Luthiers & Builders: Hawaii, USA

Michael Sussman, Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Master Folk Artist Tradition Bearer, has been building and restoring stringed instruments on the island of Kauai, Hawaii for 40 years. Honoring tradition these ukulele`, guitars and violins are built for today. These seductive custom made Hawaiian Koa instruments possess piercing highs, a big warm midrange and a growl in the bass. With unending sustain, the sound of the Hawaiian Koa can only be described as primal as the rain forest they are born of.

In Hawaii, the Ukulele is an important part of the history and culture. It is the instrument that many Hawaiian school children learn, and continue to play throughout their lives. Bear Creek Ukuleles are precisely made, with sturdy but light construction, and fine detail. These are not miniature guitars. Every facet of the instrument is scaled down to the thicknesses and dimensions of the originals, creating a sound that is sweet, punchy and responsive. They’re made with Hawaiian Koa: either highly figured or straight grain Koa is available.

The company was started to fill a need in the market for reasonably-priced, very high quality solid koa ukuleles. Having roots deep in Hawaii in the forestry industry supplying Hawaiian koa to ukulele makers around the world, we felt we could capitalize on our ability to supply high quality koa at an affordable cost for our own line of instruments. Decades of experience in the wood industry working with some of the finest luthiers in the world gave us a special insight into and access to one of the most important parts of an instrument- the wood! You cannot ever build an excellent instrument if you don’t start with excellent wood.

John (Colly) Norman was born in the late 40’s and grew up in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida. “When I was 18, hanging around as a teenager in Miami, I had a friend named Skip Ruck whose brother was always in their parents’ garage building guitars. Though I never met the brother, the idea of building a musical instrument intrigued me throughout the next thirty five years of construction, custom woodworking, aviation, and other creative endeavors.”

** DeVine Guitars & Ukuleles** have become known as some of the best handmade ukuleles in the world. From the beautiful curly koa they are made of, to the extremely smooth playability, DeVine ukuleles are truly musical works of art.

DeVine Guitars & Ukuleles has called Hawaii home since 1997. We draw a lot of inspiration from our home in the islands. The culture and building materials here in Hawaii are very conducive to instrument building and have been the foundation of DeVine Guitars & Ukuleles.

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Steve Grimes has built Archtop and Double Sound hole Flatop guitars for some of the top players in the world. He specializes in custom tailoring his guitars to suit the tonal, aesthetic, and playability requirements of his customers.

Located in Halawa Valley, on the island of Oahu, GString Ukuleles continues to build instruments at a high degree of excellence at a competitive price. Our technicians take great pride in their work and endure intensive training in all aspects of the building process.

We are a school for the teaching of Ukulele making to those who have both the interest and desire to build handmade ‘ukuleles.

No matter how you travel, it's still you going.

ukulele - build it and play it. "Uncle" Dave of Hilo Hawaii builds custom ukulele and guitars, plays the ukulele [as well as guitar, banjo, string bass, steel guitar, fiddle, and maybe anything with strings once he fiddles with it]. He gives classes on playing the ukulele, writes books, composes music, and shares the aloha of Hawaii.

When I first came to Kauai many years ago I wanted to continue my Classical Guitar lessons and learn to play the beautiful Hawaiian Slack Key music. I had an old classical guitar that I had bought in Germany in 1964 that was made of East German Maple with a spruce top. It had a strong mid range for chamber music. It had traveled the world with me and been through at least four hurricanes so needless to say it was in need of serious repair.

“Growing up here on Kauai, Hawaii I have 20 years of experience selecting the best wood and custom instrument production. This has given me the opportunity to work with top performers and to perfect the instruments for entertainment and for the serious ukulele collector. I know you’ll enjoy all my uke’s and guitars which will become heirlooms that you can pass down to your kids. Please call us if you have any kine of question.” -- Raymond Rapozo, Island Ukulele

The inspiration came from the Hawaiian Lap Steel. The bluesy, sweet melodious sound that can only be felt here in Hawai'i. We started building Authentic Hawaiian Lap Steel's & Ukulele's right here in Kaka'ako (Honolulu) and we are now part of a greater movement to bring forth the acoustic square neck design that requires no electricity or amp. Otherwise known as a Weissenborn Style guitar, it is an instrument that becomes so inspiring and personal, you will never let it go. Just like the Ukulele, you will find the same satisfaction, with an unlimited amount of potential.

Since 1916, Kamaka Hawaii, Inc. has prided itself on producing only ukuleles of the finest quality -- durable, exquisite instruments that improve with age. Like the ukuleles, the company itself continues to withstand the test of time. The company's longevity shows its commitment to both customer and employee alike, and reflects other important values as well.

"Kamoa Ukulele Company" is dedicated to building high quality bell tone instruments. Our "One player at a time"; philosophy is the basis for the countless experiences that will resonate with you for years to come through the lifelong enjoyment of music on your Kamoa ukulele. From Exceptional student models priced around $100 up to divine custom masterpieces, we have a tailored Kamoa experience ready for you whether you are a true beginner or ukulele master.

We specialize in standard to professional grade musical instruments. Each ukulele is finely hand crafted using the highest grade, well-seasoned wood and scaled to produce a perfect intonation. These instruments are meticulously built by skilled craftsmen, under the guidance of Master Luthier, Joseph Souza. Our state of the art, humidity controlled facilities in Kaneohe, Hawaii allows Kanile‘a ‘Ukulele balance “Traditions and Technologies”. Every ‘ukulele comes with a 100% customer satisfaction, money back guarantee and our industry leading limited lifetime warranty.

**David Hurd**, who majored in chemistry, became an oceanographer in part on a whim. His senior year, he saw his first surf movie — Bruce Brown’s Surfing Hollow Days — in McGregory, he recalls. Then he saw an ad for the brand-new department of oceanography at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. Still sniffling from his umpteenth bout with the flu and nasty colds, he thought, “There is a better life. Aloha to Chenango Valley.

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Please note that David Hurd have retired from active ukulele making and are no longer taking orders or doing repairs. David’s web site is a wealth of ukulele information.

No matter how you travel, it's still you going.

No matter how you travel, it's still you going.

No matter how you travel, it's still you going.

KoAloha is proud to be regarded and recognized as one of the premier ukulele builders in Hawaii. Founder, Alvin S. Okami, has been called by many a modern day “Renaissance Man.” He is an inventor, an innovator, a composer/arranger, a singer, an accomplished oboist, an industrial designer, graphic designer, and overall brilliant conceptual and spontaneous idea man.

"Ko'olau Guitars and 'Ukuleles" are professional quality, hand crafted instruments. The shop is located in Kaneohe, on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, approximately fifteen minutes from Honolulu, at the foot of the the beautiful Ko'olau Mountains.

Ken Potts has a DVD Building the Hawaiian Ukulele...

We manufacture four sizes of instruments: standard or soprano, long neck soprano, concert and tenor. All our instruments are made in Portugal from beautiful Australian Blackwood, botanical name Acacia Melanoxylon, with very similar tonal and appearance characteristics to Koa Acacia, a close relative, the material of choice for Hawaiian ukuleles. All our ukes are solid wood, no laminates or plastic anywhere.

No matter how you travel, it's still you going.

Maui Music ukuleles are hand crafted from the finest Hawaiian Koa woods. The craftsmanship, and attention to detail, make these instruments look and sound exceptional. Each Maui Music ukulele is personally made by luthier Peter Lieberman, who has been crafting fine ukuleles for over 25 years.

"Mele Ukulele" builds and sells fine ENTIRELY HAND MADE ukuleles and guitars at incredibly low prices. Our ukuleles feature great tone and playability, top quality Hawaiian koa and other fine SOLID tonewoods, and detailed inlay work. For nearly 20 years, Mele Ukulele continues to offer what can be considered among the best value in instruments today

Custom made koa ukuleles built on the Big Island of Hawaii by Chuck Moore

My journey in ukulele building started with classes from a local Kona luthier, the late, much respected, Andy Berard. The original class was to build only a single ukulele for myself, but I found I enjoyed building them so much I kept going and soon needed to start selling them or buy a bigger house. Over the years I have evolved my own techniques but the emphasis on quality and willingness to experiment is directly descended from Andy’s philosophy of building.

O Kona Ukuleles & Guitars offers an extensive 10 week course with classes held on Saturdays that last for 4 hours. All material is provided to allow the student to build a professional quality 4 string tenor ukulele. Options are available for different types of instruments as well as numbers of keys and tonewood for the top.

Tom Russell is one-man shop, share a journey in building one-of-a-kind ukuleles. The name "Pau Hana Ukuleles" reflects the easy going nature of the ukulele. "Pau Hana", meaning "done work" or "after work" in Hawaiian, evokes the relaxing feeling when playing the ukulele after a trying day.

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My name is Dennis Lake and here you‘ll find photos and information on the Custom ‘Ukulele and Guitars I make at my home shop here on the southern slope of Mauna Loa, in the remote and rural Ka‘u District of the Big Island of Hawai‘i. This is a very small shop. I work alone, with an occasional assist from a talented friend. Since all of my instruments are individually made, and most are custom orders, each is really “one of a kind”.

"Pono" instruments are professionally designed and handcrafted by the "Ko'olau Guitar and `Ukulele Company" and on the Island of Java, with final adjustments and set-up on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii.

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Les Rietfors Age 53, called to God February 17, 2005. A life-long resident of Kailua, he was born there on October 3, 1951. Les passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, after a short illness. A loving and devoted husband and father, he is survived by Cheryl, his wife of 25 years, and daughters Amanda Rietfors and Ashley (Ken) Casazza of Fresno, California. He is also survived by his father Fritz (Lois) Rietfors, jr. of Kamuela and brothers Ron nieces. His mother, Esther Hodde Rietfors, preceded him in death.

I work with a variety of tonewoods, and treat each piece individually to ensure that the wood’s voice is maximized. Living in the Islands, I have direct access to acacia koa, the precious hardwood of Hawaii. Koa trees exist naturally nowhere else on earth but Hawaii. Koa is an exceptionally beautiful wood, and for decades has been recognized as a quality tonewood. I also build with Hawaii-grown Cuban mahogany, another quality tonewood.

Create work of art handmade custom ukuleles. Starting with Sonny D standard production ukuleles to Sonny D signature series ukuleles.

No matter how you travel, it's still you going.

No matter how you travel, it's still you going.

The Rebel is a small team of designers and experienced luthiers working collaboratively to create only high quality custom guitars and ukuleles. Started in 2011, with the desire to make only finely handcrafted instruments that express unique designs, well-seasoned materials, outstandingly responsive tones and playing characteristics, we have been handcrafting instruments for not only discerning musicians but also collectors who love one-off masterpiece instruments.