Combi Concert
Paul, didn't want the same old thing--that is, a tenor. Instead he opted for a concert, high "G" tuning with a variety of woods. Per his instructions, I have constructed a concert ukulele with East India Rosewood sides to accent a Koa sound…
Heals, Just Heals
Just some pics of heal features that I have made in the past. It's all evolving.
I’m a Sap for Sapwood!
Here's a new tenor with a wood that I have built with before. My client just loved the look and I do too. Personally, I love variation in the wood such as this sap wood center (click on the pictures for a closer look). I'm not as fortunate…
Viva Villaverde!
Pro musician and ukulele phenom Carl Ray Villaverde just picked up his new ukulele this weekend (youtube: carl ray villaverde). This tenor cut-a-way was co-designed by Carl and I. Besides the request for particular woods, Carl was…
OMG Suzie!
Suzie ordered a baritone koa ukulele. Nothing fancy she said, no pick-up, no glitz. OK, I put strings on this instrument this weekend and, although I have not finished final adjustment, I have totally fallen in love with this instrument.…
Black is Beautiful Baby!
I just finished this Black Limba ukulele. It's a tenor, by the way. Haven't made one from this wood in awhile since I have not had a reliable source for wood. This wood has a really pleasant tap tone and I especially like the varied…
New Black Walnut
Got this Claro Black Walnut from my good friends at Gilmer Woods in Oregon. I've topped this uke with a 60+ year old Sitka Spruce that was rescued from the Gibson factory. I left the age stain down the middle just to give it some credibility.…
Carbon Tone Bar/Neck Reinforcement
If you have been to the website, you might be asking yourself what is a carbon fiber tone bar. In short it is a piece of pultruded carbon fiber bar that I have inlayed into the neck. Honestly, this stuff is freaking stiff. There really…
My Favorite Wood II
I just purchased some Black Limba lumber and here are a few pictures of book matches from that piece. Shhhhh! It's a secret so don't tell anyone-- this wood duplicates Koa and Black walnut in density and tonal quality. The pattern of the…
Hold that Tiger!
Being a sucker for any new and different wood, I couldn't resist this recent offering from Luthier's Mercantile. It is called Tigrillo. I don't know a whole lot more about the wood other than LMI reports that it is from Peru and is responsibly…
