Here is a Ko'olau Solid Body Electric Tenor CE-3 ukulele. The body and neck are made out of mahogany, and the top is solid curly koa. The body has been routed out, and it is semi-hollow, which allows for great acoustic tone when playing unplugged, or very warm rich tone when plugged in. This instrument is also ideal for a quiet practice ukulele. The CE-3 features 3 knobs on the soundboard that control volume, treble, and bass. The fretboard, bridge, and headstock faceplate are ebony, and the logo is inlaid in M.O.P.. I find this to be my favorite electric ukulele. I do recommend having a dedicated acoustic, and a dedicated electric ukulele; as opposed to a acoustic-electric. Many players don't consider this type of instrument, but if you want to play jazz, blues, rock, or anything that involves picking, you should give one a try. Mahalo
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Mike Chock Papaya Tenor
Here we have a Papaya shaped Tenor from Mike Chock of Hana Lima 'Ia, the ukulele building school in Honolulu. Mike is one of the leaders of the ukulele building renaissance currently being experienced throughout the world. He has helped to train many of the most respected boutique builders. Here is a fine example of his creative work. This Papaya shaped tenor is made out of figured Mango, with a Western Cedar top, and Spanish Cedar neck. The fretboard and bridge are made of ebony, and the instrument is fully bound in the traditional rope style. There is no soundhole on the soundboard, but rather a port on the side. The bracing is a very highly modified Kasha - Schneider style, and there is an independent/movable saddle only for the G string which allows the player to easily switch between high and low G. M.O.P. fretmarkers, and Gotoh tuners round out the features of this truly unique instrument. Mahalo
Friday, June 26, 2009
Ko'olau Tenor 100 Kula Wood
Here is a Ko'olau Tenor 100 Kula Wood ukulele. This instrument has a body made out of all Kula wood. The fingerboard and bridge are ebony. There is an abalone rosette on the soundboard. The inlay work on the rosette is very nice. Ebony headstock faceplate and M.O.P. logo inlay. Gotoh open gear tuners, and mahogany neck. This instrument has a satin finish, and it lets out a lot of sound. Very nice clear sound. This instrument has nice enunciation. A very special Ko'olau. Mahalo.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
G-String Full Custom Tenor 8 Gavin
This is a Full Custom Tenor 8 string from G - String ukulele in Halawa. This instrument was custom ordered by Gavin Ono, one of the staff at Puapua. It has a number of unusual features. This instrument has a very curly Hawaiian Koa body, and mahogany neck. The soundboard features abalone purfling and rosette. The fretboard and bridge are made of ebony. The soundboard is also bound with tortoise. This tenor also has a slotted headstock, which helps to keep the weight down on this eight string powerhouse. The body has a nice cutaway, and the ukulele has been outfitted with a Fishman Pro-Blend fully adjustable active undersaddle pickup. This is one of the nicest G-String Full Custom instruments that I have come across.
Hollywood Concert Vintage
Here we have a vintage Hollywood brand concert sized ukulele made out of what appears to be an all Hawaiian koa body. The front, back, and sides are all single piece. The neck is a single piece mahogany neck with a faux dovetail headstock joint. Other unique features are a w/b/w/b/w rosette and purfling on the soundboard, as well as a bound fingerboard featuring very thin frets. The saddle is made of metal. This instrument was repaired and restored by a good friend, Mr. Kuni Matsui. Originally built in the 1920's, this is a fine sounding and very resonant instrument, with great intonation. Hollywood brand ukuleles are extremely rare nowadays, and this is one of the finest examples that I have seen in some time. Mahalo.
Monday, June 22, 2009
G-String Full Custom Tenor - Kelly Boy DeLima Model -
Here is a very unique G - String ukulele. This is a full custom tenor with cutaway and pickup that was made to the specifications of Kelly Boy DeLima, ukulele player extraordinaire. Kelly Boy is well known as the lead singer and ukulele player for the band Kapena, as well as the leader of the De Lima Ohana Band. This tenor is made out of curly Hawaiian Koa. It has abalone purfling on the sound board, as well as the sides of the body, and an abalone and koa rosette. It also features a cutaway, and a Fishman Pro-Blend active pickup with volume and tone controls. The headstock is in the electric guitar style, and "Hawaiian Style" is inlaid in the headstock. There is an Olde English "G" inlaid in koa at the base of the ebony fingerboard. As you can see, this instrument has been very well used. It has been retired, and now rests comfortably on display at Puapua in Waikiki. Mahalo.
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