So a friend whose mother grew up in Hawaii told me she had an old beat up cheap ukulele somewhere in her house that her mother had. She finally brought it over and it appears to be a Hawaii made uke, maybe from the 1920s with a "Kam" label on the headstock. It is in very good condition without cracks in the wood and some small finish fractures/scratches on the back. (Also tells me that the SF Bay Area is environment friendly to ukes since it had been sitting in the cheap unpadded case likely for decades).
Internet search reveals it to be made by Ah Tau Kam. Little is listed for him. One tidbit is Sam Kamaka visited him when learning his craft. From a website called "Lardy's Ukulele Database":
"Worked with Sam Chang, Bergstrom Music and possibly the Summers Bros. Also reputedly taught Sam Kamaka snr. luthiery. He was producing from about 1900 to his death in 1930. I have seen him use the brand name Na-Lei."
Looking for more info on this if you have it. Also, can anyone give a guess on its value? I assume it is quite collectible and do not believe the owner has given any thought to selling it, but may be interested if more info is available.
Internet search reveals it to be made by Ah Tau Kam. Little is listed for him. One tidbit is Sam Kamaka visited him when learning his craft. From a website called "Lardy's Ukulele Database":
"Worked with Sam Chang, Bergstrom Music and possibly the Summers Bros. Also reputedly taught Sam Kamaka snr. luthiery. He was producing from about 1900 to his death in 1930. I have seen him use the brand name Na-Lei."
Looking for more info on this if you have it. Also, can anyone give a guess on its value? I assume it is quite collectible and do not believe the owner has given any thought to selling it, but may be interested if more info is available.