I don’t use the classic woods of guitar very often. This is because of the demand for ukuleles made with the traditional wood– Koa. This Bear and Rose Tenor Ukulele, a custom request, gets me back to tradition. The back and sides are old growth India Rosewood from Allied Lutherie. Even though India Rosewood is […]
Here is a fun project, the Om Shanti Tenor Ukulele. It’s a standard tenor shape not the super size “J” that I have made so many of lately. The request was for Mango. This is the second instrument that I have made from mango I received from Kamuela Hardwoods on the Big Island of Hawaii […]
Here’s a bit of an experiment. I really like working with Ambrosia Maple. It bends well, finishes well; but, it’s a tough look to match tops with. So far, I think the grey-brown ancient sitka tops have looked the best. This Ambrosia Super Tenor Ukulele has a curly koa top. I tried this koa top […]
It seems like it has been a long time since I built a standard tenor ukulele. Lately all that has been going out is super tenors, pineapples and concerts. Here’s a new build shipped last week. I’m calling it the Canadian Tenor Ukulele. Guess where it went? So for this build there was a request […]
The last instrument delivered last week to Hale Ukulele is this all koa, long neck concert ukulele. It is Hale Holiday Fare 5. Pretty much a straight forward build–it is a blend of moderate to severely curly koa. It has an extended scale (17″) which is the same as tenor. I build 15 frets to […]
Another new tenor pineapple. This is Hale Holiday Fare 4. This instrument is now at Hale Ukulele . Ric asked for another tenor pineapple for the shop. This one is all Koa–no abalone, no inlays just Koa. I like green as the purfling and rosette colors. The neck is a composite of California Black Walnut […]
This uke is a preview of some of the builds that I am looking forward to in this coming year. This is the Purple Rain Super Tenor Ukulele. This instrument is to be delivered to Hale Ukulele in San Diego Tuesday, December 3rd, and is Hale Holiday Fare #3. What’s it made out of? The […]
Ok, here’s holiday fare #2 going to Hale Ukulele this coming Tuesday. This one I’m calling Hale Fare #2 and it’s another of my curly Ambrosia Maple super tenor ukuleles topped with the 3000 year old Alaskan Ancient Spruce. I used turquoise “recon” stone for some eye-popping accents–rosette, lower bout graft and backstrip. Turquoise fiber […]
To be delivered to Hale Ukulele no later than December 3rd is this super tenor ukulele–Holiday Fare #1. All Koa, very woodsy, light curl. I added the maple/mahogany herringbone accents because it just really worked well with this set of Koa–a vintage look. It’s pretty much a standard build. Ric has asked for both standard […]
Sometimes my clients drag me kicking and screaming out of comfort zone. This ukulele, the Turquoise Mango Tenor Ukulele, is an example. The mango wood I obtained from Kamuela Hardwoods on the big island early this year. I’ve got a bunch and so far all the sets are showing something different and unusual. My client […]
