Hmm? "Tiki Top Kamaka?"

philpot

philpot

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janeray1940 said:
One was just under discussion in this thread. I've never seen/heard one in person, but it's my understanding that they are of value to collectors because not very many were made.
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its a very interesting looking uke, and I love the grain... but its definitely not for me :p seems really cool though... Still no bids...maybe because its so odd/unknown?
 
philpot said:
Still no bids...maybe because its so odd/unknown?
Click to expand...

There was a nice little 1930s Kamaka pineapple on the 'Bay that ended today at a remarkably low price. I thought it was interesting how the bidding was all very last-minute. This makes me think that bidders are wising up and using sniping services, rather than bidding right away and driving the price up quickly.

It is a very pretty uke :)
 
janeray1940 said:
There was a nice little 1930s Kamaka pineapple on the 'Bay that ended today at a remarkably low price. I thought it was interesting how the bidding was all very last-minute. This makes me think that bidders are wising up and using sniping services, rather than bidding right away and driving the price up quickly.

It is a very pretty uke :)
Click to expand...

Thats what I'm thinking. I have a bid in for the other concert that has popped up on ebay recently, and since I outbid whoever placed the first bid nobody has touched it. I can only hope my max will hold out in the end... but hey, if it goes beyond my max it wasn't worth it anyways, trust me ;P

I would still be interested if anyone had any insight into these "tiki top" Kamakas. they seem very cool and different.
 
janeray1940 said:
There was a nice little 1930s Kamaka pineapple on the 'Bay that ended today at a remarkably low price. I thought it was interesting how the bidding was all very last-minute. This makes me think that bidders are wising up and using sniping services, rather than bidding right away and driving the price up quickly.

It is a very pretty uke :)
Click to expand...

This is exactly what is happening. Snipers will hold back and simply keep an eye on the auction. Sniping services and programs can fire a bid 5 sec before the end of an auction. It does keep the pricing from being driven up too quickly.
 
philpot said:
I have a bid in for the other concert that has popped up on ebay recently, and since I outbid whoever placed the first bid nobody has touched it. I can only hope my max will hold out in the end... but hey, if it goes beyond my max it wasn't worth it anyways, trust me ;P
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I saw that uke. Nice! Did you actually bid on it, or did you place a bid with a snipe service? When I was shopping for my first Kamaka, I would bid my maximum and leave it at that, and someone would always outbid me even by just a couple bucks. That's when I started using a snipe service - and have won two of my three Kamakas that way.
 
janeray1940 said:
I saw that uke. Nice! Did you actually bid on it, or did you place a bid with a snipe service? When I was shopping for my first Kamaka, I would bid my maximum and leave it at that, and someone would always outbid me even by just a couple bucks. That's when I started using a snipe service - and have won two of my three Kamakas that way.
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I have actually bid on it, I'm the top bidder as of now... not likely to stay there, but my current max bid isn't my "ultimate" max bid... could you recommend a sniping service? :p
 
My dad has this on a herb ohta model kamaka that he had made for him when he has in high school. I think he might have added it himself, but I think it may have been popular in Hawaii in the late 60s. Mm Stan or one of the old time Hawaii folk should be able to comment.
 
I've seen mmStan's tiki top Kamaka. It was my first time seeing one, and I thought it was a really cool instrument. Sound was great from it too.

The wood on that ebay one is definitely nice...but I think it's funny how they describe it as "perfect" condition, then go on to describe the fretboard wear and dings and dents on the body. >.<
 
janeray1940 said:
There was a nice little 1930s Kamaka pineapple on the 'Bay that ended today at a remarkably low price. I thought it was interesting how the bidding was all very last-minute. This makes me think that bidders are wising up and using sniping services, rather than bidding right away and driving the price up quickly.

It is a very pretty uke :)
Click to expand...

These are absolutely beautiful. I was sorely tempted. It sold lower than I thought it would, but I would prefer to (someday) pay twice as much for one without the cracks. Nevertheless, this was listed as a "Kamaka Pineapple," with no mention of "ukulele" in the heading. I guess some interested parties may have missed it altogether.
 
Aloha Philpot,
The Tiki Kamaka's are the white labels from what I think if I can remember correctly, 1971- about 1976....about a 5 year run...They are quite rare and market prices now run about 700.00 and up depending on the condition.. They have the thin soundboard so finding ones in good condition is sorta rare...I like the Ohta san's and have played a few...My friend recently lent me his for over a month and I had a hard time
pulling my hands off that one too....he has two of them and their prices are climbing..but he got a deal on Ebay for one winning the bid at 450.00 when they added shipping and charges..it ended up about $550.00
still a rare great deal . As for the pineapple that was sold, it looked like it was in a very good condition, and the buyer stole it for that price...I was truely amazed....for sure..
 
Last edited:
mm stan said:
Aloha Philpot,
The Tiki Kamaka's are the white labels from what I think if I can remember correctly, 1971- about 1976....about a 5 year run...They are quite rare and market prices now run about 700.00 and up depending on the condition.. They have the thin soundboard so finding ones in good condition is sorta rare...I like the Ohta san's and have played a few...My friend recently lent me his for over a month and I had a hard time
pulling my hands off that one too....he has two of them and their prices are climbing..but he got a deal on Ebay for one winning the bid at 450.00 when they added shipping and charges..it ended up about $550.00
still a rare great deal . As for the pineapple that was sold, it looked like it was in a very good condition, and the buyer stole it for that price...I was truely amazed....for sure..
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! Thats pretty cool. It'll be interesting to see what it goes for after the last minute bidding goes on. I don't think I'll throw my lot in, if anyone who knows anything about them has noticed it, it'll go for well beyond my comfortable price range ;) but it sure is pretty.
 
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