Another FrankenUke Custom Ukulele - Sold
It’s not quite Halloween but if the stores had all their deco’s out a month ago then maybe Another FrankenUke Custom Ukulele isn’t too early for the celebration. This is a standard tenor shape.
Mix and match.
It’s All About The Woods
Body Top and Back: quilt maple, zebrawood, blond figured bubinga and bastogne black walnut.
Figured Bubinga and Bastogne Walnut.
Body Sides: spalted tamarind wood and curly chocolate mango.
Spalted tamarind with whale eyes.
Binding: koa, mango, Honduran rosewood and masur birch.
Neck: Central American mahogany with African limba, PNW big leaf maple and a touch of “the tree”. Carbon truss rod. Sanded epoxy finish.
Mahogany, limba and big leaf maple combo.
Fret Board and Bridge: radiused black and white ebony and Munn ebony.
Head Stock: lace redwood, mappa burl and pheasant wood.
Mappa burl and a touch of lace redwood.
The Rest Of The Build
Tuners: Gotoh UPT.
Strings: Romero low “G“.
Chocolate, curly mango on this side.
Case: Crossrock ABS.
Fret Markers: white MOP.
Nut and Saddle: unbleached bone.
And
Is nothing sacred?
I tried my best not to duplicate any part of the instrument; even the purfling colors don’t match. Client wanted “ugly wood” but I’m not sure I have any. I think this is the 3rd FrankenUke that I have built so far. It’s actually a great way to use up some of the orphan pieces-parts that we all seem to collect to many of. Not everyone’s cup-o-tea but neither was Franky!
This idea didn’t come from me. One of David Crosby’s guitars was made by a luthier that used a combination of cedar and spruce for the sound board. I remember the pictures and was extremely impressed because the seam between these two “soft” woods was dovetailed from top to bottom–an extremely difficult procedure. I just expanded the idea and decided all the panels should be different. Actually, the theme could be expanded substantially but that might have taken till next Halloween.
As far as sound goes; well, not bad at all and very typical of my instruments. You always wonder. I try to use the same strings for all similar instrument sizes for comparison. This one doesn’t hold back. Another “go figure”. I’ll, of course, get more feedback by this Wednesday when it will have landed in the new owner’s hands. Bragging rights for the next uke club visit fer sure.
And. . . Another FrankenUke Custom Ukulele done!
