Mmmmmm More Maple

I have this "no rules"  ukuleles thing.  Here I've got some great spalted, curly maple but didn't have a real strong feeling about what the sound board should be made of.   I used some of my unmatched Koa for a top on this instrument.  Actually…

Mmmm Maple

I think I told ya'll that I was getting tired of looking at brown.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Koa, but I was just getting tired of all the "brown" instruments.  So, other than Mango, I'm on a Maple kick.  Got some really nice stuff…

Koa Concert Ukulele

Hey gang, here's another uke that will most likely be for sale at the San Diego Ukulele Festival.  All Koa, with East India Rosewood binding, herringbone purfling, asymmetric sound hole and side port/concert side sound port.  No strings on…

Tasmanian Blackwood Tenor Ukulele

      Bonzer!  Tasmanian Blackwood is Koa's cousin from the South Pacific.  Same plant/tree (acacia melanoxylon)  but different growing environment.  We don't see a lot of this wood, but I was fortunate to score on some really tasty and…

Greg’s New Tenor

Hey, ya'll.  Here's a couple of pictures of Greg's custom tenor.  This is actually his third instrument from me.  He sold his first one to a close friend in Washington and has regretted it since that day.  His second was another concert…

Bruce Robinson Plays the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Kimo Uke

Yo, Yo, Yo!  Wouldn't you give your left you-know-what to be able to play the Foyer at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Well Bruce was there this last weekend.  Here he is with his custom, tenor, pineapple ukulele (his design).  Bruce is…

Plumeria Tenor Ukulele

Hey you all!  Here's a custom tenor ukulele that I made last year for Vickie.  She liked the look of the Lacewood and also wanted the mother-of-pearl plumeria inlay on the sound board.  Looks good and plays great-low "G" tuning.  I'm only…

Mango me Baby!

Sometimes I just get tired of looking at "brown" woods. Sooooo, to change up the look, one of the many woods that I have used is Mango. Here, you will see an asymmetric sound hole tenor that I constructed out of figured and fairly colorful Mango.…

KorduroyTV InnerView

The guys at KorduroyTV recently featured me in one of their InnerView shows. Check it out!

How many sound holes: Part 2

Okay, there is no empirical data that supports the design of the modern ukulele or guitar--especially when it comes to sound hole placement, or number of sound holes.  So do you prefer traditional design are can you live with some of the alternative…