I began making Ukuleles about 5 years ago to use the smaller pieces of wood I had left over from guitar building. Ukuleles come if four sizes. Soprano, Concert and Tenor sizes all tuned a forth above normal guitar tuning (C-G-E-A) and Baritone, tuned like the top four strings of a guitar (D-G-B-E). Each size has a slightly increasingly larger body and a scale-length that increases by one inch. I primarily build the Portuguese (guitar-shaped) design in a concert size with a tenor neck to add more energy to the instrument. This is the most popular style with Hawaiian players.
6-String Pineapple “Taro” Ukulele
The Kamaka Ukulele Company in Honolulu, designed a new oval-shaped body style called a Pineapple Ukulele. ( The prototype was actually embossed and painted to look like a Pineapple-Center Picture). A further refinement was to add up to four additional strings to the Ukulele for additional volume. Any Ukulele with more than four strings is called a “Taro” Uke indicating that it is a folk instrument. ( Taro is the root used to make the Hawaiian staple food Poi ).
Concert Ukulele bodies under construction in a group of 7 instruments
This is a Koa Tenor Pineapple 6-string Ukulele. The 1st and 4th strings are doubled. The 4th string is both a high (octave) and low C. The back is another Hawiian wood called Milo which is very dense to reflect the sound. The sound-hole rosette is green sand from South Beach on the island of Hawai’i. The machines are gold tuners with gold buttons. This Uke comes with an Alverez Soft bag. $800
This is a Mango Concert Ukulele with a tenor neck. The longer neck adds more energy to the instrument making it louder and clearer. The sound-hole rosette is Mango. The machines are gold Gotoh tuners with gold buttons. This Uke comes with either a hard Gator case or an Alverez Soft bag. $600
This is another Koa Concert Ukulele with a tenor neck. The longer neck adds more energy to the instrument making it louder and clearer. The sound-hole rosette is green sand from South Beach on the island of Hawai’i. The machines are gold Gotoh tuners with gold buttons. This Uke comes with either a hard Gator case or an Alverez Soft bag. $600
This is a Koa Tenor Ukulele. This is the size played by Jake Shumbakuro. The sound-hole rosette is herringbone. The machines are gold Gotoh tuners with gold buttons. This Uke comes with an Alverez Soft bag. $650
Mango Body, Koa Top Pineapple Tenor Ukulele with a matte finish. This instrument has a low C-string and has a big sound for jamming and solo playing. The mango sides and back provide a hard “reflector” for the top that boosts the volume and presence significantly. This Uke comes with an Alverez Soft bag. $800
All Koa Tenor Pineapple Ukulele with Mango binding and heel cap. This Instrument will stand out in any jam. Throaty and loud with great separation between notes for clear solos and an imposing rhythm. Floss finish with green Abalone rosette. Turtle inlay on peg head. This Uke comes with an Alverez Soft bag.$800
All Koa Tenor Ukulele with Celluloid binding and a green sand rosette from South beach on Hawai’i. distinctive sapwood accents on the lower bout of the top will stand out on the crowd. Gold tuners, Rosewood fingerboard and bridge. This Uke comes with either a hard Gator case or an Alverez Soft bag. $600
This is a very loud Soprano Ukulele from the 1920’s. these were made by the Kumalae Ukulele Company as souvenirs for the cruise ships visiting Oahu. It is Koa wood with upgraded Waverly tuners which replaced the original friction tuners. This Uke comes with a hard case. $650
These are the cases that come with the Ukes. The left one is a Gator hard case for the concert size instruments and the one on the right is the Alvarez soft case for concert and tenor sizes. The soft case also comes in black with brown sides and trim.
