so... why Kamaka?

janeray1940

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Fretie's Kamaka Love thread got me to thinking about this, but I didn't want to hijack fretie's post by going off on a tangent, so I decided to start my own in which I ask:

Why Kamaka? What led you to first pick Kamaka over any other brand, and what is it that keeps you loyal? And why not another K-brand?

Me: another student in my very first Beginning Uke class had a vintage Kamaka soprano, and I fell in love with the sound. At the time I thought I wanted nothing but a 1920s Martin, but the minute I heard the Kamaka I changed my mind. Then my teacher let me play his non-vintage Kamaka tenor, and from that moment there was no looking back - I knew what I wanted. Okay, and maybe the George Harrison thing might have had a little to do with it. A little :)

As for why not another K-brand - the Kanile'a neck feels too chunky, and I always find the sound to be too mellow for my tastes, so that ruled them out. And while I love the Koaloha sound (and did own a Koaloha at one time), I don't like the feel of the fretboard (not sure what material they use, koa I think?, but I prefer rosewood or ebony). And I don't care for the overall look; per a documentary I watched the design elements have some religious symbolism that I'm not comfortable with.

Anyone else have thoughts on this? Looking forward to hearing what others have to say.
 
If you are a Ukulele fan...everyone needs one Kamaka..if it wasn't for them where would we be now...I got this from Chuck Moore... :)

I am happy with my HF3S...but you never know maybe I will order a 100th anniversary model...if I can save enough money, in 2 years
 
If you are a Ukulele fan...everyone needs one Kamaka..if it wasn't for them where would we be now...I got this from Chuck Moore... :)

I am happy with my HF3S...but you never know maybe I will order a 100th anniversary model...if I can save enough money, in 2 years

Oh, gosh, now I have to worry about being tempted by an anniversary model :)
 
Oh, gosh, now I have to worry about being tempted by an anniversary model :)

they keep saying they not sure if they will do one...haha
might be a lottery for them..and more expensive than the Jake models....good luck
 
Personally, I like the feel (fits my hands right), the sound, the unfilled wood grain finish, the simplicity, the history, and the people at the shop. To me, they have soul like no other.
 
Personally, I like the feel (fits my hands right), the sound, the unfilled wood grain finish, the simplicity, the history, and the people at the shop. To me, they have soul like no other.

Well said, and I would second all of that in addition to everything I wrote above.
 
Fretie's Kamaka Love thread got me to thinking about this, but I didn't want to hijack fretie's post by going off on a tangent, so I decided to start my own in which I ask:

Why Kamaka? What led you to first pick Kamaka over any other brand, and what is it that keeps you loyal? And why not another K-brand?

Me: another student in my very first Beginning Uke class had a vintage Kamaka soprano, and I fell in love with the sound. At the time I thought I wanted nothing but a 1920s Martin, but the minute I heard the Kamaka I changed my mind. Then my teacher let me play his non-vintage Kamaka tenor, and from that moment there was no looking back - I knew what I wanted. Okay, and maybe the George Harrison thing might have had a little to do with it. A little :)

As for why not another K-brand - the Kanile'a neck feels too chunky, and I always find the sound to be too mellow for my tastes, so that ruled them out. And while I love the Koaloha sound (and did own a Koaloha at one time), I don't like the feel of the fretboard (not sure what material they use, koa I think?, but I prefer rosewood or ebony). And I don't care for the overall look; per a documentary I watched the design elements have some religious symbolism that I'm not comfortable with.

Anyone else have thoughts on this? Looking forward to hearing what others have to say.


to me kamaka is the oldest living uke maker
it's part of the instruments history and their straight
up the most beautiful ukes I've seen and the sound
well it's amazing if I
had kamaka ukes I would be 100% satisfied
and would probably never need to buy another uke again
 
to me kamaka is the oldest living uke maker
it's part of the instruments history and their straight
up the most beautiful ukes I've seen and the sound
well it's amazing if I
had kamaka ukes I would be 100% satisfied
and would probably never need to buy another uke again

I really hope you find the Kamaka of your dreams one day! Have you ever actually had the chance to play one?
 
I really hope you find the Kamaka of your dreams one day! Have you ever actually had the chance to play one?

I played a kamaka soprano once
in a New York music shop after that
I knew it was the best sounding and looking
uke for me. if I could find a used one hopefully
tenor that's affordable well more so than new
I'll start saving up!
 
I played a kamaka soprano once
in a New York music shop after that
I knew it was the best sounding and looking
uke for me. if I could find a used one hopefully
tenor that's affordable well more so than new
I'll start saving up!

You'll find one, I'm sure - they come up for sale on the Marketplace from time to time (but they always sell really fast!).
 
Janeray, I'm glad you started this thread. I am looking forward to reading people's Kamaka stories. :)

I wish I could say that my love affair with my Kamaka soprano was based on a case of careful consideration and research but in reality I kind of came to my Kamaka by happenstance.

I already had a Koaloha which I quite liked. Being a long neck pineapple it had a comfortable fretboard for me and a big sound which because of playing in a lot of uke meetups I thought I wanted in a uke.

Then there was my tenor which I liked for its low G mellow sound and often used to practice slack key pieces while at home.

I had bought and sold a few less expensive ukes while searching for a 'take around town, play in the park' kind of uke. Nothing fancy but a decent sound. So I had this slightly hair brained idea that since I often see used/older Kamakas for sale, maybe I'd try snag one of those for my knock about uke. Yeah I know, that's maybe a bit cheeky to even think of a good uke as a know around instrument but hey...sometimes hairbrained happens. :p

Anyways, I soon discovered that looking for a used Kamaka, especially an older model, can lead one down the path to vintage. Well I am too practical to be a vintage fan so the search turned to newer used. Enter my current Kamaka.

And what happened when I started playing this uke - I felt I had found my mate in a uke!

The neck just fit my hand perfectly. First choosing a soprano for its portability I realized after having played the larger ukes for a few years that maybe, in fact, the soprano was actually my best fit. The instrument was obviously well crafted but had a pleasant understated look. Well if magic koa wood that constantly looks different as the light changes can be said to be understated! LOL ;)

There's such a tradition to the Kamaka ukes and then there's Jake. So, I started to think maybe I had just a little of that mojo in my hands when I played the Kamaka.

In a nutshell, I love my Kamaka because we were made for each other and it's simple, good looking, sweet sounding has a great family history.
 
... And while I love the Koaloha sound (and did own a Koaloha at one time), I don't like the feel of the fretboard (not sure what material they use, koa I think?, but I prefer rosewood or ebony). And I don't care for the overall look; per a documentary I watched the design elements have some religious symbolism that I'm not comfortable with...

Very interesting information. Thanks!
 
I had this slightly hair brained idea that since I often see used/older Kamakas for sale, maybe I'd try snag one of those for my knock about uke. Yeah I know, that's maybe a bit cheeky to even think of a good uke as a knock around instrument but hey...sometimes hairbrained happens. :p

Maybe knock-around isn't quite the word for it, but - I do bring my little Kamaka pineapple to the beach and to the park. After all, ukes were meant to be played! :)

In a nutshell, I love my Kamaka because we were made for each other and it's simple, good looking, sweet sounding has a great family history.

Yes, yes, yes. Love the "we were made for each other" bit! Makes me smile to think how happy you must be getting to know your new uke.
 
Kamaka has kept ukulele alive for almost 100 years. While makers like Martin followed the trends and road the waves of ukulele popularity, Kamaka has produced ukuleles every year since their inception. By building only ukuleles they've stayed true to their roots. And they've kept it all within the family for several generations. I think that's pretty remarkable. I really do wonder where we'd all be if Kamaka had thrown in the towel during difficult financial times. In Hawaii they are also extremely generous to the schools. On top of that they make a darned good ukulele. BTW, did you know that in Japan, Tahiti and many other parts of the world that the word "kamaka" is generic for all ukuleles? No other builder has that distinction. I give major kudos to Kamaka. FWIW.
 
By building only ukuleles they've stayed true to their roots. And they've kept it all within the family for several generations. I think that's pretty remarkable. I really do wonder where we'd all be if Kamaka had thrown in the towel during difficult financial times. In Hawaii they are also extremely generous to the schools. On top of that they make a darned good ukulele.

An all around great company, I'd say. And the fact that ukuleles are all they do probably counts for something (this would apply to the other ukulele-only companies as well, most likely, although they don't have the longevity yet).

BTW, did you know that in Japan, Tahiti and many other parts of the world that the word "kamaka" is generic for all ukuleles? No other builder has that distinction. I give major kudos to Kamaka. FWIW.

Never heard it as generic in Japan, but I do know that the brand is incredibly popular there. Japan has a Kamaka Ukulele Club (with a great site that has lots of good info, for those who can read Japanese - and some great pics, for those who can't).
 
I have called the Kamaka shop on a few occasions, spoken with a few of their people including Chris Kamaka and always found them to be friendly and informative. The 2012 Kamaka Tenor I have and the white label baritone and 8 string feel right at home in my hands.
 
I understand that they've also been extremely generous with supporting ukulele artists (though the generosity towards schools impresses me more).
 
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