Kamaka Factory - Can you buy after the tour?

PedalFreak

PedalFreak

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
1,155
Reaction score
1
Location
Illinois, but Hawaii at Heart ;)
My wife and I will be in Hawaii in March. We're going to take the tour of the Kamaka factory. Their website says you can order a uke direct from the factory. But can you buy one while at the factory?

Anyone taken the tour lately know? Or do they have any other items to purchase?
 
// i lost my original reply!!!

---

when i went to the factory in '06 i was expecting to walk in, buy an uke and walk out.

it didn't happen.

i was told there was a very long backorder of ukes so i had to order one and wait.

i received my uke in the mail approx. 6 weeks later at home in cali.

call them but i suspect things haven't changed.

if you call and order far enough in advance you might be able to pick it up while you are there.

the other alternative is to find a kamaka uke at a music store and buy there... where you live or in hawaii.

good luck.

joel
 
My husband and I were there last month. Kamaka doesn't sell their ukes at the factory.

This may be a little off-topic, but KoAloha, also located in Honolulu, does have some ukes (not all models) that you can buy at the factory. They are called "seconds" and are quite a bit cheaper if you can overlook tiny flaws. I bought a longneck soprano that had a bubble in the finish the size of a pinhead at the edge of the soundhole under the strings. That "flaw" reduced the price from $600 to $450.

Kanile'a is located in Kaneohe, a quick drive North on the Pali Highway. Joe Souza gave us a wonderful tour and he had a few ukes for sale but they are not "seconds".
 
Aloha PedalFreak,
If I was you I put in you order now and tell them when you'll be in town to pick it up....I guess sometimes they're finished batches are all backorders...unless they have just finished a specific model that day
of have one available...your chances may be slim......why take chances when your can call them and set things up...
Kamaka Hawaii, inc..
550 South Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813-5010
Telephone: (808)531-3165
E-mail: mail@kamakahawaii.com
Good Luck, I hope it helps...Stan
 
my guess on why the op wants to buy at the end of the store would be because he wants to play them before buying. if i were slapping down a bunch of chash on an instrument, i would make sure i am 100% pleased with that instrument first. i did that when i bought my piano and my bassoon. it took several weeks to find the right cheap uke for my first uke buy. if i went to hawaii and decided to buy a uke, i'd probably be in the store for several hours a day for at least a couple days before i actually decided on which one i would buy.
 
Aw, man, I'm bummed about this! I'll be doing the Kamaka tour next month and was hoping to buy afterward too. While I would trust Kamaka to make me a fantastic ukulele if I ordered by phone in advance, somehow it's not quite the same.
 
janeray1940 said:
Aw, man, I'm bummed about this! I'll be doing the Kamaka tour next month and was hoping to buy afterward too. While I would trust Kamaka to make me a fantastic ukulele if I ordered by phone in advance, somehow it's not quite the same.
Click to expand...

Well, now you may be able to get a vintage/used Kamaka instead. Maybe a local shop, or craigslist.
 
cletus said:
Well, now you may be able to get a vintage/used Kamaka instead. Maybe a local shop, or craigslist.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm hoping - that the Craigslist gods will be smiling on me that week :)
 
When I was there earlier last year you could not purchase from the factory floor. It was necessary to pre-order with and estimated wait of about 3 months. You may want to check the retail stores. I purchased a Kamaka tenor at Bounty Music on Maui for about $100 less than I would have paid to buy it directly from Kamaka at MSRP. I was also able to play 3 different Kamaka tenors for comparison, along with KoAlohas, Kanileas, G-Strings and others. The one I ended up purchasing was still packaged up in the original shipping package from Kamaka and had never been on the sales floor. You may not find the ukes priced as low in the Waikiki area as I did on Maui or in other places in Ohahu - so shop around if you can.
 
When I did the factory tour in December of '09, one of the tour goers picked up the ukulele he had ordered from Kamaka. It was a real beauty, and I'm sure it made the tour extra special for him. If you order it now, you might be able to have it made in time for you to pick it up in March. They also had two for sale at that time, but I think that was a rare occurrence. As a general rule, no, unless you order one you can't buy one from the factory.

It would be sight unseen, true, but it would also have been made just for you.

You won't regret taking the tour at all -- I did the Kanile'a, Kamaka and KoAloha tours and the Kamaka is my favorite. True, it is the dustiest -- not sure why their ventilation system is lacking, but it is quite comprehensive, and has a lot of history behind it as Fred Kamaka usually leads it. Plus you get a chance to see Kamaka pineapple #1 that way. :) It is also the closest to Waikiki (and therefore for most people the easiest to get to).
 
Probably best bet is to do the tour, then shop at music stores to find a Kamaka to your liking. I bought mine in Maui at Lahaina Music. They gave me a discount due to a very minor scratch in the gloss finish which I did not even not even notice! Then they threw in the hard case for it for free!!!!
 
wickedwahine11 said:
Plus you get a chance to see Kamaka pineapple #1 that way. :)
Click to expand...

Hey, if any of you past Kamaka tourists has a straight-on shot of that #1 Pineapple, I'd sure love to see it....
Or if you're going on the tour soon, snap a shot if you would....

The painting on that is really different than the other painted pineapples I've seen, and I'd love to get a closer look...
 
spruce said:
Hey, if any of you past Kamaka tourists has a straight-on shot of that #1 Pineapple, I'd sure love to see it....
Or if you're going on the tour soon, snap a shot if you would....
Click to expand...

I can do that for you - PM me on Feb 9 or so :)
 
arashi_nero said:
my guess on why the op wants to buy at the end of the store would be because he wants to play them before buying. if i were slapping down a bunch of chash on an instrument, i would make sure i am 100% pleased with that instrument first.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I would like to play and see it first. I'd hate to order it then once I get there not like something about it. I'd especially like to find one with Koa that I really like. I'm going to be on Kaua'i for 4 days, then to Oahu. Plan on stopping at Larry's Music, and probably others that I can find.

I called Kamaka this morning. They told me I could order it and pick it up, or order it in the factory. 4 weeks for delivery right now they said. Very small chance they'll have something for sale at the factory.

Thank you for all the replies!
 
spruce said:
Hey, if any of you past Kamaka tourists has a straight-on shot of that #1 Pineapple, I'd sure love to see it....
Or if you're going on the tour soon, snap a shot if you would....

The painting on that is really different than the other painted pineapples I've seen, and I'd love to get a closer look...
Click to expand...

Here you go. There is a little bit of a glare, but it is fairly close up.
attachment.php


You can see other shots from my tour at this album.
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/album.php?albumid=726
 
PedalFreak said:
Yeah, I would like to play and see it first. I'd hate to order it then once I get there not like something about it. I'd especially like to find one with Koa that I really like. I'm going to be on Kaua'i for 4 days, then to Oahu. Thank you for all the replies!
Click to expand...

I would really recommend you see what they have at Larry's. That store has amazing ukes, and a ton of Kamakas usually some with very nice curl. I think if you aren't planning on ordering from Kamaka direct, that you should buy it in Kauai at Larry's. Unless MGM has something in stock, or you are going out to Hawaii Music Supply, the stores in Honolulu are very high priced (like Aloha Ukulele and Bob's) and Sam at Larry's is a good guy with a good inventory. Have fun and be sure to post pics of your uke when you get it. :)
 
Last edited:
Beat me to it! Here's my pic. My wife and I just got back. The Kamaka tour was definitely a highlight of the trip! Uncle Fred loves to tell stories. We just visited the Kamaka factory because Koaloha was closed for NAMMS. Like others said they don't have any inventory for immediate sale. 6 week wait...can't afford one and my level of play not good yet anyways :) We did check out a couple shops in Waikiki. There's a new shop that Jake Shimabukuro's brother opened up. We bought a T-shirt there. http://www.theukebox.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/slotao/5376680238/
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

U
Kamaka Factory Repair/Restoration Reviews
Replies
17
Views
722
SleepyheadRooster
SleepyheadRooster
D
Kamaka Factory Tour
Replies
7
Views
704
merlin666
M
O
Kamaka factory seconds and identity
Replies
0
Views
356
oldpoidog
O
M
2016 Kamaka Factory tour - video
Replies
1
Views
570
Nickie
Nickie
U
Vintage Kamaka 6 String Liliu with a factory wide neck very rare
Replies
1
Views
472
Uke man
U
Top Bottom