My old Kamaka tenor?

[SleepyheadRooster]

I’ve got an old Kamaka tenor. I don’t know the year. I think I was told 1970s when I bought it. It still sounds good and plays comfortably. I’ve had it maybe ten years or so.

However, it’s a bit of a mess. (Aren’t we all?) At one point before it came into my possession it was badly damaged. The entire back has been replaced with a new piece of (I think) mahogany. The old label was glued back to that. The top was cracked in several places near the edge and was repaired, but the damage is very obvious. There is now one recent open top crack that doesn’t seem to affect anything but definitely needs attention.

I don’t have any bandwidth or time for projects, and I’m inclined to find this a new home. It’s a nice player with a lot of “character”. But I have no idea what it is really worth. I believe I paid $500 back when I got it. Maybe too much at the time, though I have enjoyed it enough to happily justify the purchase. It was my only uke for many years. No regrets.

I have two brand new Pono tenors and a new concert Magic Fluke. I no longer need this one, and it needs a player willing to give it some tlc.

Any ideas as to its value? If it’s worth the trouble selling it, I’d probably put the money in a jar and start saving my pennies for an HF-2 or Ohta-San.

 

[man0a]

I think most people who can afford a quality ukulele don't want to spend the time on a project to make it playable. My advice is to take it to a good professional luthier to get everything fixed before you sell it. The luthier should be able to give you a cost estimate before starting the work. Working with a luthier shouldn't cost you much time since the luthier is doing most of the work.

 

[rainbow21]

Kamaka actually has a repair/restore service in Honolulu. One issue is that it may take months or more for them to get the job completed as they do not have a dedicated staff for this. But sounds like it may fit your needs and you may end up with a great keeper.

Recommend contacting them. Betting that initial contact by phone is best.

 

[spongeuke]

Sell it as is, I used to look for such items, fix (rescue) them and play until It was time to re-home them.
There must be someone on this platform that does or wants to rescue such a fine playing instrument.
I greatly enjoyed this process and would still do so but life demands otherwise.

 

[SleepyheadRooster]

Sell it as is, I used to look for such items, fix (rescue) them and play until It was time to re-home them.
There must be someone on this platform that does or wants to rescue such a fine playing instrument.
I greatly enjoyed this process and would still do so but life demands otherwise.

This is what I’m thinking. I know it is only worth a fraction of what an undamaged instrument is worth. Just not sure what is fair. The person who fixes it will be fixing it to be a player, not a collector piece.

 

[man0a]

If you want to find out how much the instrument is worth, put it up on EBay with a $1 minimum bid. Let the market decide on a price. Include a lot of high-resolution photos in your EBay listing. If the instrument is really beat up, you probably won't get much money for it, but at least someone else will get a chance to enjoy it.

 

[SleepyheadRooster]

If you want to find out how much the instrument is worth, put it up on EBay with a $1 minimum bid. Let the market decide on a price. Include a lot of high-resolution photos in your EBay listing. If the instrument is really beat up, you probably won't get much money for it, but at least someone else will get a chance to enjoy it.

I think I’ll try locally so the person gets to see it. I’m afraid sometimes selling something like this that has some issues can lead to misunderstandings about the condition unless the buyer can really look it over. I’ve been looking around now and I think I have an idea what I’ll sell it for.

If it isn’t worth it to anyone, I’ll just keep it. I can still play it.

Plus, I stopped selling things online a while ago and I don’t like shipping instruments anymore.

 

[Jerryc41]

I think I’ll try locally so the person gets to see it. I’m afraid sometimes selling something like this that has some issues can lead to misunderstandings about the condition unless the buyer can really look it over. I’ve been looking around now and I think I have an idea what I’ll sell it for.

If it isn’t worth it to anyone, I’ll just keep it. I can still play it.

Plus, I stopped selling things online a while ago and I don’t like shipping instruments anymore.

I think I’ll try locally so the person gets to see it. I’m afraid sometimes selling something like this that has some issues can lead to misunderstandings about the condition unless the buyer can really look it over. I’ve been looking around now and I think I have an idea what I’ll sell it for.

If it isn’t worth it to anyone, I’ll just keep it. I can still play it.

Plus, I stopped selling things online a while ago and I don’t like shipping instruments anymore.

Yes, I agree with your second sentence. Selling a uke that has some damage or is "a mess" can be very tricky. Unless there is close, personal inspection, misunderstandings are bound to occur.

 

[rustydusty]

How about some pics, your asking price and location? I might be interested in a project…