Molokai luthier Eric DeVine to share building process

Molokai resident Eric DeVine, the owner of DeVine Guitars and ʻUkuleles, started building instruments after his plane was grounded in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Today, he builds guitars and ʻukulele with materials such as koa, mahogany and Brazilian rosewood with inlay that includes opals, black coral and emeralds. His instruments start at $7,500 for a concert ʻukulele, with additional charges for inlay and wood upgrades. Finished instruments feature things such as a voyaging canoe, a maile lei and a sea turtle, among other subjects.

Many feature opals.

“It's really pretty stuff, and it's available in just about every color as well, so there's a lot of freedom in using that material,” DeVine told Aloha State Daily. “The neat thing about the opal over shell, like abalone and mother of pearl, is that opal catches the light in a far different way. ... It will collect light from all sides and project it.”

DeVine will share how he selects wood for his instruments at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, in the next Builder’s Spotlight, an ongoing series that features ʻukulele makers across the state. The conversations are hosted by Kauaʻi musician Kimo Hussey and Hawaiʻi State Archives, which is part of the state Department of Accounting and General Services.

This week, the Builder’s Spotlight will also feature ʻukulele player Mika Kane, who will demonstrate some of the concepts DeVine describes. The event will also have six ʻukulele he built, which are worth approximately $100,000, according to DAGS representatives.

A previous Builder's Spotlight highlighted the work of Manny Halican, who runs the Waiʻanae-based company Pahu Kani ʻUkulele and makes instruments that incorporate everything from seashells to parts of kitchen countertops. 

DeVine grew up in Washington, in a family that worked in construction and valued music. When he was about 20 years old, he moved to Hawaiʻi Island. He was visiting his family in Washington when the 9/11 attacks temporarily grounded planes across the nation. Tourism in Hawaiʻi had been at a standstill, so DeVine decided to stay a year on the Mainland. During that time, he signed up for a guitar-making class offered by a retired woodworker at a community college.

“That was kind of it,” he said with a laugh. “It became really clear that's what I wanted to do. I finished that guitar, and then immediately started building three more.”

Eventually, DeVine moved back to Hawaiʻi, where he met Hussey, who saw a few of his instruments at a kids ʻukulele contest at Hula Grill Kāʻanapali.

“He saw them, and he put in a custom order,” DeVine said. “It was my very first custom order.”

Since then, DeVine has built at least a dozen instruments for Hussey over the years.

Today, DeVine creates about 15 to 20 instruments per year, although he plans to increase production so he can double or triple output. He ships instruments across the world.

“It’s interesting because the hot markets have changed over the years,” DeVine said.

In the early years of the business, about 80% of the instruments were shipped to Japan, he said. When the exchange rate became less favorable, the company shipped more instruments to other countries, including Thailand and China.

“Now it’s picking up a bit more in Europe,” he said.

The result of this international demand is musicians around the world own instruments he designed in Hawaiʻi.

“It's kind of cool knowing that there's little towns in Germany that have a number of my instruments in them,” he said. “That's kind of a funny thought.”

Watch the Builder’s Spotlight featuring DeVine at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 19. After the event, the video will be posted to the Hawaiʻi State Archives’ YouTube Channel.  

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