Tales Of A Craftsman
Being the music fans that we all are, and having an appreciation for the beautiful sounds of the Hawaiian ukulele, we were keen to visit a ukulele factory while we were here in Hawaii. Molly and Ebony both have their own ukuleles and Adam is really interested in buying a ukulele bass while he’s here, in the heartland of ukulele music. The Kamaka Ukulele Factory, in the centre of Honolulu’s busy CBD was offering factory tours each Wednesday at 10:30am so we signed up to go along.
Running fashionably late, we were pleasantly surprised, if not a little embarrassed, that they had waited for us before beginning the tour and we were greeted by a delightful, very animated Hawaiian gentleman who introduced himself as Fred Kamaka. The tour consisted of a lengthy but fascinating explanation of the history of the Kamaka Ukeleles and the family that are behind the very famous Hawaiian name. Fred had a wonderful sense of humour and was so eloquent and witty in his retelling of the Kamaka family history. We learnt that his father, a fine musician who had travelled the world as a ukulele player had struggled to earn a living from his music despite his talent. He became interested in the idea of manufacturing his own ukuleles in Hawaii as most of the production those days was done in Portugal. So he scoured the globe for ideas, learning the unique craft of stringed instrument making, taking notes and gaining invaluable experience to bring with him back to his island home.
In 1916, Sam Kamaka began handcrafting his own ukuleles and managed to earn a reputation for himself for his beautiful work. Famous ukulele players from Hawaii and all over the world began to order their tools of the trade from Sam. His two sons, Sam Jnr and Fred, whom we were hearing from, began their on the job training at a very tender age (around 5!) and became more than familiar with all aspects of how to make a ukulele. Fred joked that when he stuffed up a ukulele his dad would say “that’s a pile of junk!” throwing it out and demanding he start again from scratch and he held the record for the most piles of junk in one day! His father had thrown them in the deep end so that they learnt well.
Sam’s dream had been for his sons to take over the factory but when they went off to College on the mainland, he more or less disowned them, bitterly disappointed that they had walked away from the business he’d poured his heart and soul into. Fred was then enlisted to fight in the Korean War while Sam Jnr went on to do his PhD in Oregon. It was during this time that their father became really sick and on his deathbed, asked his sons if they would do him the honour of taking the reins of the Kamaka Ukulele Factory, with the proviso that they don’t make any “piles of junk” and do the family name proud. You could see that Fred, who is now 88 years old (though he doesn’t look or act it) took this assignment very seriously. He too adored his ukuleles and was beaming with pride as he took us through the factory showing us step-by-step how they’re made. Fred’s pride and joy was the “Pineapple Ukulele” (an oval shaped instrument) which his father Sam developed himself in 1926. He patented the design but the patent has since expired and manufacturers all over the world have copied his work now. Whenever we see a pineapple ukulele now we will think of Fred!
His two sons, along with his brother’s two sons all went off and did engineering degrees at University and returned to Hawaii, armed with what Fred called “modern knowledge” which they were able to apply to ukulele manufacturing. They revolutionised the process, computerising the factory and making it far more efficient. Where it once would have taken them 8 hours to hand craft just 4 ukulele necks, they can now churn out 5 in just an hour! Still, if you order a custom-made Kamaka Ukulele, they make it all painstakingly by hand and it takes them 6 months to complete! Every single ukulele that is made in the factory is tested (that is, played) by a member of the Kamaka family, ensuring that it is perfectly tuned and sounds up to scratch, before it is cleared for sale. Fred has hopes that his grandsons too will join the family business and hone their skills in the factory. In 4 years’ time the Kamaka Family will have been making ukuleles in Hawaii for 100 years!
It was a real joy to see the love Fred had for his craft and to hear him playing his own ukuleles. He and his brother (now 90) were inducted into the Ukulele Hall Of Fame and Fred was very excited to let us know about it! The tour went for almost 2 hours and had us all riveted (even the young ones) yet Fred wouldn’t accept a penny for his trouble. He really just loved what he did and wanted to impart that to others. Molly got a ukulele song book and Fred signed it for her with an “Aloha!” before posing for photos with us all. We were all so glad we’d done the tour. He was such a great guy!
After our education on the finer points of ukulele making we scooted down to Waikiki for some lunch at the Golden Arches, checking out the sights along the way. No matter where you go in the world, somehow a Big Mac always tastes just like a Big Mac. It’s strangely comforting. For a little added decadence we revisited the Cheesecake Factory for a little (sarcasm implied) dessert. It was really hot in Waikiki and we hadn’t brought our cossies so we headed back to Turtle Cove and got wet as soon as we could. It started with a quick dip out the back and then a longer swim, in greatly decreased swell, at Waimea Bay, where everyone got to relax and float around in the calm water once more. Maisy, Toby and I were a bit weary so we stayed back and had a bit of a nap.
Later in the afternoon, Keryn and I had a stroll from our house down to Waimea Bay, glimpsing the sunset over the water as we walked, and picking up a few groceries from Foodland. Since it was dark when we got there (the walk taking a bit longer than we’d anticipated) Adam kindly came and picked us up, chauffeuring us home in ‘Jeep’. We returned home to find the boys were in the process of cooking up some dinner for us all. Legends! Ross had boiled the pasta in a big pot of water (a), and had cooked the mince with the napolitana sauce in the pan (b), and was all set to add (a) & (b) together in a baking dish and throw it in the oven. He casually asked Keryn “what do I do now?” and she casually replied “just put it all together in the dish”. It seems she omitted one crucial step. Drain the pasta first! Rossco just threw all the meat and sauce into the big pot of pasta with lots of boiling water! The disaster was cleverly averted and the boys rescued the waterlogged fiasco without even a single complaint from the diners.
