I own an old Kumalae 1919ish vintage, and an old 1930s Kalae made by Kamaka and though they both sound great they are not the pinnacle of workmanship that even the less expensive Chinese made 'ukuleles of today are. You can definitely tell they are hand made and finished but they have mana, soul, mojo, etc. that modern flawless mass produced 'ukuleles lack. If you look at the strings they run parallel with the neck nicely which would be off if the bridge was centered. I believe the bridges were installed to keep the strings in line with the less than parallel necks. My old Kalae bridge is centered but the strings are a tad off along the neck. More aesthetic than practical, still plays fine. I believe back when these 'ukuleles were made they were allot cheaper relatively speaking and the finish reflected the price point. Tourist back then could afford these quickly built 'ukuleles, but today we have import 'ukuleles of high quality which filled that inexpensive nitch market and just raised the level of quality of the domestic made items. I believe we presently are in a golden age of affordable quality 'ukuleles thanks to companies like KALA, Ohana, Lanikai, and Mainland.
