Features

Standard Features:

  • Choice of wood (if available) for back, sides and soundboard (see Upgrades for highest curl, figure or hard to obtain woods)
  • Choice of complimentary binding for top, bottom and neck
  • Peghead veneer front and back with Paua Abalone or MOP embellishment front
  • Machine Tuners: open Gotoh
  • Choice of Strings
  • Choice of neck profile and width
  • MOP Fingerboard side dots
  • Fine gauge frets
  • Bone nut and saddle
  • Gloss finish with 100% urethane
  • 4-String
  • Hard Case

Upgrades:

  • Highest quality curl, figure or difficult to obtain woods
  • Soundboard purfling and side binding accent
  • Custom shapes
  • Paua abalone sound hole rosette
  • Soundboard color: sunburst, solid or fades
  • Custom pick guard or custom pick guard with customer name or LOGO in MOP or Paua Abalone.
  • Hardwood neck to match body (i.e. Koa, walnut, maple, limba etc.)
  • Hybrid carbon fiber sound board lamination
  • Custom sound board artwork (see Models/Art series): price will depend on artist and/or artist’s charges.
  • 5, 6, 7, or 8 string combinations
  • Amplification

Construction

Traditional guitar construction methods and materials are used for most instruments including: cedar kerfing, heal grafts, dovetail neck-to-body joint, Sitka Spruce bracing for backs and tops and Adirondak Spruce bracing for tops, arched backs, full body neck and body binding, machine tuners and peg head laminate front and back with Paua Abalone embellishment front. All 17” and longer scale necks are reinforced with a carbon fiber rod. All finishes are high gloss using 100% urethane finish.

Non-traditional carbon hybrid laminated soundboards are available on all instruments. This process eliminates the use of most traditional bracing giving the instruments volume, quicker response and an extremely stable soundboard.

Neck Profile: Standard neck profile is “D” shaped, but necks are available per individual request in non-standard widths and also shaped to “C” or “V” profile at no additional cost.

Woods

I select woods for both unique appearance and tonal qualities. I believe that Koa is not the only wood that can be used for ukulele and I do not feel restricted to the exclusive use of this valuable resource.

The following are woods that I have used in ukulele construction:

  • BambooBocote
  • Black Limba
  • Bloodwood
  • Bubinga
  • Chechen
  • Dalmation
  • Ebony (species)
  • Granadillo
  • Imbuya
  • Indonesian Blackwood
  • Keawe
  • Koa
  • Lacewood
  • Lace Oak
  • Magumba
  • Mahogany (species)
  • Mango
  • Maple
  • Melaleuca
  • Monkeypod
  • Monkeywood
  • Myrtle
  • Nara
  • Padauk
  • Pau Santo
  • Red Cedar
  • Redwood
  • Rosewood (species)
  • Spruce (species)
  • Sycamore
  • Tasmanian
  • Blackwood
  • Walnut (species)
  • Wenge
  • Zebrawood
  • Ziricote

Price

Base Price: All instruments are custom and handmade. As of 2012, base price on all models is $600.

Grand Total: We will discuss all of your instrument’s particulars before any design decisions are set and final price is determined. When details are settled and agreed upon, I will e-mail and mail you an invoice detailing what we have discussed.

Payment Terms: A $250 deposit is required to lock in your price quote and position in my build list. The balance of payment, plus estimated shipping and insurance costs are due prior to delivery of your instrument.

Delivery Time: My current delivery time is between 2 and 4 months for custom instruments. I try to keep in stock at least one instrument per model at all times. Please call for more information

Approval Period: There is a 7 day approval period for every instrument upon delivery.

Return Policy: In the unlikely event that you are not completely satisfied with your instrument, I will issue a full refund, less return shipping and insurance costs upon the delivery to me of the unaltered and undamaged instrument. The instrument must be in the identical condition as when it shipped from my shop for full refund.

Warranty: Each instrument carries a limited lifetime warranty to the original owner. The warranty covers repairs for defects in materials and workmanship. Damages due to neglect, abuse, or extremes of heat and/or humidity are not covered under this warranty, nor are the affects of playing wear and tear that occur from normal use.

Taxes: California sales taxes may be applicable.