Craftsmanship that Sings: Big Island Ukulele Guild
By Le‘a Gleason
I am no stranger to the tangy smell of sawdust and the intense groan of power tools, as my father is an ‘ukulele and guitar builder who has successfully made a name for himself over the last thirty-plus years.
Where our story and this story connect is through the Big Island Ukulele Guild and its importance as an organization devoted to knowledge surrounding ‘ukulele building.
The late Andy Berard of O‘Kona Ukulele started the Guild in 2001. Andy built ‘ukuleles and taught ‘ukulele making, where the idea evolved out of group interest from his students. Its function is to promote and further the craft of ‘ukulele making through the shared knowledge of its 50 members. Many of the members are people who build instruments for fun, while some depend on building for their livelihood.
Guild President Woodley White has been building instruments for 21 years, primarily classical guitars. When he began building ‘ukuleles, it was with a simple plan he’d purchased. He built four ‘ukuleles, and before long they had sold on consignment in local shops.
“I think it’s really a great group of people. There’s a lot of different participation…the whole range of different levels of interest. I think the goal is to share information and help people become the best builders. I find the group to be a really cool organization and inspiration,” said Woodley.
In previous times, instrument making was somewhat of a family secret, passed down from father to son. Today, things have changed.
“There’s been a renaissance in ‘ukulele making where people have shared what they know. It’s more of a sense of having community around the world than having a trade to protect,” said Woodley.
Sitting at a Guild meeting on Woodley’s deck in Nā‘ālehu, it’s impossible to say any two members are alike. Each have a uniquely different interest in building, employ different techniques, and have their own personality. What’s common is the desire to keep a treasured craft alive.
To detail the intricacies of each member would be impossible. Here are just a few.
Mark Evans—The Country Craftsman
Mark Evans hails from Opihikao, where he lives in an open-air home built entirely out of mango trees that grew on the land. His humble workshop sits nearby, filled with tools passed down from his father and grandfather.
This passionate Southern Californian has been surfing for more than 40 years, working with wood for almost as long, and has built ‘ukuleles for the last 13.
“I like to think sound is like waves. I’m into the waves. I know the ocean well. I think of the sound traveling through my instruments like the sound of the waves. I round and smooth everything so there’s no place for sound to get stuck,” Mike said.
Mike began building when a pawnshop ‘ukulele he loved to play broke. He’d been raised to believe that whatever he wanted, he could build instead of buy.
“I just looked at it and said ‘I’m gonna build a ‘uke’…so I just kind of felt it out and figured it out and started making up my own method. It was a little messed up, but the things that were the mess-ups allowed me to learn,” Mike said.
Since then, he’s become hooked.
“I could sit and watch glue dry building ‘ukes, I’m so enamored. I get so sucked in, I get out here in the morning and I won’t leave till dark,” Mike said.
Mike, who lives off the grid, has built a name for himself entirely by word of mouth. He prefers to build more traditional looking instruments and makes each one unique.
“As I’m building ‘ukuleles I think about the people I’m building for and it makes a difference. I made a ‘uke for Jack Johnson, so during that build I was thinking of his music and how he plays. No two instruments are the same,” he said.
Mike is divinely connected with his craft.
“The wood talks to me. It tells me where it wants to be, how it wants to be. If I don’t listen, I have troubles. I go by my na‘au, the voice inside, and I think we all should,” he said.
With each order, Mike thanks his customers before building.
“The first thing I tell them is ‘thank you, my family thanks you, you are enabling my experiment to continue’,” he said.
Crist Pung—The Inlay Guy
Crist Pung, a retired fireman, has been woodworking for over 30 years and building ‘ukuleles for just seven. This Keaukaha native wanted to build guitars, which he began by first building ‘ukuleles.
“I’ve been putting away pieces [of wood] that I knew would make good instruments. I knew I had to make that switch [to building instruments] seven years ago. Since then, I’ve been trying to get a good instrument to come out of my shop. I’ve been finding out that it’s really not that easy,” Crist said.
Crist built his first crop of ‘ukuleles 30-at-a-time, then soon learned to slow down. He now attempts six over a period of two months.
While he continues to strive for a better sound and “playability,” Crist is best known as “the inlay guy” for the meticulously crafted, vibrant images he creates like collages with mixed media.
“I like to do inlay work. Guys ask me a lot of questions and it’s nothing that anyone else can’t do. I watch YouTube a lot. If I see an instrument I like I just look at it and try to analyze what material the guy is using,” Crist said.
The difficulty of his job is mostly in obtaining the materials, he says.
“When I see something…I gotta find out what it is, then try to find out who sells it and how to get some. That in itself is a lot of hours on the computer,” Crist said.
Crist said ‘ukulele building has changed his life.
“Since I’ve been making these ‘ukuleles, nothing is impossible. Things I thought I couldn’t do before, I have no problem learning about it and doing it. That whole feeling of confidence it came along with—I didn’t expect it to, but my saying is if you can make an ‘ukulele, you can do anything,” Crist said.
Chris Stewart—The More-Than-Beginner
Chris Stewart, a retired photojournalist, has recreationally built 10 or so ‘ukuleles over the past five years, the first of which he built in a class taught by Sam Rosen, who owns Holualoa Ukulele Gallery.
“I didn’t really do much woodworking [before], so this is all new to me,” he said. “I would sit there for hours trying to figure out how to do things, and I don’t know how to do those things because I’m not a luthier.”
Chris has a small shop in his garage in Kailua-Kona, where his focus has been to play with the shape of the bodies of the ‘ukuleles he builds.
“I’m not a person who normally sees something from beginning to end, so with this…I’m starting to think in terms of whole picture, so that’s kind of a different thing for me. I’m not a very patient person. It’s taught me patience. Now, if things aren’t working right I’ll just back off and go to the beach. Patience has been a good thing,” Chris said.
All the members can agree on one thing: that the Guild has been the glue to hold them together. Woodley says he wouldn’t be building ‘ukes without it, while Chris says it “inspires him to keep going.”
And in the spirit of sharing information, the Guild will celebrate its annual exhibition this October at the Wailoa Art Center in Hilo. Last year’s show featured 48 handmade instruments, in addition to invitational woodwork, and was hailed as the best exhibit of 2012.
“I love seeing what other people do. I love seeing what people have tried to do whether it worked or didn’t work. These were all built by somebody with various levels of skill,” Chris said.
Rounding out the show are Saturday kanikapila “jam sessions” with Andy Andrews, and informational demonstrations on ‘ukulele building throughout the month.
All events tie in with the astounding art of crafting ‘ukuleles.
“‘Ukulele building will reveal your best and worst personality flaws. You can choose to accent the ones that are good and correct the ones that are bad. It’s nice to do something you can feel pride about. How many people have something at the end of the day they can say ‘I created.’ Most of us don’t have those jobs. Most of us don’t get that feeling. I can say ‘I made that’,” Chris said.
The Ukulele Guild Exhibit runs October 4–24 at the Wailoa Art Center. The opening reception will take place October 4 from 5–7 pm. ‘Ukulele kanikapila will take place Saturdays October 5, 11, and 18 from noon–3 pm. ‘Ukuleles are supplied for those without. An ‘ukulele building demonstration will take place October 11. ❖
Contact the Ukulele Guild: BigIslandUkuleleGuild.org
First page photos courtesy: Chris Stewart
Photos on page two and three by Le‘a Gleason
Contact writer Le‘a Gleason: lgfreelancehawaii@gmail.com
