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At right, my very first `ukulele. sure wish I had it now! The `ukulele at left is a 1948 Martin soprano, Ivroid binding and tailpiece, which I was given by my father when he learned I was starting to play professionally. I've played it in California, Texas, Oregon, Alaska, the Yukon, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, China, Fiji, and Indonesia. In Indonesia, I played it live on the radio, and in China, I was filmed for national TV. It's the `ukulele you hear in the jingle for my old cooking show - "Kau Kau Kitchen, "Come on over to Kau Kau Kitchen, We're gonna learn about island food. Poi, lomi salmon, chicken long rice - "Ono grinds" means, "It tastes good!" |
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 The guitar in this photo is a Cromwell which I
inherited from my grandfather, Henry Bernard Yuen. My grandfather was a medical
student in the 20s, in St. Louis, MO, and was part of a Hawaiian band of
island boys who were in similar situations and played music to help
put themselves through college. If you are a fan of Hawaiian musi,
you may have heard of Sol Bright, one of my grandfather's early
band-mates. Sol went on to fame as a musician, while my grandfather went
on to deliver babies!
Cromwell was a name Gibson used for their low-end mass-market guitars. It was sold through outlets like Montgomery Ward. I mention the guitar in one of my songs - Tutu-Man's Guitar, "My Tutu-man bought it from a mail-order store on a money-back guarantee, he played it in college in his own Hawaiian band doin' parties to make pocket money." It sounds like a Gibson, but to keep the price down, they used a heavier neck instead of a truss rod. So it is a bit slower on the neck than a higher end Gibson. That heavy old neck has remained true, though, and I have had to have surprisingly little work done on it to restore it. Dennis Lake, http://www.konaweb.com/mahina/, the Hawai`i warranty guy for Martin Guitars, is the only person I will let touch my vintage axes. He is FANTASTIC, is a very competent luthier in his own right, and has a true respect and fine touch for the vintage instruments. Dennis is just completing restoration of the Cromwell, and I hope to have it back in action soon. I LOVE playing it for my "evil woman" blues numbers!
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 Banjos are a ton of fun. As a banjo-playing friend once told me, It's really hard to be sad when you're playing a banjo. They just sound so HAPPY!" This is a basic Iida purchased used form a friend. |
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Leilehua's Axes -