The Art of Making Handcrafted
Guitars & Ukuleles
Twenty odd years ago I was learning
the Spanish approach to the art of
guitar performance in Madrid, Spain.
I was fortunate enough to have been
able to spend many hours near the
workbench of the master,
“guitarrero” Paulino Bernabé. I was
by no means an apprentice;
guitarists naturally congregated at
Paulino’s shop to converse and to
play music. Nevertheless, the scent
of Cuban cedar curls scattered on
the centuries old floor, freshly and
cleanly cut with a drawknife, the
sweet fragrance of Spanish cypress
and Brazilian rosewood waiting to be
transformed into Flamenco and
Classical guitars, and with this,
the master’s understanding and deep
reverence for wood and what can be
created with it, are all impressions
that evidently deeply affected my
life. Returning to my island home,
the tropical beauty of so many
shades of green and the rushing
warmth of endless tradewinds seemed
so far removed from the tradition
and formality of where I had been,
yet the curious need for my own
hands to transform wood into musical
instruments was irresistible. From
that exquisite inspiration, to the
present level of my art were two
decades of determined struggle, and
always, the ever deepening love and
understanding of wood and strings
and beautiful music.
For the past twenty three years, in
the Kohala district of the Island of
Hawaii, I have been producing
fretted stringed instruments. I
build all sizes of ukuleles from
standard, or soprano, to the
baritone; and guitars, from the
three quarter size, or requinto, to
acoustic basses and large bodied
steel strings. I consider Classical
guitars to be the highest and most
demanding form of instrument
building. All instruments are
assembled from premium aged
hardwoods and softwoods in a
humidity controlled workshop. All of
my production is specifically
designed for the musicians who
commission it. String lengths,
fretboard marking, all dimensions,
and choices of woods are worked out
for each individual. Virtually any
species of woods are available from
my inventory, from brilliantly
flamed Koa wood of Hawaii, African
ebony as black as night, to mahogany
from the forests of Central America.
Selecting suitable quartersawn
material, whether it be from a dimly
lit and dusty warehouse, or under
the windswept and cool upland skies,
or the stifling heat of the coastal
Kiawe forests, is an art in itself
as difficult to master as any. The
joy of sensing the brilliantly
flamed grain of a wood under its
grass covered, cracked and gray
exterior is a sublime experience,
one that takes years to cultivate.
A beautiful section of wood must be
matched with an equally high level
of craftsmanship and a constant
focus on an instrument’s final tone
and appearance. From selection of
each piece of wood, to the final
finishing and polishing, all work is
done by myself.
I have set prices for specific sizes
of instruments and for types of
inlay with abalone shell, mother of
pearl, and wood. Please feel free to
telephone or write for further
information, pictures of specific
instruments, or to make an
appointment to meet me at my shop.
Aloha Pumehana,
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