While studying abroad in Japan in the mid-’90s, Shawn Yacavone felt homesick for Hawaii, so he bought a cheap ukulele to remind himself of the islands.
"Although I wasn’t a musician or a collector at the time, the ukulele created my home away from home, and other international students knew I was from Hawaii because they saw me with the ukulele," said Yacavone (pronounced YAH-kah-vone).
Thus began Yacavone’s long — and sometimes expensive — obsession with Hawaii’s trademark string instrument.
After graduating from the University of Hawaii with a bachelor’s degree in Japanese language and liberal arts, Yacavone, now 40, worked for the former Island Ukulele store in the Hyatt Regency in Waikiki in the early 2000s. That’s where he refined his knowledge of the instrument and met famous musicians such as Jake Shimabukuro.
But he started to collect in earnest when he walked into a pawnshop in Ewa Beach in 2000 and casually asked whether they had any Martin ukulele, made by the famed Nazareth, Pa., luthier. Surprisingly, the owner pulled out his own Martin 1-M that was stashed beneath a shelf and sold it to Yacavone for $600.
Since then Yacavone has owned about 500 ukulele but can afford to keep only about 70 in his private collection.
"I would love to keep them all, but I have a young family to support, so I feel if I can find a rare piece that can be restored, sold and put back into circulation — either to be played or to be put on display — then that’s perpetuating the collection for the greater good."
Yacavone opened his own business, Ukulele Friend, in 2006 to sell restored vintage or custom ukulele and to educate buyers about the history and culture surrounding the instrument. He uses expert luthiers in Hawaii and on the mainland to restore them.
To find classic ukes for his collection, he does research online, occasionally checks Craigslist and just started going to collectors shows. But the best leads come from fellow collectors, he said.
"I’m fortunate to be a part of a greater network of collectors who have some of the rarest ukuleles in the world, and it’s always nice to bounce ideas and information off them on the rare pieces that come my way as well," he said.
Any ukulele made by the three original luthiers from Portugal who came to Hawaii in 1879 — Jose do Espirito Santo, Manuel Nunes and Augusto Dias — are considered extremely valuable.
Yacavone owns a soprano Manuel Nunes dating from about 1916 that is worth about $4,000. It is made of koa wood with the Hawaiian seal on the headstock and a historically significant label on the inside showing the instrument was first marketed on the mainland by J.W. Jenkins & Sons in Kansas City, Mo. It also features Bakelite plastic string tuners instead of the older wooden ones.
More valuable, while falling under the novelty category, is a Kamaka cigar box uke that was pictured in "The Ukulele: A Visual History," by Jim Beloff. Probably created in the ’40s, it has a value of $5,000, Yacavone estimates.
Well known among ukulele collectors, Yacavone recently consulted with the Musical Instruments Museum in Phoenix. He’s also working on a Web video project with Imua Garcia from the Opihi Pickers musical group to record audio samplings from all the antiques in his collection in order to educate the public on their unique acoustics and timbres.
"We’re all collectors in some way," said Yacavone, "so we should all be able to share in treasuring this very special instrument that was invented here in Hawaii."
Possessed is an occasional series featuring Hawaii residents and their unique or fascinating collections. Tell us about your collection by emailing features@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4892.
| » Why: "Hawaii is a special place. We’re the only state in the nation that had a kingdom, and our history predates America’s. The ukulele goes back to Kalakaua’s time and is intertwined with hula and Hawaiian culture. The instrument was created here as a result of a blending of cultures and passions, and it takes me back to a simpler time."
» Most valuable: A Jose do Espirito Santo soprano ukulele from the late 1880s worth about $10,000. "I remember every ding and nick on it."
» Most prized: A 1947 Martin employee model by Kenneth Smith that Yacavone acquired in 2010 for $12,000. "The Martin company would allow employees to use company materials to build one instrument of their own design for free on their own time. So these models were completely one-of-a-kind. A Martin historian, Dick Boak, has verified the one I have is the only known remaining employee ukulele model. It’s unusual because it’s a tenor size and similar to the famous Martin D-28 guitar."
» Still looking: "Any ukulele by Augusto Dias or a 1920s Martin 5-K tenor, of which less than five were made. The latter is considered the Holy Grail of ukuleles; the former is extremely rare."
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