Bee's Wing
Some say the look of this figured African mahogany resembles that of a bee's wing. Whether it looks that way to you or not the wood is quite striking. The chatoyance doesn't really show up in a still photo but when you move the ukulele around it's amazing. I wanted to use a different style of cutaway for this tenor and it seemed like just the right time for this beeswing set that I've been saving for years.
The sides are doubled for stiffness and stability. They help couple the thin active back to the top. Linings are laminated and carved in place. They help provide added stiffness to the sides.
The top is sinker incense cedar which is light and very responsive. There are bell-like overtones and more than ample sustain.
The wood rosette is made from a collection of new tiles and ones that I've used on previous instruments.
The African ebony fingerboard has brass dots and rosette tiles for the position markers. The string through bridge is also ebony. The nut and intonated saddle are bone. Frets are Evo Gold with polished rounded ends. After the frets are installed they are leveled, recrowned and polished for very low action.
Since this ukulele is now going to the Ukulele Site in Hawaii I decided to change the tuners to ones that are more user friendly. These are the 16:1 Gotoh SGi510 tuners which are appropriately sized for ukuleles. These exceptional tuners have ebony buttons.
The neck is a dark Honduran mahogany with two bolts for the attachment. One of the bolts also holds an integral strap button. Bindings are ebony with cherry and black purfling. There's a sound port and a clear pickguard.
This custom Ken Franklin tenor comes with a hard case. $3500 Sold
