Dueling 'ukulele makers

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer

The 'ukulele — Hawai'i's celebrated "jumping flea" — has been a happy symbol of the Islands since early in the 20th century. Viewed as a companion of playfulness, the instrument became an American fad in the 1920s flapper era, and again in the 1950s when millions of kids strummed plastic "ukes" popularized by TV personality Arthur Godfrey.

Miles Shigemura makes about two dozen 'ukulele a year. He used to work for Eric Hamaguchi at Island Ukulele Co., but he says he quit because of the company's plan to manufacture the instruments in China. Kyle Sackowski • The Honolulu Advertiser

Then, beginning in the mid-1990s, the venerable 'ukulele staged another comeback, one that's still going strong.

"There has been a boom in 'ukuleles, make no mistake about it," said Neil Shimabukuro, co-owner of Island Guitars in Ho-nolulu. "When you have manufacturers like Ovation making 'ukuleles, and the Martin company making them again after two decades, it's big. Everybody wants to play the 'ukulele."

But this time things have not been quite so cheery. Accusations have been leveled about deceptive 'ukulele manufacturing and marketing practices. One major instrument maker has pondered taking legal action. Even the state has taken notice and says it's concerned about 'ukulele misrepresentation.

There's a reason for all the fuss: 'Ukuleles are no longer the guitar's cheap little cousin. They have become high-priced, quality instruments in their own right. And although there are more Island 'ukulele makers than ever, supply can't meet demand.

The demand is driven by Japanese consumers who have developed an insatiable appetite for 'ukulele. They don't mind paying from $350 to $2,000, or even more, for a 'ukulele made in Hawai'i. The phenomenon is also being fueled by Hawai'i and Mainland musicians inspired to re-discover the instrument through the work of such artists as Jake Shimabukuro, Troy Fernandez and the late Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.

"I frequently perform on the Mainland and in Japan, and, boy, the 'ukulele is really popular in both places," said professional 'ukulele player Lyle Ritz. "It looks like the 'ukulele is going to become a part of the culture this time around."

Ritz uses a high-quality Ko'olau tenor instrument hand-made of mahogany by Kitaki's Stringed Instruments in Kane'ohe. Ritz paid less than $1,000 for it three years ago. Today, the same instrument would retail for around $1,700.

Amateur guitar player Danny Hee of Honolulu recently paid $650 for a tenor 'ukulele made by luthier Miles Shigemura.

"I started out playing the 'ukulele in high school," Hee said. "Then, I primarily became a guitar player. But I always had an interest in the uke. And, I always wanted to own a tenor 'ukulele. I didn't mind paying this much for a 'ukulele. They're all expensive these days."

On a recent afternoon a Mainland tourist and 'ukulele buyer at Island Guitars summed matters up concisely: "What I want is a quality koa uke made in Hawai'i," he told the salesman. Nearby, two Japanese tourists were waiting in line for the same reason.

What many buyers want most is an 'ukulele made by Kamaka, the small, family-owned company on South Street in Honolulu that is "the leading manufacturer of quality 'ukuleles in the world," according to the 'Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum, an online virtual museum that operates out of Cranston, R.I.

Trouble is, producing high-quality 'ukulele the old-fashioned way takes time. Kamaka has been at it since 1916 — longer than any other continuous business — and carries on its customary output of between 200 and 300 'ukulele a month. The company has no plans to increase that number. Their back-order list has become legendary.

Dealers who can get a Kamaka 'ukulele say the instruments sell as fast as they go on the shelf.

"We're maxed out," said Fred Kamaka Jr. "That's why so many people are making 'ukuleles — to fill the void."

The Ukulele House is one of several Honolulu retail outlets that specializes exclusively in high-quality 'ukulele. General manager Daniel Fujikake says his store carries 'ukulele made by more than a dozen manufacturers, most of them local.

Japanese market is huge

The demand, especially in Japan, is intense. Fujikake said a year or two ago there was a sense that anyone who could supply Japan with quality, Hawai'i-made 'ukulele would get rich. No one had figured out how to accomplish that.

Danny Hee, an amateur guitar player, recently paid $650 for a tenor 'ukulele made by Shigemura. He says he didn't mind paying this much for a 'ukulele because they're all expensive. Kyle Sackowski • The Honolulu Advertiser

Eric Hamaguchi, owner of the Island Ukulele Co. retail store in Waikiki and co-owner of the Keahi and Koa Mele 'ukulele companies, says it is possible to produce excellent, locally made koa 'ukulele for less cost and using fewer employees. He says he's doing just that at his factory in Campbell Industrial Park.

"We use laser cutting machines," Hamaguchi said. "And that's the reason we can spit out a lot more. We don't use table saws and that stuff — the old way. It's not like it's a secret. We're not a company like Kamaka, which can take the time to make an instrument for the professional musician. Our instruments are not at that caliber, yet."

Hamaguchi says he has a large supplier of Big Island koa wood and markets his instruments heavily to buyers in Japan and to Japanese tourists.

"Hey, beginners don't want to pay $300 or $400 for a 'ukulele. And that's part of the market we want to get. We want to offer more of an affordable ukulele that everybody can enjoy, not just the selected rich guys."

Koa Mele and Keahi 'ukulele sell for $50 to $150 less than comparable koa 'ukulele. Both brands also bear tags reading "Handcrafted in Hawai'i."

Hamaguchi knows he has angered others in the business. He says he has been accused of undercutting the market by selling koa 'ukulele too cheap. His marketing practices also rankle some. Instead of selling instruments exclusively at music stores, his are offered at such outlets as Longs Drugs and Costco.

A Koa Mele brochure reads, "With more than 16 years experience making custom violins, our master luthier Miles Shigemura has traveled throughout the world learning new techniques from other masters of the trade."

Shigemura does make high-quality, handcrafted 'ukulele — about two dozen a year — for himself, not for Koa Mele.

"Mine are all hand-made the old fashioned way," Shigemura said. "I don't work for Koa Mele. I worked for them for about eight months. I set up their factory.

"He (Hamaguchi) wanted to make 2,000 'ukuleles a month. I told him, 'You're going to have to have a big factory — about 400 guys, something like that.' So he said, 'Let's just go to China. Let's just cut the wood.' And so I said no, no — I'm quitting."

Shigemura said the plan was for the Koa Mele and Keahi 'ukulele to be assembled in China of Hawaiian koa wood and returned to the Campbell factory unfinished and without bridges. There, he said, decorative images such as sea turtles would be etched into the wood, the bridges added and the finish applied.

But Hamaguchi says that's not what's happening. "He's wrong," Hamaguchi said. "These 'ukuleles are all made at the Campbell factory." Hamaguchi said he had considered having 'ukulele mass-produced in China, but the Chinese were unable to match Shigemura's quality standards. Using advanced manufacturing and koa drying methods, his half-dozen factory employees turn out up to 300 instruments a month.

Hamaguchi said that despite their differences, he has nothing but respect for Shigemura, who quit after a dispute with Hamaguchi's partner. He described Shigemura as a true master craftsman who designed every aspect of the manufacturing process his company uses to make instruments.

"No doubt about it, Miles is the inventor of our 'ukuleles," said Hamaguchi, who conceded that the instruments Shigemura makes personally are superior to Koa Mele or Keahi 'ukulele. They also cost more than twice as much.

Where is it from?

Sam Kamaka Jr., says the debate about what constitutes an instrument made in Hawai'i has gone on for years. Kamaka instruments set the standard. Other than the tuning pegs, strings and fret wire, Kamaka koa 'ukulele are crafted at the South Street factory, he said.

Some companies are clear about where their instruments are manufactured. The new Martin 'ukulele are made in Mexico, and each one says so on the label. An instrument made by Mele 'Ukulele in Maui comes with a label that states, "Partially assembled in the Philippines."

Other manufacturers construct a high percentage of each instrument in Hawai'i, but import some pieces, such as fret boards and bridges from the Mainland, Asia or elsewhere. Generally, these 'ukulele are viewed as Hawai'i-made.

But Chris Kamaka, Sam's son, says he has heard about 'ukulele that are primarily manufactured in the Philippines, Vietnam or Mexico that are marketed as locally made.

"It's kind of a shady way to do business," he said. "We tried to see if there's anything we can do legally about it."

So far, that hasn't happened.

But Stephen Levins, acting executive director of the Hawai'i Office of Consumer Protection, said, "If 'ukuleles are being misrepresented as to being assembled or manufactured here in Hawai'i and they are not, then it's going to be a misrepresentation that the state would be concerned with."

Still, precisely what is meant by "handcrafted in Hawai'i" can get complicated. The "Hawai'i-made products" provision of the state's Revised Statutes specifies that no product can claim to be made locally, "which has not had at least 51 percent of its wholesale value added ...within the state."

In other words, a 'ukulele put together for little cost in a Third World country but one which has pricey finishing touches added here in the Islands might not be in violation of the law if it bears a "Made in Hawai'i" tag.

"It's unfortunate," Fujikake said. "I think the whole industry has suffered because people wanted to have all the money, because of the greed."

But Fujikake sees a sliver lining. The frantic rush to make fortunes in the hot Hawai'i 'ukulele market seems to be ebbing, he says. The 'ukulele industry is stabilizing. Unlike the fads of the '20s and '50s, he believes the 'ukulele has established itself as a vital, enduring and serious stringed instrument.

"In the past, when people thought about the 'ukulele, they thought about it as fun, or as a toy," said Fujikake, as he held a Ko'olau 'ukulele priced at $2,400. "But these are real instruments.

"What's come out is that there are more incredible 'ukuleles available now than there has ever been before."