This custom tenor ukulele was co-designed by pro surfer Guy Takayama (www.takayamasurf.com). The ukulele is a modified hula hips but with a slightly wider waist and a rounded lower bout. Instead of the usual center sound hole, Guy opted for the asymmetric design this year. Construction is of curly Claro Walnut with curly Oregon Maple […]
This concert ukulele is made from the following woods: back and sides–figured Claro Walnut; sound board–Canadian Red Cedar; neck–Oregon black walnut; accents–Maidou burl. The binding is East India Rosewood. I also used an extended scale of 15 3/4″ for a little more string tension. The instrument was just strung up today, the strings not set […]
Carl is one of the best ukulele players in town. Check out some of his videos on YouTube (Carl Villaverde). Carl teaches music and ukulele at Santa Barbara City College. He is also a regular performer in the Los Angeles area. Here are a couple of clips from a recent promotional video for the […]
Here’s a note and a link that I received last year–just didn’t get around to posting . The uke being played is an all African Imbuia hula hips tenor ukulele. I think I made it about 7 years ago. The wood has a huge tonal range as well as a wide variety of appearances. This […]
Yes, it is that time of the year again. Hopefully the gods prevailed this year with good winds and prevailing surf for the most classic open water event of the year. If you are into stand up paddling, outrigger canoeing or Hawaiiana then Maui is the place to be at this time every year. Olukai […]
Just finished this Myrtle Wood and Black Walnut tenor ukulele. I don’t think the pictures do justice to the beauty and unusual qualities of the sound board–it’s a cross between tiger strip, curly, figured and crazy. It compliments the figured Claro Walnut back and sides perfectly. I used curly maple binding, a herringbone back strip, […]
Another shop instrument made from Black Limba. I’ve used curly Maple binding and herringbone-style purfling for accent. The bridge and finger board are African Ebony species. The neck is also made of Black Limba. The orangish drips in the wood are caused by beetle infestation and subsequent moisture contamination in the wood. The results […]
For all you Koa affectionados, here’s a new tenor constructed entirely of Koa with the exception of the internal bracing. I have used Gotoh 4::1 tuners, and its new owner has the option of selecting amplification, strings, and case. It’s pretty nice, and I expect the sound to be on a par with most Koa […]
Here is a Hula Hips tenor–overall dimensions the same as the tenor except for the lower bout which is 10 1/4 inches. The result adds a ton of volume to the instrument, resulting in a lower pitch with more volume and sustain. I used a classic combination of curly Claro Walnut and a low density […]
Don wanted a double neck ukulele and was not going to take no for an answer. After extensive discussion, I folded. Here are photos of the result. Of course we used a combination of woods: the back and sides are Oregon curly Maple, while the sound board is Hawaiian curly Koa. Binding was India Rosewood […]
