Kawika

SuzukHammer

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Some guy is selling some Kawikas for $4,500 at FMM. I think that he's asking American dollars.

I ask my self "WTFFFN?"

so, .... what's the deal with them Kawikas?
 
David Hurd's ukes have always commanded a high price. Why? Because they are worth it! If you've ever played one you'd know what I mean. What I've learned from David has changed my world. BTW, that's a high, but not unheard of price for a Kawika uke. It's been quite a few years since he's built any ukes and he's unlikely to build any more due to allergic reactions to koa.
 
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And previous to the allergy issue his whole yearly production was being sold to Japan where they were paying very high prices.
 
He retired from building ukes years ago. I visited him maybe 6 years ago, and instead he was making deep-sea fishing hooks. But I got a Kawika uke back in 1995, and it's my favorite possession. I don't have the UAS many folks here have, because this uke is so good I don't feel I'm missing anything.
 
Thanks for the info guys.

I had seen a Kawika priced low just recently but I didn't have any time to "investigate".

Still $4,500 is really steep for a sight unseen/ unheard uke. Maybe I can talk my wife into me taking an investigative trip. Yeah, sure.
 
$4,500 seems pretty steep to me. Mine was about $800 new in 1995, a 4-string tenor. I had it appraised a couple of years ago, and it wasn't worth half that asking price. Mine doesn't have any inlay or ornamentation. It doesn't even say "Kawika" on it, it just has the Kawika business card glued in the back of the soundhole with the date of construction written on it. It's koa but not otherwise fancy or showy, just a great sounding uke. If the ones for sale now aren't way fancier than mine, I would be very skeptical about paying that price. But if you see another low priced one, definitely investigate it because they are great instruments.
 
$4,500 seems pretty steep to me. Mine was about $800 new in 1995, a 4-string tenor. I had it appraised a couple of years ago, and it wasn't worth half that asking price. Mine doesn't have any inlay or ornamentation. It doesn't even say "Kawika" on it, it just has the Kawika business card glued in the back of the soundhole with the date of construction written on it. It's koa but not otherwise fancy or showy, just a great sounding uke. If the ones for sale now aren't way fancier than mine, I would be very skeptical about paying that price. But if you see another low priced one, definitely investigate it because they are great instruments.

When David was building he wasn't concerned about the looks although his instruments were meticulously handcrafted and very clean. His forte was coaxing the ultimate sound from an ukulele. Playing his ukes, and the subsequent meetings I had with him to discuss techniques and procedures marked a real turning point in my building career.
It seems that whomever appraised your uke was misguided and didn't recognize it's value. For a more realistic value, or if you want to sell it, contact Shawn Yacavone at www.ukulelefriend.com. Depending upon condition you may be surprised.
 
I wasn't looking to sell it. As I started playing out more, I wanted to get it insured against theft. It's entirely possible it was appraised too low, they couldn't find a lot of info on recent Kawika selling prices for to base the appraisal on.
 
I wasn't looking to sell it. As I started playing out more, I wanted to get it insured against theft. It's entirely possible it was appraised too low, they couldn't find a lot of info on recent Kawika selling prices for to base the appraisal on.

If you want current comps contact Shawn at the web site I gave you. I believe he has sold a few lately. And probably for quite a bit more than what you paid. Of course condition is everything. I stand my my original feelings that $4500 for a nice Kawika tenor is definitely on the high side but it's not out of the ball park either. (The Japanese LOVE his work.)
 
I looked on the Flea Market Marketplace site at the ukes SuzukHammer was talking about. There was a pineapple concert with a custom headstock and a soprano, both priced at $4500. Both had a fair amount of inlay and were not ukuleles that Mr. Hurd regularly made. So I can see them being priced highly based on their rarity as well as quality.

http://www.fleamarketmusic.com/marketplace/default.asp

Someone else on that page was selling an unadorned Kawika 6-string tenor, which was more like the ukes Mr. Hurd usually made. But the price wasn't listed for that one.
 
I looked on the Flea Market Marketplace site at the ukes SuzukHammer was talking about. There was a pineapple concert with a custom headstock and a soprano, both priced at $4500. Both had a fair amount of inlay and were not ukuleles that Mr. Hurd regularly made. So I can see them being priced highly based on their rarity as well as quality.

http://www.fleamarketmusic.com/marketplace/default.asp

Someone else on that page was selling an unadorned Kawika 6-string tenor, which was more like the ukes Mr. Hurd usually made. But the price wasn't listed for that one.

I'm pretty sure that 6 stringer sold for $1800-1900 on FMM. Shawn must've bought it because it's on his site for sale.
 
I recently saw a Kawika with logo in a second hand music store. It was a soprano and did not look like koa...maybe mahogany. Also it had a small "Made in Japan" sticker inside. Could that be authentic? It was priced around $800.
 
$4,500 seems pretty steep to me. Mine was about $800 new in 1995, a 4-string tenor. I had it appraised a couple of years ago, and it wasn't worth half that asking price. Mine doesn't have any inlay or ornamentation. It doesn't even say "Kawika" on it, it just has the Kawika business card glued in the back of the soundhole with the date of construction written on it. It's koa but not otherwise fancy or showy, just a great sounding uke. If the ones for sale now aren't way fancier than mine, I would be very skeptical about paying that price. But if you see another low priced one, definitely investigate it because they are great instruments.

can I ask who appraised your Kawika uke.....if it is a tenor I may want to buy it from you....:)

sorry I did not read the previous post...but I would be glad to give you what the appraiser had told you the uke is worth....:)
 
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From Mr. Hurd's website: "Sometimes I deal with koa wood that is a mixture of both sapwood, which is usually more lightly colored, and heartwood. If the wood has been allowed to languish in the elements before harvesting, various fungi enter the wood and discolor it in a variety of ways producing an effect termed “spalting”. Smaller color examples are shown in the page describing Koa Wood ."

Makes me wonder if he is allergic to the fungus in Koa (fungal allergies extremely common) versus the Koa itself (wood allergies uncommon). Very hard to rid a workspace of fungus is spalted woods have been introduced to the environment. Wish he would make instruments again.

I enjoyed the website, Kanaka. Thank you for that link.
 
I recently saw a Kawika with logo in a second hand music store. It was a soprano and did not look like koa...maybe mahogany. Also it had a small "Made in Japan" sticker inside. Could that be authentic? It was priced around $800.

If it said "Made in Japan" then no, it is not a Kawika made in Hawaii. On the ones I have seen, David Hurd had his business card inside as his label.

P1070304_zpsbzb23bln.jpg


The headstock decal also should say "Hilo, Hawaii".
P1070302_zpsbcrzpigb.jpg
 
I recently saw a Kawika with logo in a second hand music store. It was a soprano and did not look like koa...maybe mahogany. Also it had a small "Made in Japan" sticker inside. Could that be authentic? It was priced around $800.

Was it possibly a Kiwaya instead of a Kawika?
 
You should have asked me a friend just sold a beautiful tenor Kawika and another william king tenor, both highly sought
After because of their retirement from building for 6000 for both of them
What a Kawika for 800 or less or one made I Japan. .no ways man. I don't think so, since Kawika is a Hawaiian
Name which means david
Yes david hurd was the foremost on building high end ukes and most of the high end builders learned from
Him or his style of building, he was generous to share his info on learning and came up with electronic way to
Test the sound board and wood. He was probally the chuck moore of his time. Like them both, no other builders
Even close on building and knowledge. Highly sought after ukes that are amazing in tone. You can't get any better
These are the holy grail of ukes. If you wanna sell your 800 kawika, send me a message. .
Yes frsnkie, hope it helps. Happy strummings :)
 
I recently discovered Kawika (I really liked his website but never actually listened to any of his ukes). When I heard this sound clip of a Kawika baritone uke, my jaw dropped. That's the sound I've been looking for..i better start saving up...:

https://vimeo.com/104973214



-there's a couple more videos on vimeo of his ukes
 
This thread was couple years ago...no wonder I couldn't find the Kawika on FMM haha....
 
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