scdano
Well-known member
SOLD, Thanks Chuck!
This is a Kamaka White Label tenor that has been repaired. I bought the uke from a
local luthier and played it for a year or so, then decided to have the back repaired.
Sometime in it's past, the uke was dropped and sustained damage to the back (middle
seam sepration of 2") and the front lower bout (crack with splintering). The front was repaired
with glue on the interior of the top and refinished. This repair is very stable and is a cosmetic
issue only. The glue looks quite old, so I'd assume the repair was done in the 70s or 80s.
The back seam was splinted and stable, but with time the back wood curled slightly at the
seam separation. I build a couple of tenors a year, so I'd considered replacing the
back myself. However, since it's a Kamaka I decided to take it to a pro. Darryl at
www.guinnguitars.com replaced the back for me with very nice book matched mahogany that
goes very well with the rest of the uke. He matched the original satin finish so that
with time, the back should blend in very well. He used all the original back bracing
and saved and reglued the original white label.
When I got the uke, it had Gold Star planatery (banjo) tuners installed. While these worked well,
they made the uke very neck heavy. I installed small button sealed tuners, as are used on modern Kamaka
tenors. These are the same tuners used on Mainland and Pono ukes. There are no extra holes in the
headstock. The neck is in great shape with string height .015-.020" at the first fret and .090" at
12th fret with a tiny amount of relief, maybe .008". Perfect. The fretboard shows normal wear
for a uke of this age. Fret wire is in great shape. It has an ebony nut and saddle and it's strung with Worth
browns, which I don't really like. This particular uke sounds much better with Aquilas in
my opinion. It plays great and has a very comfortable feel to the neck. Nice note clarity with
medium volume (better with Aquilas). Intonation is dead on. No buzzes or rattles.
So, that's about it. Probably too much information but this is all stuff I'd want to know. I'm selling
it to buy more wood and supplies for my home builds. I'm building super concerts, so that's
what I've been playing. I'll ship well packed in a dilapidated chipboard case, bubble wrapped
inside and out before going into the box. I'll be out of town May 17-21, so I can't ship during
that time frame. PM me with questions and I'll get back to you ASAP.
$500 Firm + $25 Shipped CONUS & Insured
Thanks!
This is a Kamaka White Label tenor that has been repaired. I bought the uke from a local luthier and played it for a year or so, then decided to have the back repaired.
Sometime in it's past, the uke was dropped and sustained damage to the back (middle
seam sepration of 2") and the front lower bout (crack with splintering). The front was repaired
with glue on the interior of the top and refinished. This repair is very stable and is a cosmetic
issue only. The glue looks quite old, so I'd assume the repair was done in the 70s or 80s.
The back seam was splinted and stable, but with time the back wood curled slightly at the
seam separation. I build a couple of tenors a year, so I'd considered replacing the
back myself. However, since it's a Kamaka I decided to take it to a pro. Darryl at
www.guinnguitars.com replaced the back for me with very nice book matched mahogany that
goes very well with the rest of the uke. He matched the original satin finish so that
with time, the back should blend in very well. He used all the original back bracing
and saved and reglued the original white label.
When I got the uke, it had Gold Star planatery (banjo) tuners installed. While these worked well,
they made the uke very neck heavy. I installed small button sealed tuners, as are used on modern Kamaka
tenors. These are the same tuners used on Mainland and Pono ukes. There are no extra holes in the
headstock. The neck is in great shape with string height .015-.020" at the first fret and .090" at
12th fret with a tiny amount of relief, maybe .008". Perfect. The fretboard shows normal wear
for a uke of this age. Fret wire is in great shape. It has an ebony nut and saddle and it's strung with Worth
browns, which I don't really like. This particular uke sounds much better with Aquilas in
my opinion. It plays great and has a very comfortable feel to the neck. Nice note clarity with
medium volume (better with Aquilas). Intonation is dead on. No buzzes or rattles.
So, that's about it. Probably too much information but this is all stuff I'd want to know. I'm selling
it to buy more wood and supplies for my home builds. I'm building super concerts, so that's
what I've been playing. I'll ship well packed in a dilapidated chipboard case, bubble wrapped
inside and out before going into the box. I'll be out of town May 17-21, so I can't ship during
that time frame. PM me with questions and I'll get back to you ASAP.
$500 Firm + $25 Shipped CONUS & Insured
Thanks!
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