Kamaka

Kamaka Hawaii, Inc.
Kamaka started in 1916 making it the longest running manufacturer in Hawaii. They are also one of the best in Hawaii, when people talk about The "Big K's", this is one of them.

The company founder, Sam Kamaka was the person who invented the "Pineapple" oval shaped Ukulele that has become a standard in a lot of manufacturers catalogues. His son, Sam Kamaka jnr. was the person who is credited with invented the Lili'u to celebrate Hawaii's granting of statehood in 1959, (not quite so popular, and there were quite a few unnamed precursors, but another standard model now found in a lot of catalogues).

The Website has a history of the people and the business on it that I won't copy here. One part I will repeat though is a bit about dating. First from 1916 to 1975 most Kamaka Ukuleles had the date of manufacture written on the label inside, (though I haven't found it on any of the ones I have seen?), after this they moved to serial numbers.

The really early Kamaka Ukuleles don't have a headstock logo but have a "cigar box" type label on the base, probably a Tabu mark too), after this they moved to a blue Hawaii crest with Kamaka over it. The Double K logo first appears on the headstock in gold in 1954, this is also when they start to put the gold labels inside. In 1969 the inner label is changed to white. In 2001 the Double K on the headstock was changed to white and the inner label has a purple patch added behind the Double K logo.

Before WWII Kamaka only made Soprano scale Ukuleles but after it they expanded the catalogue to include Concert, Tenor and Baritone Ukuleles, plus Lili'us and Taropatchs, usually in koa, but they have used other woods for custom orders. They have also made Tiple Ukuleles in the past and for a while there was also a never seen a Cigar Box Ukulele in the catalogue with an interesting flat headstock. Another historic feature was the "Tiki" Concert with a small tiki carved on the headstock.

Kamaka made the early Pineapple Ukuleles that actually had pineapples painted on them, sometimes just a smallish pineapple between the sound hole and the bridge, and sometimes the whole soundboard was painted as a pineapple, (a decorative style that is often copied today). Interestingly for some reason those that had a full painted front didn't have a painted back and those that had a painted back didn't have a painted front?

Currently, as well as a the standard Soprano through to Baritone plus Pineapple, Taropatch and Lili'u, Kamaka are making a Deluxe Soprano, a Deluxe Bell Concert and a couple of artist endorsed models, (the JS and the Ota-San), and they will do customisation.

Keiki Kamaka
From 1963 to 1970 Kamaka collaborated with Tokyo Stringed Instrument Manufacturing Co., to produce Ukuleles for sale in Japan to counter all of the fake Kamakas that were being sold there. This new line was called Keiki Kamaka, (apparently Keiki means Child of in Hawaiian). The Ukuleles had a Keiki added to the lower K of the logo, were made of mahogany, and were only standard Sopranos. I have seen a fake Kamaka of the period with a KK on the headstock but the end of the fretboard and the bridge weren't right and neither was the heel of the neck; it looked very similar to the output of Daiichi Gakki?

Ka-Lai
From the late 1930's to 1946, A range of predominantly Monkeypod Ukuleles were made by Johnny Lai, (who I believe was Sam Kamaka Jnr.'s friend or possibly a relative?), using the factory on evenings and weekends. They were branded Ka-Lai, a combination of Kamaka and Lai. The name was later changed to Ka-Lae because it sounded more Hawaiian and I have seen transitional Ukuleles where the headstock logo was Lai but the sound hole label was Lae).