Not Another Maple Ukulele!
I don’t know, I just can’t resist. I’ve had the opportunity to build some “shop” instruments and decided to do another maple/sitka combination. ALSO, the latest run of instruments have all been strung up with Jason Arimoto’s PHD, low “G” flourocarbon strings. I wanted to accurately gauge the difference in sound that each wood and instrument produced. This combination of wood has impressed me again: I found bright and clear tones across the scale, but with good volume and sustain. I think “articulate” might be appropriate. These curly maple instruments are always an eye catcher. I glued up a curly maple neck with Koa center. Accents are Oregon Black Walnut Burl, while binding is dark Hawaiian Curly Koa. Finger board and bridge are Macassar Ebony. The sound board is 60 year old Sitka Spruce from the Gibson factory. Tuners are Gotoh UPT 4:1.
I’m wondering what this would sound like if I were to replace the Sitka top with some alternative wood. What do you think?