Smokin’!

Here's another all Oregon Myrtle tenor ukulele.  I wasn't too sure what this would look like because of the darker blushes in the wood.  Once I got sealer on the instrument,  I was pleasantly surprised with the result.  I especially like…

Who are you calling a Heal?

I've been adding  lower bout "heal grafts" to my instruments since I first started building.  Now I know that this has nothing to do with sound or construction quality, but it is one of the things that you would expect to see on a custom acoustic…

Limba Love

Karen fell in love with the Limba.  She requested that the instrument not have too many frills, but concentrate on the beauty of the wood--beetle holes included.  So here we go:  African Black Limba body and neck,  Ebony binding,  radiused…

California Curl

No I'm not talking surf dude!  I got my hands on some killer Redwood top sets and there are no two alike; and, each one really  is killer!  I didn't know what to pair this wood with so my first endeavor was to go with the tried and true…

Cut, Color and Curl

In the old days (????) this type of Koa might have been common place. Now days it is a rarity to have the privilage to work with this type of wood.   This Hawaiian tenor ukulele  exhibits Koa with perfect Cut--meaning quarter sawn or vertical…

Double Up and Catch Up!

For some odd reason there seems to be a renewed interest in double sound hole and asymmetric sound hole instruments.  After the rapid sale of the last double puka tenor, I quickly got to work on another.   This instrument is a new Koa wood…

Inside the Box, Part 1

No rules, but some basic principles to follow.  My mentor, John Greven, has stated in some of his articles that the premise for bracing may have been more for strength rather than sound.  This subject could be debated for ions and I am…

and, Koa to you!

Here's another custom ukulele with Koa from the island of Maui.  You don't get Koa from Maui  often, and I consider myself lucky to have found this. I have used a Koa and curly Maple laminate neck.  Since it is so difficult to find solid…

She’s a real cutie, a Mexican beauty. . . . .

I need to write Jimmy Buffett and give him these words--could be the making of a great song. Here is a new instrument made from Mexican Palo Escrito (a genuine rosewood).  This is one of those "off the grid"  woods that hasn't been over…

More Black

I haven't been able to keep one of these instruments for too long.  After the last sold, I started a new one and decided to keep it a little more conservative--meaning, no beetle holes.  Here is that effort.  Of course the body is solid Black…