Ukuleles
How America's Obsession With Hula Girls Almost Wrecked Hawai'i
By Lisa Hix — You've seen her hanging around tiki bars, swiveling her hips seductively but woodenly indifferent to the scene around her. She's often found bobbing and playing 'ukulele on the dashboard of cars, dangling from key rings, lounging under palm trees on matchbook covers, and thanklessly holding up lampshades. Often scantily clad or topless, her uniform may include a grass skirt, a coconut bra, bright floral fabrics, and flowers in her hair. She beams from Hawaiian tourism brochures, and her most...
Tiki Hangover: Unearthing the False Idols of America's South Seas Fantasy
By Hunter Oatman-Stanford — Living the Tiki lifestyle once conjured the gentle sound of distant waves and lilting ukuleles, the rustic comforts of a poolside hammock beneath swaying palms. Those drawn to this Polynesian fantasy decorated their living rooms with bamboo furniture and learned the steps to native dances, while cultivating a taste for exotic foods and sweet rum cocktails. In the mid-20th century, such tropical trends offered a viable escape for those tired of the constraints of capitalism and Western...
Great Guitars: A Uke to Pay for Dentistry
By Andy Roth — No, that's not what I said! I said, “Ah Tau Kam.” Who is that, you ask? Well, very little is known about him and I could find only a couple references to him on the Internet (now, there is one more). According to the Kamaka Ukulele website, Ah Tau Kam was a contemporary of Samuel Kamaka Sr. (1890-1953) back in the day when Sam Sr. was just starting out. According to the Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum, Ah Tau Kam was one of Samuel Kamaka's mentors, along with Jonah Kumalae and Sam Chang, both of...
Great Guitars: The Martin Concert Ukulele
By Andy Roth — The C. F. Martin "Concert" sized ukuleles were first cataloged and priced in 1925 and remained in production until 1965. With few exceptions, these ukuleles were made of mahogany and had their fronts bound in rosewood, later to be replaced by faux tortoiseshell celluloid binding. The ukulele on the right is the same instrument, but made with koa back, sides, and top, which is why it’s known as the 2K Concert. Again, very few of these were made and only a handful are known to still...
Great Guitars: The Origins of the Concert Uke
By Richard Johnston — There are lots of different sizes of ukuleles, from the tiny soprano to the almost-guitar-sized baritone, but the concert uke is one of the most popular with today's players. It's small enough to deliver the bright "jumping flea" tones of soprano ukes, but the slightly larger body and longer string scale delivers more volume. And since the frets are further apart, it's easier for guitar players to adapt to the neck. C. F. Martin first popularized the concert size ukulele, but that was...
Ukulele Collector Andy Roth: An Interview with Collectors Weekly
By Maribeth Keane and Brad Quinn — When I was living in Hawaii in the late ’80s, I’d get together with friends and have music jams. One night I was playing the piano, and I looked over my shoulder and noticed that everybody else was sitting around in a circle on the floor. I wanted to be more a part of the social aspect of the jams, but it seemed like there were enough guitar players down there already. It struck me, though, that no one was playing ukulele. That sort of sparked my interest. However, the only ukuleles I...