Posts
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…
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.…
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…
My Favorite Time of the Build
I'm sure every luthier has a certain time in the build process that he enjoys the most. For me, this would be after the instrument body comes out of the mold and at the first application of sealer. If I could just quit at this moment it…
Artwork Ukulele
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…
A Butterfly for Bonnie
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…
Puakenikeni for Kanani
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…
Jonah and the whale
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…
Honu for Skyler
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…
