 |
|
|
Original Post By:
Ukeguy
|
Date: 4/30/2015 1:11:18 PM |
| If you�ve ever ordered a custom �ukulele I�m curious about your experience with the process and the end result. Are/were you pleased your choice of a luthier? Was/is your instrument worth the price tag vs. a high-end stock instrument? And, we�re/are you happy with the end result? I've identified two builders that I'm considering but I'm curious about your experiences. Thanks! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
Rob Uker
|
Date: 4/30/2015 3:45:50 PM |
I've never actually bought a custom built but I've been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to play a few.
The two that could make me part with some cash( if I had cash to part with) is Joel Eckous of Elderly Instruments and Maya Moe. I think Joel's prices are totally reasonable for the quality of the instrument and they have a unique look. If you are going custom built it should look it.
Maya Moe's are awesome but I could not handle the wait list.
That said there are a lot of high quality factory ukes out there at a fraction of the price.
Personally, my beaters see a lot more action then my higher end ukes. That's probably why I never bought a custom buit.
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
Craig
|
Date: 4/30/2015 3:56:42 PM |
Ukulele Magazine has an article on buying a custom ukulele that you may find of interest:
http://www.ukulelemag.com/category/stories/page/2
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
Ukeguy
|
Date: 4/30/2015 9:49:11 PM |
Rob,
Joel Eckhaus of Earnest Instruments and Mya-Moe are the two builders I was thinking of. I've played one of Joel's Tuleleles and it was really well built and fun to play. I'm on the waiting list at May-Moe, but it's a long to wait.
Craig, I've read that article, thanks, there's some good stuff in there.
Thanks, gentlemen for your ideas.
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
benwah
|
Date: 5/3/2015 11:55:06 PM |
I purchased a custom made mezzo soprano uke from Dave Means. It is my favorite uke. Unfortunately he is no longer making custom ukuleles. I had absolutely no problems, and Dave kept me in the loop with the progress throughout the process. I wish he was still in business so I can order another one.
I also had a custom made 6 string tenor uke from Joe Sousa of Kanilea Ukuleles. Again, I had no problems, but unfortunately somebody had broken into his shop and stole some tools, so my ukulele was slightly delayed.
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
Ukulele Rob
|
Date: 5/7/2015 3:04:21 PM
(Updated: 5/7/2015 3:11:51 PM)
|
I've had direct experience with MyaMoe. My two most-gig-used ukuleles were built by them. One's a mahogany concert Classic with K&K Twin-Spot that works great through sound boards, and the other's a walnut concert Resonator that has enough volume to use in stage shows where I'm not mic'd: http://www.ukulelerob.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Tiptoe-with-Jen.jpg . (Tiptoe-ing Thru' the Tulips with the great musical theater actress Jennifer Posey Morrison.) And I've just been issued a start date for my third MyaMoe (and am hoping that time passes really quickly). For customer service you can't beat Gordon & Char Mayer and Aaron Keim at MyaMoe, and the quality of their instruments is fantastic.
I also know Mike DaSilva ( http://www.ukemaker.com ) and David Iriguchi ( http://iriguchiukuleles.com ), and have played a lot of their instruments. A few years ago one of Mike's standard koa concerts appeared on Elderly's vintage e-blast, and I grabbed it right away. It's beautiful, and I thus avoided Mike's long waiting list.
Mike makes a wide range of instruments. I've played the special one he made for Sarah Maisel ( http://www.ukemaker.com/images/Photos/SarahMaisel/340/297-01.jpg ), and considered asking her to marry me on the spot so that it'd become community property, it was so amazing. (But Craig gently persuaded me out of such a rash move.) I'd love to have one of Mike's Dias reproductions, but thankfully my doctor has prescribed a medication to keep my UAS under control.
David is on to something completely new. Very inspired designs. I've played a couple of his new ukes with the doubled G-string and the 16" scale, and they're wonderful. It may be a while before I can spring for one, but fortunately both David and I are young enough that one's probably in my future.
California is full of great uke-makers. E.g., Kinnard in the San Diego area makes beautiful instruments, and Peter Hurney ( http://pohakuukulele.com ) in Berkeley makes instruments that are a ton of fun. (Last year I got to spend some time with him, tour his tiny but efficient workshop, and play every instrument he had on hand. If and when I ever go "custom custom," i.e., something that no one else in the world has, I'll call Peter.)
Good luck. And let all of us know what you end up with!
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
Ukeguy
|
Date: 5/7/2015 9:39:23 PM |
Thanks, everybody for your thoughtful responses. I appreciate it!
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
spoefish
|
Date: 6/1/2015 6:27:40 PM |
The only custom I have ordered is a koa concert uke from Peter Hunley at Pohaku in Berkeley, CA. in 2008. It was a pleasure from start to finish, the uke is exceptional in every way and (one of the reasons I ordered a custom) I love the winged heart inlays on the fretboard. Time was less than 6 months, great communication, and the price was reasonable. I have two other Pohaku ukes of a slightly earlier vintage, a quilted mahogany soprano with a bocote fretboard, and a mahogany 6 string tenor. I suspect that both of these were custom orders that someone got tired of (go figure) and are what inspired me to order my concert from Peter.
I find custom order ukes that move on from the original owner quite interesting - I have two LoPrinzi tenors that were both custom orders - a Spanish cedar (actually a mahogany relative used most frequently for flamenco guitars), and fancied-up version of a mahogany No. 2. Both just wonderful as you would expect from LoPrinzi. And a Earnest from Joel Eckhaus - a custom slightly larger concert in mahogany with great binding and trim, and a nice faux tortoise peghead overlay. I think this one is a twin to the one Joel was playing the last time I saw him. All of these are from the mid 2000's, and I imagine the builders have only gotten better - and more expensive. I had a MyaMoe traditional concert that I did not like as well as any of my current ukes. I think someone else's custom dream can turn out your favorite when they original owner tires of it. The Spanish cedar LoPrinzi is uke that almost everyone who plays my ukes (also including G String and Kanile'a ukes)ends up spending the evening with and wishes they could take home. My son who I think has good taste in ukes and worked at Elderly for several years says if I only leave him one, make it the Spanish Cedar LoPrinzi (no worry, he will get them all). Yet this is a uke I never would have thought of having built - but I am glad someone did. Spanish cedar is a super tone wood - extremely light and bright.
It is interesting that I have not bought a uke in about six years now - maybe getting older, but at some point I think if you are lucky you find that you have exactly the ukes you always wanted and pretty much quit looking. But it took me 20 years of buying, selling, trading to get to the seven (plus some old stuff) that I play now. Cheers
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
Ukeguy
|
Date: 6/1/2015 8:00:26 PM |
spoefish,
Thank you very much for the time you spent responding to my question. I really appreciate your kindness (and to the others, too, who chimmed in!). I especially appreciate that you shared your experience with your Earnest. Is your Earnest a Mainlander, LeRoy or a Palomini model? I'm leaning towards working with Joel. Thanks again, to all. I appreciate it!
|
|
|
|
