Oʻahu ʻukelele builder Manny Halican talks story in new Hawaiʻi State Archives show

For Manny Halican of Pahu Kani ʻUkelele, building ʻukelele is a full-time hobby. Halican is a luthier, or builder of stringed instruments. It’s a gig he started in retirement after the former sheet metal worker took an ʻukelele-building class. The adult education class offered at Kapolei High School had him building an ʻukelele in 10 weeks, he said.

“I knew halfway through the build that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my retirement life,” he said. “So I started buying equipment. My wife was wondering: ʻWhat are you doing?’”

Part way through the class, they headed to Sears, now closed, to purchase a bandsaw, which was a first for Halican. 

That was more than 20 years ago. How many has he built since then?

“I stopped counting around maybe 260,” he said. 

Halican will be the first artist featured in a new series “Builder’s Spotlight,” which is hosted by the Hawaiʻi State Archives and explores Hawaiian music history. The two-hour show is hosted by musican Kimo Hussey and starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 15. It will be livestreamed to the Archives’ Facebook page and later posted to its YouTube Channel.

His instruments incorporate everything from seashells to resin and parts of kitchen countertops. Halican builds ʻukelele of all sizes and has also built several guitars. Corian, a popular countertop material that consists of natural minerals mixed with resin, is just one material that makes its way into his builds. 

“I like to fool around with stuff that is available to me easily,” he said. “I don't have to go hunt for it. Corian is readily available and you can go to visit one of the countertop people and ask to go look in their trash can and just take the scraps.”

Halican started playing ʻukelele when he was just six or seven years old. He picked up the skill by listening to the radio, buying chord books and teaching himself to “follow the music,” he said. 

“I'm actually self taught,” Halican said. “I didn't take any lessons. Didn't go online or get a teacher and learn how to play.”

Guitar followed. So did a little bit of piano. 

“I went back to the ʻukulele, because that was my first love,” he said. “And it's a fun instrument. It's easy to take around, not really bulky, so you can take it everywhere you go.”

Building that first ʻukelele took weeks, he said.

“My style right now? I don't have a time limit,” Halican said. “I just build when I want, and I stop when I want.”

His favorite part of the process is coming up with the design, which evolves as he builds. 

“Everybody builds standard looking ʻukulele,” Halican said. “If I were to do that every day, I would get bored. So I'm always looking for changing up the thing, changing the design, changing the type of material I use and changing the approach that I use to build ukulele. It keeps it fun.”

For those retiring soon, he advises them to stay busy.

“You got to find something that you’re passionate in and follow that passion,” Halican said. “Because if you wake up and you have nothing to look forward to, then you're not going nowhere. You need wake up to something.”

Halican hopes the series is a way to share knowledge and that viewers will be able to take information, “and not necessarily my information,” he added. 

“Listen to the message, because once the builder is gone, then his manaʻo stops,” Halican said. “Everybody offers different stuff, so listen to the message.”

Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.