One of my favorite ways to design an instrument is to start with one piece of wood and let everything else grow from there. In this case, it was a beautiful piece of Ambrosia Maple from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. It is dotted with beetle holes and streaked with rainbow colors due to a fungus. This led me to chose a top wood with a similar color palette, a stump that I got from Trout Lake that I was told was Port Orford Cedar. After splitting, milling, drying and working with it, I don’t think it is POC, but a close relative of it in the same Cypress family. Without a DNA test, I can’t prove it, so I guess I’ll just call it Cypress. The neck is beetle kill Ponderosa Pine from my firewood pile. As our climate in the NW gets hotter and drier, many trees succumb to pests, shortening their lives. It takes extra work to use these woods due to all the “flaws” that need to be dealt with, but I love it anyway. The sound of this one is crisp, vibrant and energetic, I hope to use more of this top wood in the future.

“Just wanted to let you know that my uke arrived yesterday safe and sound.
I love it! It’s loud and bright and has such a punchy sound! And so beautiful! The Ambrosia maple is so pretty!
I took it to a jam tonight and I couldn’t believe how loud it was. I could hear it even with 8 guitars and a mandolin playing.
Thanks for building me such a wonderful instrument!
- B. H.”