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Building a Pono Ukulele

"Keep it Pono" is local for, do it right, or show excellence in what you do. For Ko'olau owner John Kitakis,  affordable excellence has been a search and struggle. But the light at the end of the tunnel keeps getting brighter, "All of this has not been a waste of time. After over 8 years we finally have the Pono ...

A visit to Kamaka and an original from Kalei Gamiao

In the past few years I have gotten to know Fred Jr, Casey, and Chris Kamaka, at least a bit, from the few occasions I have gotten to talk with them. I have seen Chris play upright bass and sing a few times and was really impressed with his musicality. Chris quality controls every ukulele that goes out from Kamaka. He is there every day making sure Kamaka’s look and sound just right. Casey I had met over 10 years ago at a Guild of American Luthiers convention (guitar building seminar and workshop). Casey does the custom shop work for Kamaka, and is truly a master luthier. His work can be seen and heard in this video. Fred Jr. runs the business side of Kamaka. He is who I deal with for the store, so luckily he is a fun and friendly guy. In fact all three brothers truly have aloha and it shows in the quality of their product.