Posts

Hula Hips Ukulele with Rosewood and Engleman Spruce

Hula Hips Ukulele with Rosewood and Engleman Spruce

Here's a Hula Hips Ukulele with Rosewood and Engleman Spruce. The Hula Hips Tenor is a wide body tenor--in other words, a Grand Concert Tenor.  I added a little to the upper bout and 1/2"  to the lower and also lengthened the body by 1/4".…
Hula Hips Ukulele with Rosewood and Engleman Spruce

A Whale of a Good Time

Here I have an African Black Limba tenor ukulele with my subtle tribute to the annual migration of the humpback whale to Maui.  The body is African Black Limba as is the neck.  Binding is Ebony and accents are Hawaiian Mango.  The Mexican…
Hula Hips Ukulele with Rosewood and Engleman Spruce

Kaleidoscope Mango

Actually this is heavily spalted, curly Hawaiian Mango.  This appearance comes with decomposition of the wood.  Spalting can be a highly desirable characteristic because of the unique appearances it can create; but, too much of a good…
Hula Hips Ukulele with Rosewood and Engleman Spruce

Puka Paradise

Just another day in puka paradise!  Not a highly figured koa, but nice.  Double puka's seem to work as well as the side concert sound hole design, although I can only speculate as to why.  I used Hawaiian Mango for binding accented with…
Hula Hips Ukulele with Rosewood and Engleman Spruce

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…
Hula Hips Ukulele with Rosewood and Engleman Spruce

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…
Hula Hips Ukulele with Rosewood and Engleman Spruce

Not Another Maple Ukulele!

I don't know, I just can't resist.  I've had the opportunity to build some "shop" instruments and decided to do another maple/sitka combination.  ALSO, the latest run of instruments have all been strung up with Jason Arimoto's PHD, low "G"…
Hula Hips Ukulele with Rosewood and Engleman Spruce

Double Puka Koa Tenor

I have built a number of double puka ukes in the past but for some reason they are not high on the list of requests.  I was totally re- motivated after seeing HAPA this year though and thought it was high time to make another.  Here are a…
Hula Hips Ukulele with Rosewood and Engleman Spruce

More Myrtle, and….

Here's a new tenor with a combination of figured, "crotch" Oregon Myrtle for sound board and beeswing African Imbuia (huh!).  I accented the instrument with Oregon curly Maple binding and  black/white herringbone purfling and matching backstrip.…
Hula Hips Ukulele with Rosewood and Engleman Spruce

Takayama Surf

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…