Within a relatively short period, I received requests to make two ukuleles. Although I have built several ukuleles with friends or relatives in mind, these two are my first attempts at custom building to order. The first request is still in the design stage. Therefore, this is the first made to order ukulele that I’ve actually completed. The customer, Rachael Rosenbaum, is a musician & vocalist from Israel who specializes in the mountain dulcimer and harp. She wanted to add a ukulele to the mix. The specifications were the result of back & forth between the two of us, involving wood selection and other design details.
The wood used in this concert ukulele came from multiple sources. The top board is the last of the redwood from my in-laws’ house on Oahu. The mulberry, black walnut, and American elm are from my favorite local source, Omaha Wood Co. The ebony is from a local woodworker’s shop.
New to me was the use of a low G string, which results in strings arranged in linear order. Traditionally, what sets the ukulele apart is what’s known as reentrant tuning, where the first (A) and fourth (high G) strings are higher in pitch than the second (E) and third (C). The low G fourth string gives this ukulele a fuller and warmer tone.
The ukulele is numbered 2608-16 on the label.
The components are:
Redwood top (2-piece)
Mulberry back (2-piece)
Mulberry sides (2-piece); sapwood on bottom
Black walnut neck with mulberry stripe
Black walnut (center) and mulberry (flanking) face plate
American elm fretboard with black walnut inlay for the fret markers (5th, 7th, 10th, 12th and 15th frets; oriented across the fretboard)
Black walnut fretboard binding
American elm fret dots on side of fretboard
American elm body binding (top edge only)
American elm bridge with black walnut inlay
Ebony nut and saddle (compensated)
Black walnut tail stripe
Mulberry heel cap
American elm soundhole rosette
Mulberry strap buttons
Mulberry faceplate footprint logo
Footprint side port
Gotoh UPT tuners
Worth clear fluorocarbon strings (CM-LG)
Tru-Oil finish
Weight: 17.2 oz. (488 g) (with strap buttons)
Scale length: 15 inches
Nut width: 38 mm
String spacing G to A: 30 mm
Sound sample of Amazing Grace and the intro & outro to Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of Over the Rainbow
