Lame Horse Ukes

The Komona Wauna Leiya ukulele line was born in 2006 after we learned of an unusual and colorful story surrounding a ukulele discovered in an old house in Fort Worth, Texas. The tale includes houses of ill repute, cowboys, grandmothers who turned out to be madams, Hawaii’s historic Parker Ranch, the Fort Worth Police Department—and, of course, a ukulele. The full story is shared below.

Our Komona Wauna Leiya ukuleles are high-quality instruments crafted from imported components sourced through a trusted distributor in California. Unlike our custom guitars and other instruments, these ukuleles are not hand-built in our Texas shop. However, that distinction should not be mistaken for a compromise in quality.

These ukuleles are constructed using premium tonewoods, including solid mahogany, Indian rosewood, western red cedar, and koa. Features include wooden bindings, bone nuts and saddles, shell purfling, Grover tuners, and beautiful hardshell cases. Most models are equipped with ukulele pickup systems. Each ukulele also features an eye-catching cowgirl or hula girl graphic on the back.

By using imported components, we are able to keep pricing accessible while maintaining exceptional sound and craftsmanship. These ukuleles sound fantastic and are simply fun to play—more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Jeremy even keeps one in his car so that when he’s stuck in Austin’s infamous traffic, he can relax and strum away the stress.

Komona Wauna Leiya ukuleles are available in soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone sizes, and are offered in koa, mahogany, or rosewood with a cedar top. Prices start at $699 and vary based on materials and options.

The Komona Wauna Leiya Ukulele Story

This is the story of the original Komona Wauna Leiya ukulele—or at least the version that was told to us.

The story came from a friend we’ll call Joe, a man known for telling particularly elaborate tales. Frankly, we don’t claim to believe a word of it, and we encourage readers to enjoy it as legend rather than fact. That said, here is the story as it was told to us: The Legend of Bever Castor and Dusty Johnson.

In November of 2005, Joe received a visit from a longtime acquaintance, Goodman Brown. Goodman’s grandmother, Bever (pronounced be-VEER, rhyming with year) Castor, had recently passed away at the age of 93. She had outlived all of her relatives except Goodman. He was an only child; his mother—Bever’s daughter—had died young from ovarian cancer.

Goodman was left to clean out his grandmother’s large house in south Fort Worth, just off Magnolia Avenue. Once a fine home, the house had fallen into disrepair, as had the surrounding neighborhood over many decades. The upstairs portion of the house had been unused since the Great Depression, serving only as storage.

While cleaning an upstairs closet, Goodman discovered an old steamer trunk. Inside were a diary from his grandmother’s younger years and a weathered leather kit bag. The bag contained a sweat-stained silver belly cowboy hat, a well-worn pair of Leddy Brothers stovepipe boots, and a ukulele adorned with a painting of a scantily clad cowgirl on the back.

As Goodman read through the diary, he was stunned by what he learned.

According to the diary, Bever Castor’s house had operated as a brothel from the time she arrived in Fort Worth from France in the 1920s until 1933. Bever had owned and run the establishment, drawing on professional experience she had acquired prior to her arrival in Texas.

The operation came to an abrupt end in 1933, when a cowboy named Dusty Johnson was found dead in an upstairs room. Police discovered him “dead as a hammer,” wearing only his hat, boots, and a smile, while clutching his ukulele. Though Bever reportedly maintained a cordial relationship with the Fort Worth police, the publicity surrounding Dusty’s death made it impossible for authorities to continue overlooking her business. She was forced to shut it down.

Dusty’s death was ruled natural, and no charges were ever filed against Bever Castor.

Bever retired comfortably, keeping Dusty’s hat, boots, and ukulele as mementos. Her diary revealed that Dusty had worked as a cowboy on the Big Island of Hawaii at the famed Parker Ranch during the 1920s—likely where he acquired the ukulele. The diary also recounts Dusty singing cowboy songs and playing the ukulele in repeated (and occasionally successful) attempts to earn free services at Bever Castor’s house.

There are few things more quintessentially “cowboy” than the Parker Ranch and Fort Worth, Texas. For that reason, we’ve dubbed Dusty’s instrument “The Original Cowboy Uke.”

Joe claims that Goodman Brown gave him the ukulele because, while he couldn’t bear to destroy it, he also didn’t want a reminder of his grandmother’s past. The label inside the instrument reads Komona Wauna Leiya, Kona, Hawaii. Bever’s diary even suggests that Dusty may have been more enamored with the cowgirl painting on the back of the ukulele than with its sound.

Regardless, it sounds sweet to us—and we believe the modern Komona Wauna Leiya ukuleles sound even better.