S. Nakanishi Model 230 Mahogany Soprano Ukulele

S. Nakanishi Model 230 Mahogany Soprano Ukulele

Purchased recently by me on a visit to Japan, this Nakanishi 230 Soprano Ukulele is a virtual clone of a vintage Martin Style 0.

I don’t know for sure if the instrument is a laminate or solid mahogany. As you can see in the correspondence below, it’s a tossup depending upon who you ask. I believe it to be a laminate.

The instrument is in very nice condition, no cracks, signs of abuse, repairs or modifications. The neck is straight, the action is good, and there is no wear on the frets or the fingerboard. It plays beautifully.

You don’t see many Nakanishi instruments in America.

Please research the instrument carefully, study the photos, and ask questions before purchasing.

Note: We ship only to the contiguous 48 states.

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When I reached out to Kiwaya Japan for information, I was told this:

About Nakanishi Ukulele

There is a little misunderstanding about Nakanishi ukulele here. Mr. Nakanishi was a builder (Luthier) of Nakanishi Ukulele, and selling his product as his own brand. He had few apprentice, but Mr. Nakanishi was the main builder.

KIWAYA was selling his brand mainly on the East side of Japan, but not as "Kiwaya's brand". It is not true that Kiwaya has acquired Nakanishi brand. The brand that Kiwaya took over in the past is a brand called "Luna", which was asked by Mr. Kamano. (Original Luna brand holder)

There was other company that was selling on the West side of Japan before us, and probably to distinguish the sales route, Kiwaya put on the original inner label inside. The model names were like "FN-30", "NS-250" or "No.120C", and was promoted as High class Famous Ukulele. (Famous is Kiwaya's original ukulele brand)

The model that has a letter "PM" in the model name, was sold by other company.

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When I reached out to Lucy’s Ukulele, she replied:

After Mr. Nakanishi passed away, no more Nakanishi except for what was available in the market. Mr. Nakanishi had 2 distributors/wholesalers. One is Kiwaya and the other one we don't know the name of company but item No. start with P-. If there's no Kiwaya, Luna or P-number, it was direct sales from Mr. Nakanishi. Item no. 230 would be laminate. Kiwaya never acquired Nakanishi company.

Mr.Okamoto (Founder of Kiwaya) and Mr. Nakanishi was very close friend and business partner to promote ukulele and they have worked together for many years.

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Kaz-Maz on the Ukulele Underground wrote the following in response to a query I placed there:

Here is a summary of the Nakanishi ukulele, based on information gathered from various Japanese sources:

The 230 model appears to be a solid mahogany ukulele, though there is no definitive proof, as the luthier passed away in 2012 or 2013.

According to various sources, including Twitter and blogs I've come across, Nakanishi Gakki Seisakusho used to be an official OEM supplier for Martin in Japan, which explains why many of his ukuleles resemble Martin models.

Many Japanese luthiers trained at Nakanishi Gakki Seisakusho and learned the craft of ukulele making there in 1990s.

One notable luthier is Shinji Takahashi, known for his work with Seiren Ukulele nowadays, as well as T's and IMUA ukuleles in the past. Takahashi apprenticed there in the 1990s, and during that time, the "Nancy Ukulele" brand was launched for export.