My $60 Kamaka White Label Concert

This is the story of my $60 Kamaka white label concert. I list many (but not all) of its flaws. Don’t take this as complaining because I am well aware that every indignity inflicted upon this instrument brought it closer to my price range. I’ve played it virtually every day for the two or three years I’ve had it. It’s my favorite instrument I’ve ever owned. Its story is one of triumph over adversity.

My first uke was an inexpensive Lanakai tenor. Set up by HMS way beyond its price point. Played it exclusivly for three years. I knew I wanted a better ukulele but I couldn’t afford one. So I started to check ads trying to find one that was all beat up so I could get it at a price I could afford. I checked local craigslist every single day for over a year while also checking the forum and a couple of other places. Finaly one day I saw an ad on craigslist for a beat up quality tenor uke so I called the guy and arranged to go look at it.

It turned out to be a Kamaka concert, not a tenor, and it had multiple low humidity cracks all badly repaired or not repaired. It had two unrepaired cracks on the soundboard from the lower edge almost to the bridge. The guy said his kid had stepped on it. The worst crack on the front started at the edge of the lower bout and went to the edge of the waist. Apparently the wood fell off in two pieces. A one and a half inch sliver of wood is missing from the edge of the lower bout. Whoever tried to fix it so that there wasn’t a hole at the edge had cheated over the long piece at the lower bout to waist. The two pieces had apparently completely fallen off and the remaining long piece cheated over so that it would cover part of the missing wood. This resulted in the piece of wood still missing and the crack not being tightly repaired because it had been moved.

I’ll skip the back and sides.

Then there was a bad case of banana neck. The neck also has a bit of twist to it.

I turned the uke this way and that to inspect all the damage. I didn’t know if I could see it all because it was the dirtiest instrument I had ever seen. It looked like someone played it out in the hot sun for years while eating candy bars. According to the seller it had lived in first Arizona for many years and then in Utah for years. He didn’t seem to know anything about humidity and thought it was maybe the hot whether they had gotten to the instrument.

I had read about Kamaka on the forum I knew they made first class instruments so I thought this could be worth it if somehow it could be made playable. Otherwise I would’ve just walked away.

So as I’m examining it I’m tweaking the creaking friction pegs trying to get it into tune with open strings. After a bunch of tweaks I tuned up the last little bit, gave it a strum, and knew I had to buy it.

First job was disinfecting and applying 0000 steel wool to remove the gunk so I didn’t mind touching it. From my reading on UUF I was able to come up with a repair plan that I could tackle. First thing was getting the saddle down to barely peeking up from the bridge. This put the action into a playable range but completely depowered the uke because the break angle of the strings over the saddle to the attachment on the bridge was almost flat. It was now time for power tools. One thing I had going for me was anything I screwed up would be lost in the whole mess. So I took a drill to it and converted it to a strings through the top bridge. As soon as I got that done and tuned it up it had all the power it needed and I was ready to start learning to play a ukulele which had a banana neck with a twist.

Eventually I adapted. I really love this uke.

I am not attaching any pics out of deference to this proud instruments feelings.

Here are the links to a couple of original songs written and recorded with my $60 Kamaka white label concert.

Old Car Smasher https://soundcloud.com/jeffuku/old-car-smasher-1/s-JUgaPCZwYVj

Now More Than Then https://soundcloud.com/jeffuku/track-133-now-more-than-then-1/s-IBQrDWyCINk

I added pics later in this thread.

I’d love to see it!

The nerve of some people, treating a valuable uke that way!:wtf:

I'm glad you rescued and restored it!:shaka:

Love that crazy picking pattern in Old Car Smasher....

Oh, I was really hoping to see it, lol. She has a striking voice. So happy you rescued it!

Thanks for the comments. I guess it was a bit foolish to leave out pics as if I could get away with it. I’ll get some pics up Sat or Sunday.

Nickie, thanks for your comment on the picking. I sometimes settle in a picking pattern but often enjoy freestyling it as the feel moves me. I have wondered a bit how it might come across to listeners so l’m glad the first comment was positive. Maybe my luck will hold.

Ok you have to post pictures! I actually love your picking on Now More Than Then - she really sings. It is too bad the ukulele was treated so badly but regardless of appearance it obviously is a great player.

It really has a sweet sound. Can’t wait to see what it looks like after such an involved rescue.

The ukulele and your playing sounds great. A set of pictures would surely be appreciated. Good for you for having the vision and taking on the job. This concert sounds great. The ultimate recycle/s saviour job. Very impressed. Oh yes, did I mention we’d like to see her! LOL thanks for the great storey!

Took a bunch of pics. Posted a cry for help on getting them from iPad to this thread. Soon as I get it set up I’ll post them.

Thanks for your kind interest.

See screenshot below. To post pics, first click on Reply, then write your post, then click the Insert Image button (3rd from the right on the toolbar above the new post, choose From Computer, select Choose File. Enter the pic's stored location on your computer, once entered, click on Upload File(s), and the click Post Quick Reply to save it. You are allowed 5 pictures per post.

Jeffelele said:

Took a bunch of pics. Posted a cry for help on getting them from iPad to this thread. Soon as I get it set up I’ll post them.

Thanks for your kind interest.

Click to expand...

One issue to note, that might (and I stress might) be at play here: Apple, in their infinite wisdom, have implemented a new image format in newer iPhones and iPads. It is the HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format.) I'm told that there are tangible benefits to the file type, but many systems don't "speak" HEIF. Apple devices are supposed to translate them back to a standard format, such as jpg or png, when sharing them, but I know that this doesn't always happen.

I am currently teaching online, due to COVID-19 shutting down in-person classes, and some of my students attempted to upload images of their assignments. If they took the pictures with newer iPhones, the system my university uses had no idea what to do with those files.

If you can't get the forum here to accept your files, the issue may be that your Apple device is trying to send it HEIF files.

Pic 3 is where it was stepped on. The two curving cracks didn’t sit flush.
I had to carefully scrap out the old glue and apply pressure to get them level. It was a frightening experience.

Pic 5 shows how low the saddle needed to go.

Pic 2 shows light reflecting where crack is raised.
Pic 3 Someone scribbled on the label!

Pic 2 shows it wasn’t perfect to begin. Maybe if it was “perfectl” they would have taken better care of it and it wouldn’t be mine now!