Disclaimer: I'm not sure if I will keep this or return it, but I'm leaning towards keeping it. I just need to play it a bit more first!
So I picked up this little guy on Reverb the other day, and just received it an hour or two ago. Let me tell you the story behind this instrument before I talk about it.
A luthier in Maine was at a thrift store, and managed to find what looked to be a vintage white label HF-1 soprano. But this was no ordinary vintage uke. It appeared to have been brand new still in the box with the original paper, for nearly 60 years! Let's not forget to talk about the original Kamaka hang tag. It reads "Attn. Sam Kamaka" Makes me wonder if Sam himself built this one....Due to lack of proper humidification over that long of a period, it had developed a few issues. Luckily a luthier found it, and he basically had to take the whole instrument apart to fix the 3 small cracks that all appeared above the sound hole. And the original glue had crystallized, so the joints had all needed repairing. It even still has the original strings and tuners. And the friction tuners even work quite well! Action is extremely low at 1.5mm at 12th fret, yet there is no buzzing at all.
What is very distinct about this uke, per contact from Kamaka via the luthier, this uke is from the late 60s to early 70s, and appears to be a semi-custom that sits somewhere between the HF-1 and HF-1D models. With a very curly koa top, koa binding on the sides, and dots on the bridge, none of that is typical of a HF-1, in my opinion. This thing sure is a beauty and I can't believe I stumbled upon it. Even the headstock and neck have some nice curl to it!
The finish is also glossy (which I have never seen on ANY of the vintage Kamaka's I have seen), but the luthier did have to touch up the finish in a few places in the restoration process. Has anyone else ever seen a vintage gloss Kamaka? I feel that due to the glossy finish alone, I've found a diamond in the rough!
The fretboard shows no sign of wear AT ALL!
Has anyone else ever purchased a restored/basically unsold brand new vintage uke before? I wonder if this is the kind of heirloom ukulele that I would want to give my son for his first instrument. (He just turned 1 year old, and I cannot wait to start teaching him ASAP!!)
So I picked up this little guy on Reverb the other day, and just received it an hour or two ago. Let me tell you the story behind this instrument before I talk about it.
A luthier in Maine was at a thrift store, and managed to find what looked to be a vintage white label HF-1 soprano. But this was no ordinary vintage uke. It appeared to have been brand new still in the box with the original paper, for nearly 60 years! Let's not forget to talk about the original Kamaka hang tag. It reads "Attn. Sam Kamaka" Makes me wonder if Sam himself built this one....Due to lack of proper humidification over that long of a period, it had developed a few issues. Luckily a luthier found it, and he basically had to take the whole instrument apart to fix the 3 small cracks that all appeared above the sound hole. And the original glue had crystallized, so the joints had all needed repairing. It even still has the original strings and tuners. And the friction tuners even work quite well! Action is extremely low at 1.5mm at 12th fret, yet there is no buzzing at all.
What is very distinct about this uke, per contact from Kamaka via the luthier, this uke is from the late 60s to early 70s, and appears to be a semi-custom that sits somewhere between the HF-1 and HF-1D models. With a very curly koa top, koa binding on the sides, and dots on the bridge, none of that is typical of a HF-1, in my opinion. This thing sure is a beauty and I can't believe I stumbled upon it. Even the headstock and neck have some nice curl to it!
The finish is also glossy (which I have never seen on ANY of the vintage Kamaka's I have seen), but the luthier did have to touch up the finish in a few places in the restoration process. Has anyone else ever seen a vintage gloss Kamaka? I feel that due to the glossy finish alone, I've found a diamond in the rough!
The fretboard shows no sign of wear AT ALL!
Has anyone else ever purchased a restored/basically unsold brand new vintage uke before? I wonder if this is the kind of heirloom ukulele that I would want to give my son for his first instrument. (He just turned 1 year old, and I cannot wait to start teaching him ASAP!!)
What's up with the flat neck? Is that something done in the past that's not done now, or what?
