Rare Beach Boys Memorabilia Surfaced On Kauai. Now Jason Momoa Has It.

Jason Momoa now owns a piece of Kauai history. It came in the form of a long lost Beach Boys amplifier that spent 35 years tucked away near the beach on the Garden Island. It is a rare piece of their vintage music gear, a Dumble Overdrive Special made for the band in the early eighties, and real Hawaiiana in its own sideways way. This week it resurfaced in nearly untouched condition, and the collision of Momoa, the Beach Boys, and Kauai does not come along often, but when it does, it feels very Kauai.

The Beach Boys did have real history here. Their 25th anniversary concert (below) was filmed in Waikiki in 1986, a moment that tied the band to Hawaii long before this amp ever settled on Kauai.

The amp reappeared only after Trevor Boone of Emerald City Guitars, who had been following it for more than a decade, finally confirmed its location when the owner decided to sell. A Kauai resident had quietly kept it since the late eighties, complete with the original parts, paperwork, and the Beach Boys’ road case that once traveled with the band.

It had even been carpet-covered by the road crew at some point, which Boone later removed to reveal the original white Tolex. Momoa took possession and immediately plugged it into his own recording studio setup, bringing the whole story into the present tense.

Living on Kauai, we are often reminded that the island has a way of holding onto extraordinary things. Objects drift into garages or back rooms and become part of the place without much attention. They wait until the moment they decide to reappear. This amp, once belonging to one of America’s most famous bands, quietly became part of Kauai’s story for three decades before reemerging.

One of just three ever made.

For those unfamiliar with Dumble amplifiers, they are among the rarest and most sought-after pieces of music gear ever built. Alexander Dumble hand-built only a few hundred, each tailored to specific musicians. The Beach Boys commissioned three. This one, used during their Live Aid period in 1985, disappeared completely until now. Its Kauai hiding place confirmed years of rumors among collectors that the amp never actually left the islands.

The condition makes the story even better. The owner kept it largely untouched for decades, so its transformers, circuitry, and cabinet remain original. In the world of Dumbles, that kind of preservation is almost unheard of. Add their connection to the Beach Boys, and it becomes one of the most historical and meaningful examples still left in existence.

Momoa has a history of collecting instruments with deep stories. In 2023, he acquired the first Martin D-28 acoustic guitar ever built, another piece of music history with long legs. This Dumble fits the pattern.

Momoa was born in Honolulu and later returned to Hawaii as an adult, and he has said many times that the islands shaped his sense of who he is. It makes sense that objects with a history and a connection to Hawaii speak to him. He even gave this one a nickname, calling it the dirty Dumble.

Momoa is not treating it as a showpiece.

He is already recording with it in his current project and told Boone this is the one amp he intends to keep forever. Boone believes one more Beach Boys Dumble may still be out there, although no one knows whether it ended up in Hawaii as well.

Momoa closed the loop with a line that fit the whole story squarely. In his words, “I’m gonna have this mother*** buried with me.” It is a natural end to an odd Kauai chapter, where a piece of music history found the person who would appreciate it most.

What do you make of this amp spending most of its life hidden away on Kauai?