Kamaka Pineapple Soprano 1970's

drumguy

drumguy

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Okay, this isn't mine. I have it in my hands though. I'm a drummer, and a gear-head. I have been obsessed with ukulele's for the past month or so. Haven't made a purchase yet, but have been hounding my guitar buddies to see if anyone has one laying around. Tonight at a rehearsal, our guitar player pulled this out from under a shelf in his garage. It's a Kamaka from the 1970's which was given to him by his mother inlaw.

He was trying to sell it, but didn't know what it was worth. I told him I'd hang onto it for a while and take it down to Elderly (I live in Michigan and a friend of mine works in the appraisals dept.). Anyone have any guesses? It's in really good shape. No cosmetic issues other than being 30 years old. It could use some polish and a new set of strings, but the body and neck look fine to me. It's remarkably clean.

Sorry for the blurry pics. I'm using my phone... And I've been drinking whiskey.

EDIT:

For the record, I have done a fair amount of internet research, and immediately recognized the wood type, and the brand name and tried very hard not to get visibly excited. I know that this is at least a fairly decent thing to find laying around. Despite being a drummer, I'm not a total dummy. I have been saving up some gig money and was gonna buy a tenor in the 150-250 range.

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Hit him over the head with a pipe and steal it!! ;-)

New one is $720+ (with an MSRP from Kamaka of $695. Figure that one out. What are these? Harleys??) Some folks say the new ones are better than some of the ones that are not really old, like the '70s. Check out closed items in Ebay. I'll bet your are talking high $600s.
 
Aloha Drum Guy,
Welcome to the UU and our forums...and the ukulele....with ukes and anything else, it's condition and sound...and this one looks in great
condition ..Kamaka Koa white label pineapple...I'd minimum $350.00 - $450.00 for one in mint condition...You have a great oppertunity to
score one of of the best brands out there and in good condition from a friend.. if its a good friend, maybe $300.00 would be really nice...
If it was me, I'd wouldn't pass it up....go for it!!! these ukes in this condition don't cme aroud that often...Good Luck and Let us know how
it goes....MM Stan..
 
An older Kamaka Pinapple (Gold or White lablel) recently sold for about 428 (link) on ebay. I would agree with mm stan in the 300 to 450 range, that one seems to be in good shape so probably closer to the top limit.

I have been wanting an older Kamaka pineapple for some time now and thought here one is, but I guess not today.
 
Thanks guys. I knew I picked the right forum. I'm kind of hoping that he just keeps the thing. It'd be nice to have around as I start to grow a little collection of my own, but frankly I don't see myself buying this one.

Hitting him over the head with a pipe is probably the best option.

I tuned it up last night and played it for an hour or so. It is remarkably solid for being so light. Some of the other ukes I've held have really heavy necks compare to the lightness of the body. I assume this is solid koa by the looks of it, but again I would default to forum members on that. However I did find myself having to tune a couple of the strings about every 5 minutes. My guess is a little TLC in a shop would get this thing back to tip top shape. But for my first uke, I'm getting something with geared tuners.

Thanks again for the warm welcome and info!
 
dnewton2 said:
An older Kamaka Pinapple (Gold or White lablel) recently sold for about 428 (link)
I have been wanting an older Kamaka pineapple for some time now and thought here one is, but I guess not today.
Click to expand...

I will probably end up selling this for him. Once I have it looked at by the folks at Elderly, I'll update this thread with a price. It's not mine, so I don't have any real emotion tied up in selling it. Frankly I'd rather do it through a forum than ebay anyway.
 
drumguy said:
I will probably end up selling this for him.
Click to expand...

Very interested in this one - when you figure out a price... now if someone would just buy my couple of ukes so I could buy this one.
 
Gmoney said:
Very interested in this one - when you figure out a price... now if someone would just buy my couple of ukes so I could buy this one.
Click to expand...

I pick the KoAloha! HaHa!
 
drumguy said:
I will probably end up selling this for him. Once I have it looked at by the folks at Elderly, I'll update this thread with a price. It's not mine, so I don't have any real emotion tied up in selling it. Frankly I'd rather do it through a forum than ebay anyway.
Click to expand...

I don't think you should have a problem selling it here at a fair price. I know I would like it.
 
drumguy said:
...Frankly I'd rather do it through a forum than ebay anyway.
Click to expand...

Yes we have a Marketplace forum here at UU. List it here (free) and I am sure someone will snatch it up quickly!
 
drumguy said:
Thanks guys. I knew I picked the right forum. I'm kind of hoping that he just keeps the thing. It'd be nice to have around as I start to grow a little collection of my own, but frankly I don't see myself buying this one.

Hitting him over the head with a pipe is probably the best option.

I tuned it up last night and played it for an hour or so. It is remarkably solid for being so light. Some of the other ukes I've held have really heavy necks compare to the lightness of the body. I assume this is solid koa by the looks of it, but again I would default to forum members on that. However I did find myself having to tune a couple of the strings about every 5 minutes. My guess is a little TLC in a shop would get this thing back to tip top shape. But for my first uke, I'm getting something with geared tuners.

Thanks again for the warm welcome and info!
Click to expand...

There should be a screw through the knob of the tuner. Those are friction tuners. Try tightening the screw a bit and that should stop the tuner from slipping and cause the string to go out of tune.
 
WOW, she's a beauty and yes she's solid Koa wood. I have her twin sister same early 70s vintage and my favorite 'ukulele. Don't forget to read the rules for posting a sale here. You should have no difficulty selling it here as there are many Kamaka pineapple fans here.
 
Quick update to all of you who are interested (and haven't PM'd me)... I just got back from Elderly. They looked at it and said it is in great shape. It is stamped June 13, 1973.

I'm not really sure what the next step is. My buddy says he wants me to sell it for him. Basically, I guess it'll just go to whoever makes the best offer. I will ship it (from 49735 MI) to wherever. Preferably in the US only. I don't like dealing with customs and all the BS that accompanies int'l shipping. I'll provide a phone number privately so we can work out the details.

On a side note, I left Elderly with a brand new Ohana SK-70MG Soprano. Only just now putting it down to post. I'll be on this forum for the long haul.
 
"If you wish to sell anything in the marketplace you must provide these things in your post.

1. Picture of the actual ukulele being sold. Not a stock photo of the model
2. Reason why you are selling the instrument
3. Price and Terms (S&H etc)"

emphasis on # 3

This is not eBay
 
Sorry Pahu...

I've cut and pasted the following from the pm's I've sent out.

$650 + shipping is the asking price... I had it looked at today. They said it was "ready to go". I'm sure a new set of strings would be in order though. I can take pics or video for you of anything specific if you need to see it up close... I'll probably do that anyway at some point just for posterity.

~Greg

My # is --- --- ---- (pm for phone #)

Totally didn't intend to break the rules or anything, just been on the road and haven't sat in front of the computer much. I will hopefully upload a video in the next 48 hours. The pics and reason for selling are on the first post of this thread. I can give you references to other folks I've sold stuff to on other forums, or anything you need to put your mind at ease.
 
drumguy said:
Nope. Not a word from anyone since posting the price.
Click to expand...
Was too high Greg.....you can get a new soprano that sounds alot better for 50 bucks more...
Probally the price you got quoted is out of range....it a white label..it's not rare, vintage, or collectable..
you're asking almost double of what it's worth essentially...you hoping to catch a rich guy?? anyways, Good Luck!!
 
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