"Golden Fleece" Oregon Myrtle Tenor
On Sale now at Hale Ukulele in San Diego, CA
SOLD
Click on pictures to enlarge.
This ukulele is two different types of Oregon Myrtle (aka California Bay Laurel) from Pacific Coast Woods. The front has a very fine curl (flame) while the back and sides have a thicker compression curl with and interesting "lambs wool" looking figure in the middle.
Myrtle is a truly a wonderful tone wood. For those of you who are looking to make a koa uke your first "expensive" uke, see if you can find a custom myrtle uke. I think you will like the similarities and enjoy the little bit of added articulation and volume that myrtle gives.
As you can see the myrtle on the back has a very unique pattern to it. You almost expect it to be fuzzy when you touch it.
I left off the back strip this time.
The binding, fretboard and bridge are all East Indian rosewood.
The accents are a grainy slightly curly koa.
I love the silky look of the sides.
Every time I look at myrtle I find something else pretty about it. I made the end graft a pyramid instead of a cone this time to follow the shape of the wood grain. Click on the pic to the right to get a better look.
The neck is light Black Limba (sometimes called white Limba or Korina) with a carbon reinforcement rod. The white Limba comes from the same tree as Black Limba, sometimes even the same board, but it is not sap wood. Density is very similar to mahogany and sometimes blends better with mango or myrtle bodies, so I try to keep some around the shop at all times.
All PCH ukuleles come standard with a side sound port. It helps the player hear the same sound as his audience without sacrificing any performance.
The headstock is the same myrtle as the top. I went with Gold Gotoh Interplanetary tuners this time. I thought they matched the overall look better than the black ones I usually use. Strings are a Pepe Romero wound low g string with custom high carbon fluorocarbon strings.
The rosette is a mosaic of naturally colored hardwoods. The purpleheart brings out the purple in the East Indian rosewood fretboard.
