Ukulele Eddie
Well-known member
Some of you followed the build thread, but I thought I'd make it official that the "Lucky 12" Spruce / "The Tree" Mahogany tenor from Jake Maclay (Hive Ukuleles) arrived Friday. So, IT'S HERE!
After enduring three trying years professionally, I wanted to treat myself to a really special uke. I decided to have another Hive built with some really special wood. As we started exploring options, the opportunity presented itself to have Jake build a uke from "The Tree." Not only was it from The Tree, it's of the tortoise shell quilt variety which is really hard to come by. Here it is:
We paired it with a "Lucky 12" spruce top, from a sinker spruce tree sunk in a river for 80 years. Has some nice bear claw, too:
The neck is flamed mahogany:
Like all of Jake's work, the details are impeccable and well-executed:
My first Hive (spruce/maple) remains the benchmark for me for all other tenor ukes, so I was a bit worried that this one might look the part but not measure up tonally. But I figured if it sounded "90% as good" as my current one, I'd be thrilled.
So, what's the verdict? Out of the box, I'm super happy. It's definitely very close to my existing Hive. I intended to post this with the sound sample, but I stupidly didn't realize that the GarageBand metronome could not be turned off post-recording. So I need to record again. Doh!
Update: Here are two initial sound samples strung linear Bb with Oasis Brights:
Still Can't Say Goodbye (new song for me; have memorized enough I need to start focusing on the music, but it'll give you an idea):
https://soundcloud.com/ukulele-eddie/the-tree-initial-sample-still
Time in a Bottle (my go-to sample song as it is suitable for linear or re-entrant):
https://soundcloud.com/ukulele-eddie/the-tree-initial-sample-time
I may experiment with some other strings, too. But no rush. I'll also do an A/B with my other Hive in a month or two. As a starter, here is an unfair comparison because it's Corey playing my other one, but:
http://www.theukulelesite.com/hive-ukulele-hornet-tenor-spruce-maple.html
After enduring three trying years professionally, I wanted to treat myself to a really special uke. I decided to have another Hive built with some really special wood. As we started exploring options, the opportunity presented itself to have Jake build a uke from "The Tree." Not only was it from The Tree, it's of the tortoise shell quilt variety which is really hard to come by. Here it is:
We paired it with a "Lucky 12" spruce top, from a sinker spruce tree sunk in a river for 80 years. Has some nice bear claw, too:
The neck is flamed mahogany:
Like all of Jake's work, the details are impeccable and well-executed:
My first Hive (spruce/maple) remains the benchmark for me for all other tenor ukes, so I was a bit worried that this one might look the part but not measure up tonally. But I figured if it sounded "90% as good" as my current one, I'd be thrilled.
So, what's the verdict? Out of the box, I'm super happy. It's definitely very close to my existing Hive. I intended to post this with the sound sample, but I stupidly didn't realize that the GarageBand metronome could not be turned off post-recording. So I need to record again. Doh!
Update: Here are two initial sound samples strung linear Bb with Oasis Brights:
Still Can't Say Goodbye (new song for me; have memorized enough I need to start focusing on the music, but it'll give you an idea):
https://soundcloud.com/ukulele-eddie/the-tree-initial-sample-still
Time in a Bottle (my go-to sample song as it is suitable for linear or re-entrant):
https://soundcloud.com/ukulele-eddie/the-tree-initial-sample-time
I may experiment with some other strings, too. But no rush. I'll also do an A/B with my other Hive in a month or two. As a starter, here is an unfair comparison because it's Corey playing my other one, but:
http://www.theukulelesite.com/hive-ukulele-hornet-tenor-spruce-maple.html
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