Kamaka Ukulele

Kamaka Ukulele, also known as Kamaka Hawaii, is a family-owned Hawaiian musical-instrument maker based in Honolulu. The company traces its craft tradition to Samuel Kaialiilii Kamaka Sr., who apprenticed under Manuel Nunes, one of the early Hawaiian makers associated with the development of the ukulele. Kamaka opened its own workshop in 1916, initially operating from Samuel Kamaka's basement under the name Kamaka Ukulele and Guitar Works. The business later established a retail and manufacturing presence in Kaimuki, where its reputation for carefully made instruments grew during the 1920s and 1930s. Kamaka is particularly associated with the pineapple ukulele. In 1927, Samuel Kamaka Sr. developed a rounded body design intended to produce a mellow tone compared with the conventional figure-eight form. Observers compared the shape with a pineapple, and a pineapple illustration was reportedly added to the instrument. Kamaka received a patent for the design in 1928. The pineapple shape became one of the company's most recognizable contributions to ukulele design and remains an important part of the brand's visual and product identity. The company became a multigenerational family enterprise. Samuel Kamaka Sr. taught his sons, Samuel Jr. and Frederick, ukulele construction while they were young. The business was reorganized as Kamaka and Sons Enterprises in 1945, although production slowed when both sons served during the Second World War. After Samuel Sr. became ill and died in 1953, Samuel Jr. left his academic studies to continue the family business. He restored operations in Kaimuki and expanded the company in 1959. Kamaka and Sons was incorporated in 1968. Beyond manufacturing, Kamaka became connected with Hawaii's wider instrument-making and ukulele communities. Samuel Kamaka Jr. participated in local luthier activities and, with George Gilmore, helped establish the Lute Society and taught evening construction courses during the late 1960s. The company's Honolulu store also became a meeting place for ukulele players and teachers. A gathering that began there in 1971 contributed to the later development of Ukulele Festival Hawaii. Kamaka primarily makes ukuleles from Hawaiian koa, although its range includes multiple body sizes and configurations. The company's catalog has included soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone instruments, as well as four-, six-, and eight-string models. Its instruments are sold through a relatively selective dealer network rather than mass-market retail. The brand has maintained international visibility through specialist dealers, particularly in Japan, which helped support the business during a period of weaker sales in the 1980s. Kamaka's cultural profile extends beyond its products. Professional players associated with the instruments include Jake Shimabukuro and George Harrison, while a custom six-string Kamaka appeared in connection with Adam Sandler's role in the film 50 First Dates. The company has also received recognition for its employment of people with disabilities, business conduct, contribution to Hawaiian culture, and long-term service. In 2016, its centennial was marked by an aloha-wear collaboration and a two-disc music release with Reyn Spooner. Kamaka remains an active specialist manufacturer whose identity is built around Hawaiian heritage, family continuity, handcraft, and the musical character of the ukulele.

Samuel Kaialiilii Kamaka Sr. began learning ukulele making in 1910 as an apprentice of Manuel Nunes. In 1916 he established his own workshop in Honolulu, initially working from the basement of his home under the name Kamaka Ukulele and Guitar Works. The company opened a store in Kaimuki in 1921. Its instruments, initially sold for five dollars, gained a reputation for reliable construction and high quality, helping the business prosper during the 1920s and 1930s. A major design development came in 1927, when Samuel Sr. created a rounded ukulele body intended to produce a softer, more mellow sound than the standard figure-eight shape. Friends likened the design to a pineapple, and the pineapple identity became attached to the instrument. Kamaka obtained a patent for the design in 1928. The pineapple ukulele became one of the company's defining products and an influential form within the wider ukulele market. Samuel Sr. trained his sons, Samuel Jr. and Frederick, in the craft while they were still in school. The business was reorganized as Kamaka and Sons Enterprises in 1945, but production was interrupted when both sons were drafted during the Second World War. After the war, Samuel Jr. completed university studies and began work connected with the Army, while Frederick also pursued a separate career. Samuel Sr. partially retired in 1952 because of illness and moved to the family property in Waianae, where he continued making instruments. He died in December 1953. Following his father's death, Samuel Jr. abandoned further academic study and returned to the family enterprise. He restored the business to its Kaimuki location and expanded it in 1959. Kamaka and Sons was incorporated in 1968. Samuel Jr. also helped develop Hawaii's community of instrument makers. With George Gilmore of the Guitar and Lute Workshop, he helped form the Lute Society and taught evening classes in lute and guitar construction from 1966 to 1970. The Kamaka store later became a meeting place for ukulele players and teachers. In 1971, a group connected with the store began gathering to play together; that activity eventually contributed to the creation of Ukulele Festival Hawaii. During the 1980s, Kamaka experienced stagnant sales, but business from Japan through its Kama'aina subsidiary helped the company continue operating. Kamaka's manufacturing has centered on Hawaiian koa and has covered soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone sizes, together with four-, six-, and eight-string formats. The company has generally used a selective specialist-dealer network. Its profile has also been reinforced by musician associations, including Jake Shimabukuro's use of a custom four-string tenor and George Harrison's reported fondness for Kamaka concert, six-string tenor, and eight-string tenor instruments. A custom six-string model made for Adam Sandler appeared in connection with the film 50 First Dates. The company has received recognition for business service, ethical conduct, disability employment, and its contribution to Hawaiian music and culture. Kamaka celebrated its centennial in 2016 with a Reyn Spooner apparel collaboration and a two-disc CD release. It remains a family-owned Hawaiian ukulele maker with a global specialist presence.

• 2016

  Centennial celebration

  [1]Kamaka Ukuleleen.wikipedia.org

  Kamaka marks its 100th anniversary through a Reyn Spooner aloha-wear collaboration and a two-disc CD project.

• 2014

  Induction into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame

  [1]Kamaka Ukuleleen.wikipedia.org

  Kamaka Hawaii is inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.

• 2000

  Samuel Kamaka Sr. inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame

  [1]Kamaka Ukuleleen.wikipedia.org

  The company's founder is inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame in Rhode Island.

• 1990

  Disability-employment recognition

  [1]Kamaka Ukuleleen.wikipedia.org

  The company receives an Outstanding Employer of Persons with Disabilities Award from Hawaii's vocational rehabilitation authority.

• 1968

  Kamaka and Sons incorporated

  [1]Kamaka Ukuleleen.wikipedia.org

  The company formally incorporates as Kamaka and Sons.

• 1945

  Business reorganized as Kamaka and Sons Enterprises

  [1]Kamaka Ukuleleen.wikipedia.org

  The family business adopts the Kamaka and Sons Enterprises name.

• 1928

  Pineapple ukulele patent awarded

  [1]Kamaka Ukuleleen.wikipedia.org

  Kamaka receives a patent for its rounded pineapple-shaped ukulele design.

• 1921

  Kaimuki store opens

  [1]Kamaka Ukuleleen.wikipedia.org

  Kamaka opens a store in Kaimuki near Honolulu as demand for its instruments grows.

• 1916

  Kamaka workshop founded

  [1]Kamaka Ukuleleen.wikipedia.org

  Samuel Kamaka Sr. establishes Kamaka Ukulele and Guitar Works in Honolulu.

• 1910

  Samuel Kamaka begins ukulele apprenticeship

  [1]Kamaka Ukuleleen.wikipedia.org

  Samuel Kaialiilii Kamaka Sr. enters an apprenticeship with Manuel Nunes and begins learning the craft of ukulele making.

A premium Hawaiian craft-instrument brand emphasizing family heritage, traditional lutherie, Hawaiian koa, tonal quality, and cultural authenticity.

• Pineapple-shaped ukulele · 1927

  Pineapple Ukulele

  Kamaka's pineapple ukulele uses a rounded body profile developed by Samuel Kamaka Sr. in the late 1920s. The design was intended to provide a mellow tone and became visually associated with Hawaiian culture and the Kamaka name. Its patent in 1928 made it an important historical product in the company's catalog.

• Tenor ukulele

  Kamaka HF-3

  The HF-3 is a tenor-format Kamaka ukulele associated with the company's traditional solid-wood construction and Hawaiian koa-oriented product identity. Tenor instruments provide a larger body and longer scale than soprano models, making them suitable for players seeking greater projection and a broader playing range.

• Custom tenor ukulele

  Custom four-string tenor ukulele

  Kamaka has built custom tenor instruments for professional performers. Jake Shimabukuro's reported model was made from solid master-grade curly Hawaiian koa and fitted with a Fishman pickup, combining traditional craft materials with stage amplification.

• Multi-string ukulele

  Six-string and eight-string ukuleles

  Kamaka produces expanded-string formats in addition to its standard four-string instruments. Six-string and eight-string models have been associated with the company's concert and tenor ranges and offer different resonance, doubling, and accompaniment possibilities for experienced players.

• 2016Kamaka Centennial and Reyn Spooner Collaboration

  Hawaii · United States

  Kamaka commemorated its centennial with an ukulele-themed aloha-wear line and a two-disc CD created in collaboration with Reyn Spooner.

  Outcome. The collaboration connected Kamaka's instrument heritage with Hawaiian apparel and music culture; the reference material does not provide sales or financial results.

  Source

• 2016

  Centennial brand extensionOther

  Background

  Kamaka reached its 100th year as a Hawaiian ukulele maker.

  Action taken

  The company partnered with Reyn Spooner on aloha wear and a two-disc CD project.

  Aftermath

  The anniversary program broadened the brand's cultural presentation beyond instruments, with no disclosed financial outcome in the reference material.

  Source

• 1959

  Expansion after Samuel Kamaka Jr.'s returnStrategy

  Background

  Following Samuel Kamaka Sr.'s illness and death, Samuel Kamaka Jr. chose to continue the family business rather than pursue further academic study.

  Action taken

  He restored operations in Kaimuki and expanded the company.

  Aftermath

  The move helped preserve the family enterprise and prepared it for later incorporation as Kamaka and Sons in 1968.

  Source

• 1927

  Development of the pineapple ukuleleProduct launch

  Background

  Samuel Kamaka Sr. sought a body design with a mellower sound than the conventional figure-eight ukulele.

  Action taken

  Kamaka developed and commercialized a rounded pineapple-shaped instrument, later securing a patent in 1928.

  Aftermath

  The pineapple shape became one of Kamaka's signature designs and an enduring form in ukulele culture.

  Source

1. 1Kamaka Ukuleleen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Kamaka Hawaii official websitekamakahawaii.com