I just recently acquired this vintage deluxe Ohta-san Kamaka, and I am in love. I finally have the last model on my list!
When it came to me, it was strung with what I thought was nylgut (milky white strings), and it had a very clear and bright tone. It has a much better projection and sustain than the smaller sopranos which is what most of the other white labels on the secondary market are. I have yet to restring it, because I found three cracks in the instrument one on the front two in the back. I’m currently debating my options on where to send it because my local luthier here in town is out of commission due to chemotherapy. What sets this instrument apart from most others I would assume would be the binding (until I hear back from Kamaka, I’m not really sure what the binding is. It does not look like the maple on my HF-1D) that you see, as well as the black white black rosette around the sound hole. To my knowledge, and from what I’ve seen of other vintage Kamaka’s, rosettes on vintage Kamaka’s are very rare. I am considering putting on the new Kamaka exclusive colored Gotoh tuners as well as getting a Kamaka branded hard case. I’m also considering installing a pick up, as the saddle on this instrument can accommodate one. It’s a little ironic that the Koa on my HF-1D is fancier than this Ohta-san.
A very cool side-note about this instrument…it used to belong to the very influential and prominent Canadian ukulele pedagogue J. Chalmers Doane.
When it came to me, it was strung with what I thought was nylgut (milky white strings), and it had a very clear and bright tone. It has a much better projection and sustain than the smaller sopranos which is what most of the other white labels on the secondary market are. I have yet to restring it, because I found three cracks in the instrument one on the front two in the back. I’m currently debating my options on where to send it because my local luthier here in town is out of commission due to chemotherapy. What sets this instrument apart from most others I would assume would be the binding (until I hear back from Kamaka, I’m not really sure what the binding is. It does not look like the maple on my HF-1D) that you see, as well as the black white black rosette around the sound hole. To my knowledge, and from what I’ve seen of other vintage Kamaka’s, rosettes on vintage Kamaka’s are very rare. I am considering putting on the new Kamaka exclusive colored Gotoh tuners as well as getting a Kamaka branded hard case. I’m also considering installing a pick up, as the saddle on this instrument can accommodate one. It’s a little ironic that the Koa on my HF-1D is fancier than this Ohta-san.
A very cool side-note about this instrument…it used to belong to the very influential and prominent Canadian ukulele pedagogue J. Chalmers Doane.
