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ohanabrown wrote:

This is the man behind the legacy of a guitar , Able was the person that gave me the koa arch top guitar back in November, and andy was kind enough to post the pictures on taropatch, the before and after. I went back to show able the finished product and to get some information on how he built it. ( he was so happy to see the guitar in it's new stage.)

In 1939 able attended makawao elementray, ( 8th grade.) it was the newest school built on maui at that time. They had a woodshop and the teachers name was Mr. Allision, he asked each student that took woodshop,before the year was done they each had to do a project.

Ables father who use to train horses to race, he would fly to waimea ( on the big island.) often to buy horses from parker ranch. The foreman for the ranch at that time was Mr. Cutter, flying back and forth ables dad noticed that mr. cutters home was built with koa. ( the whole house.) He notice some huge slabs of koa laying around, so he asked mr.cutter if he could have some, so he brought back to maui a few slabs of koa, and thats when able decided to make a ukulele. Able took the slab of koa to school and the teacher told him he should make a guitar instead because, it was a big piece of koa wood and that he would help able to make this guitar.

So the project started in 1939, they both worked on it, able did the bracings and soaking the top of the guitar in water for 4 days so they could mold and make the arch shape.( front and back.) He did the sanding and built the neck of the guitar, Mr. Allision put everything together, he had some knowledge of guitars, and this was his first projest too. Certain parts had to be bought at the music store in wailuku. ( keys, frets,nut,and bridge.) Years after able played for one of the orchestras on maui, using his arch top guitar.

In 1950 he re-tired the arch top and started playing the saxophone and then the clarinet and the piano, then a few years after became a full time paniolo ( cowboy.) he is the last of the first batch of cowboys that worked on a ranch on Kahoolawe. He tucked the arch top away for 55 years until he brought it out in November of 2004 and gave it to me. I told him i would do a little work on it, and i would give it back to him, but he told me he wanted to pass it on to family, and he wanted me to know the story behind the guitar, and to promise him i would play it and keep it with'n the family, he said the guitar brought him a lot of joy.

I went to show able the finish product a week ago and to video him telling his story, I was glad i did because a week after, my mother inlaw called and said able had to go into the hospital, we went to visit him and the doctors said his heart was giving way, and they gave him know longer then 7 days to live.

I wanted to share this story about a man that came from a humble beginning always worked hard for what he had, never asked others but,........always helped others, today my son and i will go to play for him in the hospital, with....His Koa Guitar.

Me Ke Aloha
Kevin


Kevin & his father-in-law with guitar


Kevin's father-in-law with guitar he built


Kevin & his father-in-law with guitar


Kevin's in-laws

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