Entries by Kimo Ukulele

As Good as Gold

This is still one of my favorite wood combinations for the Hawaiian Ukulele:  curly Hawaiian Koa and curly Black Walnut.  The wood densities are a close match for sound and the color contrast makes for an appealing appearance.  I have also used Hawaiian Koa for binding, back strip and  neck while the accent wood is Vanuatu Maidou […]

Killer Koa and Bear Claw Sitka

Here’s a new instrument with very specific requests.  The Koa is absolutely killer.   The shape is my Hula Hips Tenor with a lower bout at approximately 10.5 inches.   Stephen selected this cool bear claw top wood of Alaskan Sitka Spruce.    Accents are conservative with died and natural Maple. The binding is India ebony.   […]

La, La Limba

I can’t seem to keep these instruments in stock.  Don’t know if it is the warm sound or the appearance.  Nevertheless, here is another all Limba Hawaiian Ukulele.  I’ve use  a herringbone purfling and zipper back strip to accent this dark wood.  Binding is ebony species as is the finger board and bridge.  PHD low […]

Hold That Tiger!

Ok, since I’m on a Myrtlewood kick, here is the finished product using the Oregon Tiger Stripe Myrtle that I posted this February.  This Hawaiian tenor ukulele has a body of rare tiger stripe myrtlewood, the top is bearclaw Sitka Spruce (lots of color), the neck is figured Oregon Black Walnut, the binding is curly Hawaiian Koa, […]

Curly, Burly, Quilty, Naughty Myrtle

No rules in ukulele!  Just keep it fun!  Here’s a Hawaiian ukulele  that made me smile a lot while working on it.   George really got into some new, freaking gorgeous Oregon Myrtlewood that I received and couldn’t resist.    It’s all Myrtle with a Koa “T” band figured black walnut neck.  The finger board and […]

Koa Sitka

Sometimes I wind up with incomplete front/back/side sets and then the mix and match situation occurs.  Here I have a back and side Koa set that needed a top.  Alternative Koa tops are a possibility but usually I place an alternative top on these sets, ie:  spruce species, cedar or even redwood.  On this Hawaiian […]

Ho’o 2015

Yup!  It’s that time of the year again–the Olukai Ho’olaule’a on Maui May 1-3.   The showcase of this gathering is a downwind SUP and OC1 paddle/race from Maliko Gulch to Kanaha beach.  This is a great social gathering displaying many Hawaiian cultural events and entertainments.   If you’re there, be there! This woodsy Hawaiian tenor ukulele is provided […]

More Mango 2015

Here’s a few pic’s of a new Hawaiian Tenor Ukulele made from Hawaiian Spalted Mango.  This instrument is made from the same wood as the last Mango ukulele, but each instrument can appear dramatically different due to the rapidly changing patterns in this wood.  Because the wood is so appearance active, I have kept most of […]

Koa and Mango

Here’s a Hawaiian Ukulele with a Koa/Mango combination.  I’ve used some of my spalted mango for the back strip and sound hole rosette.  I was going to use mango binding but opted for a curly off-color maple which matched well.  The neck is Oregon Black Walnut and the accents are Vanuatu Maidou Burl.  The fret board and […]