#681- Spruce and Curly Walnut Tenor Ukulele

Spruce has a great track record as a top wood. Almost every acoustic guitar, violin and mandolin you have ever heard has a spruce top. But, for a few different reasons, it is less common in the ukulele world. I love it for its volume, sustain and brightness, but also for the precision of the sound. It just sounds nice to me. This particular Spruce was cut in the 1960’s for a dulcimer maker but never used. The darker stripes come from the edge of the pile darkened by years of sunlight. It’s my favorite spruce, due to the small figures, tight grain and beauty marks. The curly Walnut for this instrument comes from the shorts bin at Goby in Portland. The Spanish Cedar neck and Texas Ebony Fretboard/headplate/bridge come from a retired banjo builder. Over all, I love how the look of the instrument is precise but with small textural details to please the eye.