Jayfuzi
Well-known member
2016 was a very special Uke year for me as I was lucky enough to have 2 custom ukes made for me. The first one was a tenor built by Dave Sigman of Little River Ukulele. We actually started this process late 2015/early 2016. I almost gave up on writing this post, but he deserves any attention I can bring for him as he makes wonderful ukuleles!
I first became aware of Little River Ukulele through some videos I'd watched by Hawaii Music Supply (Ukulele Site). I'd heard some recordings of his ukes by HMS and really liked the tone and looks of his ukes. After some correspondences I decided to have him help me with a uke. Getting to know Dave, it's very clear that he is very passionate about ukulele. You'll also be hard pressed to find a nicer person than Dave Sigman to work with on a uke build. He was very accommodating and went above and beyond to make sure I was happy with my uke! If I had trouble picturing what certain materials would look like he'd send a package of samples so I could make informed choices.
When we started I'd considered having a "California" uke built with Sinker Redwood and Claro Walnut. We're both in N. California and it seemed like a nice combination to go with. But when I asked him about what wood combinations he enjoyed, he mentioned that he really liked a combination of Koa top with Brazilian Rosewood Back and sides. I'd never really heard of this combination and decided to go with it.
Dave was great about sharing photos of the build process and I wanted to share some of those pics with you all.
Here are some photos of the back and sides being put together:
Untitled by jmlee22, on Flickr
Untitled by jmlee22, on Flickr
I first became aware of Little River Ukulele through some videos I'd watched by Hawaii Music Supply (Ukulele Site). I'd heard some recordings of his ukes by HMS and really liked the tone and looks of his ukes. After some correspondences I decided to have him help me with a uke. Getting to know Dave, it's very clear that he is very passionate about ukulele. You'll also be hard pressed to find a nicer person than Dave Sigman to work with on a uke build. He was very accommodating and went above and beyond to make sure I was happy with my uke! If I had trouble picturing what certain materials would look like he'd send a package of samples so I could make informed choices.
When we started I'd considered having a "California" uke built with Sinker Redwood and Claro Walnut. We're both in N. California and it seemed like a nice combination to go with. But when I asked him about what wood combinations he enjoyed, he mentioned that he really liked a combination of Koa top with Brazilian Rosewood Back and sides. I'd never really heard of this combination and decided to go with it.
Dave was great about sharing photos of the build process and I wanted to share some of those pics with you all.
Here are some photos of the back and sides being put together:
Untitled by jmlee22, on Flickr
Untitled by jmlee22, on Flickr
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