Vintage collection shows how 'ukulele has evolved
By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
You couldn't fit the history of the 'ukulele into a single book. Island Guitars is betting that three walls and an aisle will be more accommodating.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
The Ward Warehouse shop is playing host to a comprehensive collection of vintage 'ukulele owned by noted Japanese collector Mac Yasuda. The collection includes more than 150 'ukulele and other stringed instruments dating back to the 1920s, including old pineapple models from Kamaka and several Weissenborn lap steel guitars.
Aficionado Jim Danz, one of the owners of Island Guitars, is impressed by Mac Yasuda's vintage 'ukulele and lap steels.
"We've had a lot of people come in, and they don't know what some of these 'ukuleles are," said Jim Danz, one of the store's owners. "I've been in the business for 20 years, and I haven't seen some of this stuff."
From Mossman to Martin, Gretsch to Gibson, resonators to mutant banjos, the Yasuda collection offers a unique look at the evolution of the pint-sized, four-stringed instrument.
Some of the instruments on display are or will be available for sale, but Danz said Yasuda's main interest is in fostering a knowledge and understanding of the 'ukulele's history.
Yasuda, who lives in California, is a frequent visitor to Hawai'i and an old friend of Danz. According to Danz, Yasuda was turned off by some local merchants who sell vintage 'ukulele to tourists at highly inflated prices.
" 'Ukulele are really big in Japan right now, and Mac didn't want Hawai'i to get a bad name from overcharging tourists," Danz said. "He just wanted to display the 'ukulele in the right setting with no pressure to buy."
The exhibit occupies a small room in the shop that used to display vintage guitars. Other pieces from Yasuda's collection will be sent to Island Guitars periodically to replace those that are sold.
