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Kamaka HF-1

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Ukulele

Kamaka HF-1

Kamaka · HF-1

Price: 596 EUR – 4.234 EUR

Price history 05.09.2026 20.09.2026
Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

Availability: 9/10 (Common)

The patented "standard" soprano design from the oldest continuously operating ukulele maker in the world, hand-built in Honolulu from solid Hawaiian koa since 1916.

Where available? Go to the best price – 596 EUR About this instrument

About the Kamaka HF-1

The HF-1 is Kamaka's signature soprano, a design Samuel K. Kamaka Sr. designed and patented in 1928, refined from the ukulele designs the family had built since founding the company in 1916. Body, top and back are all solid Hawaiian koa - the wood most historically tied to ukulele origins, sourced on the islands where the company still operates - with a thin satin sheen finish that lets the koa's natural figuring show rather than obscuring it under thick lacquer.

The neck is Honduran mahogany with an Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, at a compact 13 9/16-inch scale and 16 frets (12 to the body), with a 1.35-inch nut width - traditional soprano proportions largely unchanged since Kamaka's early 20th-century designs. Gotoh UPT tuners provide modern tuning stability on an otherwise historically faithful instrument, and each is built entirely by hand in Kamaka's Honolulu workshop.

Where to buy

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/99048305-kamaka-used-kamaka-hf-1-18

Sound character of the Kamaka HF-1

Solid Hawaiian koa gives a bright yet balanced midrange that koa is historically prized for, and the century-old design proportions - largely unchanged since the 1920s - produce the classic, sweet soprano chime that most other makers' soprano designs were later modeled after.

Bright Warm Vintage-voiced

Technical data for the Kamaka HF-1

Top/Back/Sides Solid Hawaiian koa
Neck Honduran mahogany
Fretboard/Bridge Indian rosewood
Frets 16 (12 to body)
Scale length 13 9/16"
Nut width 1.35"
Tuners Gotoh UPT
Origin Kamaka, Honolulu, Hawaii

Price history for the Kamaka HF-1

Cheapest seen: 596 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 4.234 EUR

4.234 EUR595 EUR 05.09.2026 15.09.202615.09.202618.09.2026 20.09.2026
Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

The history of the Kamaka HF-1

Sam Kamaka founded the company in Honolulu in 1916, making it the oldest ukulele manufacturer still operating continuously today, and the HF-1's design essentially set the template soprano proportions that most other Hawaiian and mainland builders have followed for the past century.

Related guides

  • Buying a Used Ukulele: What to Check View details
  • Soprano, Concert, Tenor, Baritone: Finding the Right Size View details

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