Recstar24
Well-known member
https://app.box.com/s/sv2lehrzzuf5qwpp1gty701o28ynk0sv
There have been a few threads about Hoffmann Ukes, and HMS has recently been carrying them, but for those that do not know, Hoffmann Lutherie was originally Boat Paddle. Hearing the ML Tenor and A style Tenor on HMS was what convinced me to pursue this custom, as well as all the fine reports on the Boat Paddle branded Ukes. Below are the details of my custom ML Tenor:
Adirondack Spruce with Ebony Back and Sides
Maple body, fretboard, and Headstock Binding, BWB top purfling
Misi pickup
MOP thumbnail fretboard markers and headstock logo
Gotoh UPT tuners
soundhole and Side Sound port bound in maple with BWB purfling
gloss lacquer finish
Overall aesthetic, quality of construction, and feel: First thing I noticed was the case, made by BWW which makes the Ameritage line, custom made for the unique ML shape. This is one is serious case, and looks and feels super luxurious. Heavy sucker too. Visually, she turned out perfectly - Jerry picked out the ebony for me, and features rich dark brown and reddish stripes, its a very colorful piece of ebony with a lot of character. The red spruce top has extremely tight grain and is very silky looking. The thumbnail markers are not only very classy and elegant looking, but very practical when playing - they make it easy to see being close to the edge of the board, and your fingers don't really cover them while playing giving you a nice visual grasp of the board. The maple binding has really shimmery curly figure that contrasts well against the ebony even without purfling.
The feel is perfect for me. It's perfectly balanced from top to bottom, and the neck joint is very well constructed and feels rock solid and stable. It would be worth checking out hoffmannlutherie.com and read his article on neck joints, as it is pretty different from what you would normally see. The neck is a medium sized D shape which feels great, and this is the first uke I've owned that did not have a super low action, which I actually like. Its setup at 0.095 in/2.4 mm at the 12th fret which for me is a great choice.
Sound: The sustain is out of this world. This uke has the longest sustain of any uke I've played so far. The sustain has a lot of character and richness too which adds to the overall richness and resonant tone I am getting. Volume wise, this thing can really rock out, but plays very clear and focused when played softly, so I'm very happy with its dynamic ability. This is my first spruce top, and I don't want to comment too much on the tone/sound signature of the uke until I break her in a bit, but currently I am hearing a very focused, direct, precise sound, with the ability to bring out some serious bass if needed. Please excuse any weird sounds in the sound clip, blame it on me, not Jerry. I am loving the sound so far for strumming, as it remains clear when driven and has plenty of headroom, but is very balanced between each string and is quite rich sounding. Fingerpicking is a lot of fun due to the unique color of the tone and the excellent sustain.
Customer Service: Jerry was awesome throughout the whole process. Finalized order by end of May, quoted a completion time of end of August, and received it this past Monday. Jerry was super responsive to my emails, and all upgrades or extra options were quoted clearly and were very reasonable. I received updates about once every 3 weeks or so, which was perfect for me. Overall, it was an easy 3 months and the final product is clearly of exceptional quality.
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