Hey You all! Nothing new but reworking old ideas. This under-the-bridge string knot I copied from Nahenahe Ukulele of Maui over 20 years ago. Don’t let anybody tell you it’s something new and different. I see that a lot of custom builders are starting to use this technique for stringing newer instruments. There are […]
As in Baritone, that is. Uncle Bob has been eyeing this Oregon Bastogne Black Walnut for most of a year now. He finally pulled the trigger, but wanted a baritone instead of the usual tenor. He wanted the instrument to be straight-forward without a lot of bling, so we didn’t do a back strip and […]
This tenor ukulele was purchased by Olukai (www.olukai.com) as part of it’s contribution for this year’s Surf Industry Manufacturers Association annual Waterman”s Ball (www.sima.com)l silent auction. I was pleased to collaborate with ocean artist Wade Koniakowsky (www.koniakowsky.com) this year to provide a tenor ukulele showcasing our art. This ukulele is fabricated from premium curly Tasmanian […]
Bonnie’s ukulele has a Koa back and side but with an Australian Lacewood sound board. The lacewood kicks–a unique composite of hard and soft wood that really has unique sound capabilities. Binding is East India Rosewood with black/white/black purfling. She requested a butterfly inlay on the head stock and this is what we came up […]
Here’s a revitalization of my original Hula Hips tenor pattern now over 12 years old. Based on the original Martin Tenor but with a wider lower bout at 10.25 inches. I have modernized by changing the depth of the instrument and moving sound hole up making for a larger sound board. Kanani wanted something different […]
I am truly stoked! Ocean artist Wade Koniakowsky (www.koniakowsky.com) and I have been brainstorming some new concepts. We now have the ability to laser print any image to the sound board of an ukulele. I have been wanting to do this for over 6 years. Just think, this is the ultimate customization for your new […]
Up and comer Jonah Price gets his hands on his newly strung up cut-a-way koa tenor. Jonah dictated the dimension of this instrument and also designed his fret board logo. He also requested a whale inlay for head stock and accepted my design for a humpback whale in black and white mother-of-pearl. These photos are […]
This tenor ukulele sports one of my favorite wood combinations: Oregon Black Walnut back and sides with Hawaiian Koa Sound board. Skyler asked for an instrument with a mellow, full sound and this combination of wood usually prdovides that result. He also requested Petroglyph style Honu on head stock so I inlayed both head stock […]
It’s almost that time of the year again, and here’s this year’s Olukai “Aloha” award ukulele for the Ho’olaule’a in Maui this coming May. I’ve added a tribal gecko laser cut to the back of the instrument. Accents are India Rosewood binding, rope style purfling, and Mango for heal graft and back of peg head. […]
You know, sometimes it pays to try something different. This tenor uke is made from Carob wood. I’ve never heard of this wood and have never used this wood before and I don’t expect that when my present stock is gone that I will ever use it again. I was suprised at the warm tone […]
