Recstar24
Well-known member
I came upon Les' website http://stansellguitars.com when I first started looking for a custom uke back in October. When researching woods, I came upon Myrtle and Port Orford as choices that I thought would be aesthetically and sonically pleasing, and it so happens that Les, in addition to building, comes from a background of logging, and is a supplier/vendor of quality myrtle and port orford cedar for many luthiers in the area.
Perusing his site, especially his videos section, shows a certain quality of work and attention to detail that I find outstanding. Shortly after, I said "what the heck" and committed to an uke that he was already in the process of building.
Design:
This is a tenor ukulele with Port Orford Cedar back, sides, and neck, an incense cedar top, and Myrtle bindings, bridge, and fretboard. It is a true flamenco design, both in construction and in its choice of materials, but also speaks pure Southwest Oregon. Les' background is in Spanish Guitar building, and his specialty is the flamenco design, which he translates into tenor and baritone sized ukes.
One interesting design feature I found was a very thin bridge, compared to what I have seen before, which Les believes is his best way of transferring all of that string energy to the board.
Playability:
The neck is very cool - its pretty flat on the bottom, but it is somewhat squared off on the sides. The thumb really feels very stable sliding around the neck, and when changing positions or moving across the neck, the squared-off edges seem to help keep my thumb very stable.
The action is low and its clear the uke is meant to be played fast, which is inherent in a flamenco-style design within the guitar world vs a traditional classical guitar. No buzzing, excellent fret spacing, and the flat fretboard is easy to play and as of now hard to distinguish from a radiused fretboard.
I would say the neck profile seems to be the biggest influence on the ease of comfort of playing this uke - I can really jump high up the neck and back down pretty easily. The super-lightness due to the POC prominence in the build feels great as well.
Aesthetics:
The pictures speak for themselves, its gorgeous, unique, and features wood choices that I do not see offered elsewhere. The overall craftsmanship and attention to detail is fantastic, from the red/black purfling lines, to the myrtle rosette and binding, everything is very classy, understated, built near perfectly, and goes very well with each other. It is simple but beautiful, I can't think of a better word than classy. The finish is a shellac finish that Les applies in a pretty unique way, the video below is worth a look. The finish is super thin, but not overly glossy or shiny, so fingerprints are nicely hidden, but it has a nice sheen to it like glass. I believe this is Les' take on a French Polish, but uses layers of Shellac with sanding in between to get the desired effect.
Sound:
The first word I would use to describe the uke would be "explosive" - there is a responsiveness to the touch where it does feel the sound just explodes off the string. It is very fast and is definitely suited for fingerstyle playing - I can't wait to experiment with some clawhammer style as well as dip into flamenco style as I grow with her. "Blanca", which is what Les nicknamed her, has nice sustain, and doesn't require much effort to produce a lot of sound, and I find myself being able to ease my playing a bit which has been very comfortable to play.
Blanca is a winner!
Perusing his site, especially his videos section, shows a certain quality of work and attention to detail that I find outstanding. Shortly after, I said "what the heck" and committed to an uke that he was already in the process of building.
Design:
This is a tenor ukulele with Port Orford Cedar back, sides, and neck, an incense cedar top, and Myrtle bindings, bridge, and fretboard. It is a true flamenco design, both in construction and in its choice of materials, but also speaks pure Southwest Oregon. Les' background is in Spanish Guitar building, and his specialty is the flamenco design, which he translates into tenor and baritone sized ukes.
One interesting design feature I found was a very thin bridge, compared to what I have seen before, which Les believes is his best way of transferring all of that string energy to the board.
Playability:
The neck is very cool - its pretty flat on the bottom, but it is somewhat squared off on the sides. The thumb really feels very stable sliding around the neck, and when changing positions or moving across the neck, the squared-off edges seem to help keep my thumb very stable.
The action is low and its clear the uke is meant to be played fast, which is inherent in a flamenco-style design within the guitar world vs a traditional classical guitar. No buzzing, excellent fret spacing, and the flat fretboard is easy to play and as of now hard to distinguish from a radiused fretboard.
I would say the neck profile seems to be the biggest influence on the ease of comfort of playing this uke - I can really jump high up the neck and back down pretty easily. The super-lightness due to the POC prominence in the build feels great as well.
Aesthetics:
The pictures speak for themselves, its gorgeous, unique, and features wood choices that I do not see offered elsewhere. The overall craftsmanship and attention to detail is fantastic, from the red/black purfling lines, to the myrtle rosette and binding, everything is very classy, understated, built near perfectly, and goes very well with each other. It is simple but beautiful, I can't think of a better word than classy. The finish is a shellac finish that Les applies in a pretty unique way, the video below is worth a look. The finish is super thin, but not overly glossy or shiny, so fingerprints are nicely hidden, but it has a nice sheen to it like glass. I believe this is Les' take on a French Polish, but uses layers of Shellac with sanding in between to get the desired effect.
Sound:
The first word I would use to describe the uke would be "explosive" - there is a responsiveness to the touch where it does feel the sound just explodes off the string. It is very fast and is definitely suited for fingerstyle playing - I can't wait to experiment with some clawhammer style as well as dip into flamenco style as I grow with her. "Blanca", which is what Les nicknamed her, has nice sustain, and doesn't require much effort to produce a lot of sound, and I find myself being able to ease my playing a bit which has been very comfortable to play.
Blanca is a winner!
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