goodbye moore bettah? :(

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I have been drooling over moore bettah ukes for a while now, so i inquired and emailed chuck about wanting to order a custome uke for me. but sadly, he said that he will not be building any more ukes in the near future and that hopefully in a year he will have a better idea of what his work and his life will look like.. is this goodbye to one of the best builders in the ukulele community?

also, do you guys know any other ukulele custom builders that can even come close to chuck's work?

much mahalo :)
 
Are you sure you have your information straight? Chuck has not been taking new orders for a while now, as he works through his backlog and builds ukes to his tastes and sells them on his website to the lucky few who wander by. So while it is quite difficult to get on Chuck's build list, he is still building.
 
I talked to another well respected uke maker recently who is not taking any more orders and who wants to cut his production by about 40%. He is tired of being constantly under the gun to deliver, to hurry up, and he'd like to build more ukes that are his idea of what he wants to do next. He doesn't want to have to live under the weight of a two year backlog. He also is facing the whole thing of having employees...who move on after being trained.

You're going to see more of that in the future from the top tier of uke builders. I think David Hurd showed the way... The truth is that if luthiers stop taking orders, then they just don't have to deliver and particularly don't have to deal with all the anxious emails and phone calls. Some are content to have a list and build whatever they choose to make with places on the list going for a nominal non-refundable deposit. Top of the list gets first right of refusal on whatever comes up next. Don't want it? Wait for the next one. Some, like banjo builder Jason Romero, will only satisfy 80% of the custom order requests, and he holds out the other 20% of a year's output for builder's choice.

I find myself lucky enough to have several dealers who will order based on what I want to build for them and based on what cool woods I happen to have in stock. I've even got some who like to be surprised; I get to work within a budget, but do whatever I feel like within that limit, and the funny thing is that those ukes seem to go the quickest.
 
Gary, someday I'll tell you my tales of working for one of the Kings of North Beach...a Sicilian business man, so to speak. He and his partners had 6 topless joints, a bar, and a disco all on or right off Broadway in the City. He was great to work for, actually. I should do a uke in tribute to him...might not be allowed to be seen upon this site, but it would be fun. Maybe I'll have my pal Mary Fleener (Google her!) paint it. Yeah... Time for some adult ukes...
 
Chuck's work is one of a kind, and the Moore Bettah uke has its own distinctive tone...no one close
Maybe you should look for a used one instead of finding a substitute luthier

just my 2 cents :)
 
Chuck's work is one of a kind, and the Moore Bettah uke has its own distinctive tone...no one close
Maybe you should look for a used one instead of finding a substitute luthier

just my 2 cents :)

What coolcow said. :) That's how I was lucky enough to find one.
 
I think there may be a misinterpretation somewhere as Chuck posted a new headstock design on Facebook today. I do know the lava is close and will likely cut off the highway near where he lives. Also, he is doing fewer customs and more of his own designs... But I doubt he is retiring quite yet.
 
Yes, the rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated! However, until I can figure out what Madame Pele has in store for us I can not even entertain any new custom uke work. With a lava flow heading our way communication with customers will become problematic once the lava crosses the highway. Preparing for this possible life changing event is very distracting and has taken me away from the bench more than I would like. The safety, welfare and comfort of my family comes first. Rest assured though that I am still filling back orders and building spec ukes. I'm nowhere near ready to stop building ukes yet. At least not until I can make the ten dollars an hour that Rick talked about!
 
Yes, the rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated! However, until I can figure out what Madame Pele has in store for us I can not even entertain any new custom uke work. With a lava flow heading our way communication with customers will become problematic once the lava crosses the highway. Preparing for this possible life changing event is very distracting and has taken me away from the bench more than I would like. The safety, welfare and comfort of my family comes first. Rest assured though that I am still filling back orders and building spec ukes. I'm nowhere near ready to stop building ukes yet. At least not until I can make the ten dollars an hour that Rick talked about!

Is the lava crossing the highway a sure thing? And, if so, how long are they figuring it will be until it happens?
 
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Yes, the rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated! However, until I can figure out what Madame Pele has in store for us I can not even entertain any new custom uke work. With a lava flow heading our way communication with customers will become problematic once the lava crosses the highway. Preparing for this possible life changing event is very distracting and has taken me away from the bench more than I would like. The safety, welfare and comfort of my family comes first. Rest assured though that I am still filling back orders and building spec ukes. I'm nowhere near ready to stop building ukes yet. At least not until I can make the ten dollars an hour that Rick talked about!

Actually Mr Moore ...from your avatar picture you do look ready and dressed for Lava !! And will it look both ways before crossing the ..er..Highway.

Seriously though (wha' me ?) Good Luck with the slippery burny stuff....

Cheers

Jarvo
 
all the best, Chuck!
 
We're all hoping and praying that Madam Pele takes a sweet quiet breath and calms down! Stay safe and keep building your magic Chuck!!!!
 
also, do you guys know any other ukulele custom builders that can even come close to chuck's work?

much mahalo :)

As Chuck has already clarified his position, I'm only addressing the "other builder's" question. But as you probably know, Chuck's amazing ukes range from very little inlay to highly adorned. If you're looking for less adorned and more on tone and playability, there is a wider but still select group of excellent builders (just to name a few examples: Ko'olau, DeVine, Lichty, Beau Hannam, etc.). As you move toward fancier and fancier inlay's, your choices narrow considerably. In any case, most will have a wait list approaching a year if not longer. Of course, there is that wonderful Ko'olau in the marketplace if you're in a hurry. ;-)
 
As Chuck has already clarified his position, I'm only addressing the "other builder's" question. But as you probably know, Chuck's amazing ukes range from very little inlay to highly adorned. If you're looking for less adorned and more on tone and playability, there is a wider but still select group of excellent builders (just to name a few examples: Ko'olau, DeVine, Lichty, Beau Hannam, etc.). As you move toward fancier and fancier inlay's, your choices narrow considerably. In any case, most will have a wait list approaching a year if not longer. Of course, there is that wonderful Ko'olau in the marketplace if you're in a hurry. ;-)



Hey Eddie...have you played or seen all the ukes you have listed or are you just guessing....:)

Chuck's been building and improving his uke for 30 years or more....:) he is the best IMO and I have played all the ukes you have listed....one good thing is you can still get the ukes you listed with a little bit of a wait

stay safe Chuck!!! looking forward to see the next batch of MBUs
 
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Hey Eddie...have you played or seen all the ukes you have listed or are you just guessing....:)
I have played all of them....

No, I haven't, but I have stayed in a Holiday Inn Express. ;-)

Of that list, I've only personally seen and played a Moore Bettah. My guess is there are very few lucky people who've seen and truly played ukes built by all of those well-regarded luthiers. You're very fortunate to be so close to HMS and see all the great stuff come through there and to live in a hotbed for ukulele talent. Certainly there are other luthiers noteworthy enough to be in a list of possible alternatives to MB -- the OP's original question -- that I have yet to learn about that you have seen and/or played (or heard Corey play).

Chuck's been building and improving his uke for 30 years or more....:)

I suspect time is one component but nowhere near the most important. Many luthier's could build for 2x that long and never achieve anything close to what Chuck has achieved.
 
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