The Ukulele IS NOT a compromise: it’s not a travel guitar.
It is a wonderful, expressive instrument with historical significance. It’s a symbol of joy, happiness, brings to mind Hawaiian beaches gentle waves. Bringing out a ukulele makes people smile. It just so happens that it’s very portable.
Although many are used to the soprano ukulele, my research and studies have me focusing on the slightly larger tenor instrument. It offers a wider range with deeper bass and crystal clear trebles.
I found that most “Ukes” were built heavily and with a simple a fan bracing pattern to support the top. I knew that there were opportunities to help this instrument sing better, offer more range, and make people stop in their tracks in how expressive this “little” instrument could be. As I was looking to utilize as much top surface as possible to project the sound, I was inspired by the Maccaferri body shape with a light lattice bracing pattern. This design lent itself nicely to a tenor Ukulele.
A “Grande Bouche” sound hole example.
Given the Maccaferri design, using the “D” type sound hole, known as the “Grande Bouche” was an obvious choice for aesthetic purposes at the start, but even more so because I wanted to open up the sound and control the resonance. I now also offer the optional “Petite Bouche” variant, as well as more of a classic shape when desired. The other elements of this Ukulele follow the design of the Maccaferri guitar; these included a slotted headstock and cutaway, which complimented the fourteen fret body joint for the neck.
The tuners were modified to accommodate the nylon strings, which are made by Aquila® of Italy. I prefer the string set with the low G string to give it a broader tonal range, and respecting the re-entrant nature of the traditional instrument, however, I have built and prepared them for a high G also.
They are in every way a miniature lattice braced guitar, built with as much detail as a full-sized guitar.
