Friday 30 December 2011

The Ken Timms Soprano






Here is my pride and joy!

a Soprano uke made by Ken Timms. all mahogany, with ebony fretboard, nut and saddle. Kens wife Janet usually french polishes the ukes, but mine was finished in Tru-oil by myself.

A fantastic uke to play, perfect sound and volume, plays quietly but also barks when required.

so light to hold, easy to play. i've played a few Martin ukes which Ken has based his designs on and there is no difference. in fact i would say Kens ukes are better.

Ken is a whizz at making and designing all sorts of things, not just ukes. He has also helped me with various restorations and repairs too.
an all round first rate fella!

Motu Uke

This is a little uke that Yan Yalego was playing at Hollesley in 2011.
After i heard the sound i just had to have one!

Made in France, i bought it from their website.

Its of a simple construction, very light with a sound that i describes as a cross between a wooden uke and a banjo-uke. quite loud, with a real chunky sound. considering the body is only an inch deep i'm amazed any sound comes out at all!

its really easy to hold and to play, a real joy, and a bargain at under £100.



A Handmade cigar box uke. made by Rob Collins





This is not a restoration job, but my Xmas pressie uke, and the latest to my collection.

A handmade cigar box uke, made with cedar neck, ebony fretboard and matching old skool tuning pegs.

The sound is amazing, you would not believe it from an old cigar box.

Put together with real skill, no sharp edges, no buzzes. perfect!
if you wanted a handmade uke, i would certainly suggest you talk to Rob at tinguitar.com

Sunday 11 December 2011

Original Condition Slingerland Maybell from 1920s Chicago

Here we have a fantasic little uke. The Maybell, made by the Slingerland Drum & Banjo Company in Chicago, around the 1920s.

Made in Birds eye Maple, 12 tension hooks, heavy bezel with nice engraved tailpeice.
This particular uke is in its original condition, apert from some new strings. The vellum is stamped"Slingerland prof tone"
It even has the original Grover bridge.
The only work required was a repair to the original nut, as you can see in the photos.
There are no dings, or dents. The frets are all in good condition as are the tuning pegs. On the fretboard there are three MOP fret markers.
Also included is the very rare original case. i have only ever seen one fo these before, and that was rotten. This one is in very fine order.

For 90+ years this little uke is in very good condition.

To play it has that fantastic vintage sound, nice tone, and perfect volume.
A real joy to play.