I have been looking for a custom baritone for a long time, and Jay Lichty was on the list of luthiers I wanted to try, so when this one popped up for sale, I felt lucky. Not just was it offered at a reduced price for being used, but its previous owner was none other than Ukulele Ambassador Kimo Hussey. A uke with a "Huss-tory", so to speak.
You can tell this instrument was played a lot, as there are several playmarks on the top, most of them right where the soundhole usually would be. I guess a regular centric soundhole does have its purposes, apart from just projecting. However, the design of this uke - Jay calls it a "Modified Baritone" he named after his dog "Ziggy" - is a mere stroke of genius. Instead of a centered soundhole, it has a slot on each shoulder, expanding both onto the soundboard and the sides. This enlarges the vibrating area of the soundboard and moves the ports to a spot where the sound can emanate both frontally as well as upwards and downwards. Virtually, there is music all around you. As a matter of fact, to me, this seems to work even better than those side ports you see more frequently on ukes these days, as the upper slot is pointing right at my face when I sit on a chair playing the uke in my regular position, at a slight upward angle.
The sound is just what I was hoping for: full, deep and rich with great clarity, very much like a classical guitar. Here is a sound sample by one of my favorite players, Neal Chin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaJAMHLyXbg
The Spruce top is amazing, the bearclaw marks pop out like 3D as you turn the instrument in the light. Same goes for the Cocobolo back and sides. Here are some of Jay's own photos:
Some more pictures and a little back story about the build can be found on Jay Lichty's website:
http://lichtyguitars.com/2016/05/04/modified-baritone-ukulele-in-the-making-u106/
You can tell this instrument was played a lot, as there are several playmarks on the top, most of them right where the soundhole usually would be. I guess a regular centric soundhole does have its purposes, apart from just projecting. However, the design of this uke - Jay calls it a "Modified Baritone" he named after his dog "Ziggy" - is a mere stroke of genius. Instead of a centered soundhole, it has a slot on each shoulder, expanding both onto the soundboard and the sides. This enlarges the vibrating area of the soundboard and moves the ports to a spot where the sound can emanate both frontally as well as upwards and downwards. Virtually, there is music all around you. As a matter of fact, to me, this seems to work even better than those side ports you see more frequently on ukes these days, as the upper slot is pointing right at my face when I sit on a chair playing the uke in my regular position, at a slight upward angle.
The sound is just what I was hoping for: full, deep and rich with great clarity, very much like a classical guitar. Here is a sound sample by one of my favorite players, Neal Chin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaJAMHLyXbg
The Spruce top is amazing, the bearclaw marks pop out like 3D as you turn the instrument in the light. Same goes for the Cocobolo back and sides. Here are some of Jay's own photos:
Some more pictures and a little back story about the build can be found on Jay Lichty's website:
http://lichtyguitars.com/2016/05/04/modified-baritone-ukulele-in-the-making-u106/
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