The neck is made of local black walnut. It's an underrated neck wood which a has good strength and stiffness while not being too heavy. Black walnut is easy to carve which is another advantage. I hand carve all of my necks. It's probably the most rewarding part of building. The headstock of the neck has macassar ebony headplate and backplates. Frets are StewMac gold with polished rounded ends. The fingerboard is gaboon ebony as is the bridge. The cascading fret markers are brass.
The neck is attached with two bolts that are screwed into threaded inserts. One bolt is inside the body with an insert in the neck heel and the other bolt goes through a strap button and the heel into an insert in the neck block of the body. This makes for a very solid connection.
The tuners are 4:1 Gotoh UPTs with a gold finish. They are fitted with custom ebony buttons.
Macassar
This beautiful set of macassar ebony has warm brown tones to contrast the black ebony hues. It's been in my shop for over twenty years. Macassar is generally more responsive than other ebonies and this set is a good example. The tap tone supports fine sustain and complexity. It is a wonderful complement to the incense cedar top of this tenor. As well as being very well aged this macassar ebony is mostly quarter sawn. That's a real advantage for ebony instruments which can crack over time if flat sawn and subjected to sudden changes in humidity or temperature.
If you like a warm woody sounding ukulele then this incense cedar topped tenor is for you. The tonal response is inviting but that doesn't mean it lacks clarity. The note to note separation is evident up and down the fingerboard. The sustain doesn't interfere with the fundamentals and the combination of cedar and ebony make for a beautiful sound. The PHD strings with a GHS winter silver wound low G are an excellent match.
The x-braced top has Engelmann spruce braces that are carved and sanded during a process of tap tuning that allows for the most sensitive response.
The rosette is made of individual wooden tiles from my collection. To enhance the overall design each one is made of side grained hardwoods with colors that go with the other elements of the instrument. In addition to a clear pickguard the rosette also helps protect the softer incense cedar top.
Bindings are ebony with cherry purfling. A reinforced oval side port provides a monitor for the player. The nut and intonated saddle are unbleached bone. This Ken Franklin tenor comes with a wooden GearLux case. $6100
Macassar and Incense Cedar Specs
P2 tenor body
Salvaged incense cedar top
Ebony back, sides, bridge, fretboard, headplate and backplate
Ebony bindings, fretboard and string-through bridge
Side grained hardwood tiled rosette
Reinforced oval sound port
Bolt-on black walnut neck with integrated brass strap button
Brass tail strap button
16 to 20 inch compound radiused fretboard
Hand carved laminated maple linings
Penetrating oil urethane matt finish with ceramic topcoat
Clear pick guard
17 inch scale
StewMac gold frets with polished rounded fret ends
Brass position markers
1 1/2 inch unbleached bone nut
1 11/16 inch string spacing G-A on an intonated unbleached bone saddle
Gold finish Gotoh UPT ukulele tuners with 4:1 ratio
Ebony buttons
PHD strings with GHS winter silver wound low G
Gearlux hard case
$6100