set the ukuleles made under their approval apart from the fakes.
Solid mahogany body and neck, not sure what the fretboard is made of. A very neat, angled heel profile which looks different from my White Label, which seems taller/more substantive. Perhaps best of all for my esthetic is the finish, which feels like satin. Tuners were replaced with UPTs, but the seller included the original friction pegs with the purchase.
The headstock is a little worse for wear, but still has the double-K Keiki decal largely intact. Only one significant crack on along the side of the upper bout (player side for righties like myself) which looks to have been repaired, plus a gnarly looking dent in the edge on the lower bout (not player side). And the bridge, saddle, and nut are all in various states of needing some attention.
Otherwise, it is an awesome little uke! My only "bummer", which I'm trying to get over by calling it a "beauty mark", is a much darker slice of wood on the soundboard's lower bout, player side. Not sure if this was an after-market repair, or a fix in the factory from a mistake, but the wood matching is terrible to say the least. On the bright side, it looks and feels like a smooth repair, regardless of when it was done.
So for now, I hope you enjoy this little review of the Keiki, with a quick side-by-side against that '70s WL soprano that started this vintage obsession of mine.
P.S. I sincerely hope I'm not annoying anyone with the string of reviews and NUD posts. Fair warning: this is the first of a few Vintage Ukulele Day posts coming down the pike.
Happily, none of them cost me more than $175 all-in (uke + shipping). Unfortunately (or a blessing for those of you sick of these posts from me!) the other vintage ukes will need some attention from a luthier to be brought back into playing shape, so likely won't be mentioned again for awhile here.
From what I could gather, these ukuleles were produced between 1963-1970 in Japan as a collaboration with the Tokyo Stringed Instrument Manufacturing Co. for sale in the Japanese market. Apparently there was a wave of counterfeit Kamakas being sold in Japan at the time, and this was Kamaka's response as a way to set the ukuleles made under their approval apart from the fakes.
Solid mahogany body and neck, not sure what the fretboard is made of. A very neat, angled heel profile which looks different from my White Label, which seems taller/more substantive. Perhaps best of all for my esthetic is the finish, which feels like satin. Tuners were replaced with UPTs, but the seller included the original friction pegs with the purchase.
The headstock is a little worse for wear, but still has the double-K Keiki decal largely intact. Only one significant crack on along the side of the upper bout (player side for righties like myself) which looks to have been repaired, plus a gnarly looking dent in the edge on the lower bout (not player side). And the bridge, saddle, and nut are all in various states of needing some attention.
Otherwise, it is an awesome little uke! My only "bummer", which I'm trying to get over by calling it a "beauty mark", is a much darker slice of wood on the soundboard's lower bout, player side. Not sure if this was an after-market repair, or a fix in the factory from a mistake, but the wood matching is terrible to say the least. On the bright side, it looks and feels like a smooth repair, regardless of when it was done.
So for now, I hope you enjoy this little review of the Keiki, with a quick side-by-side against that '70s WL soprano that started this vintage obsession of mine.
P.S. I sincerely hope I'm not annoying anyone with the string of reviews and NUD posts. Fair warning: this is the first of a few Vintage Ukulele Day posts coming down the pike.
Happily, none of them cost me more than $175 all-in (uke + shipping). Unfortunately (or a blessing for those of you sick of these posts from me!) the other vintage ukes will need some attention from a luthier to be brought back into playing shape, so likely won't be mentioned again for awhile here.
