#934- Curly Koa Kingdom Era Tenor Ukulele

Here’s a tenor ukulele with a body based on old rajao from the Bishop Museum and the collection of Shawn Yacavone. The rajao was a Portuguese instrument that came to Hawaii and served as an ancestor to the ukulele. Most were five strings, which I have built in the past, but I felt it would also be a good size for a four string tenor uke. In this case, it is strung gcea with a low g. The body is Koa, as is the fretboard, headplate and bridge. The neck is salvaged Cypress from a factory and the rest is shop made rope binding of Maple and Walnut. Even though it looks antique, it has geared tuners, bone nut and saddle, radiused fretboard and modern strings. I am really pleased with the sound, which has a vintage sparkle but plenty of warmth and sustain. Cheers Dave!