fretie
Well-known member
I took the leap!
Luthier Steve Doreen of Lone Tree, on Vancouver Island, built a stunning soprano for me earlier this year which is the perfect instrument for the parts I play in section 3 of Vancouver’s Ruby Ukes ukulele orchestra. The soprano has a western hemlock top, west coast maple back and sides and pacific yew binding, fretboard and bridge. It have a strong voice and well balanced tone and being only soprano size, is easy to squeeze into the oftentimes crowded settings we find ourselves in when we rehearse and perform.
The other musical context that I frequent, twice weekly, are my local community ukulele circles. Here the energy is charged with unbridled enthusiasm and the variety of skill levels often results in a buffet of raw sound. I was working my soprano to the max in this setting and started to wonder whether a tenor would better suit this party of pitches. To this end I purchased a not very expensive but surprisingly well made solid wood VTab tenor.
Indeed, as I had hoped, the tenor offered a wider range of sound and volume requiring much less effort to strum and pick. It fit the ukulele circle better than my soprano; yes, now I could actually hear myself play!
So, the logical next step seemed to get a sister to my Lone Tree soprano. I have asked Steve Doreen to build a tenor for me, again using west coast woods. We have decided on a driftwood red cedar top cut from a log that Steve salvaged from the island. He will build the back and sides from some local black cherry wood and for the binding, fretboard and bridge Steve has suggested west coast maple (similar to the back and sides of the soprano).
I am hoping this new uke will have good volume and a warm tone. As with all his builds, Steve’s Lone Tree tenor will undoubtedly have handsome looks to go along with a terrific sound.
The build should start by mid October and be completed late November. I. am. so. stoked!
Luthier Steve Doreen of Lone Tree, on Vancouver Island, built a stunning soprano for me earlier this year which is the perfect instrument for the parts I play in section 3 of Vancouver’s Ruby Ukes ukulele orchestra. The soprano has a western hemlock top, west coast maple back and sides and pacific yew binding, fretboard and bridge. It have a strong voice and well balanced tone and being only soprano size, is easy to squeeze into the oftentimes crowded settings we find ourselves in when we rehearse and perform.
The other musical context that I frequent, twice weekly, are my local community ukulele circles. Here the energy is charged with unbridled enthusiasm and the variety of skill levels often results in a buffet of raw sound. I was working my soprano to the max in this setting and started to wonder whether a tenor would better suit this party of pitches. To this end I purchased a not very expensive but surprisingly well made solid wood VTab tenor.
Indeed, as I had hoped, the tenor offered a wider range of sound and volume requiring much less effort to strum and pick. It fit the ukulele circle better than my soprano; yes, now I could actually hear myself play!
So, the logical next step seemed to get a sister to my Lone Tree soprano. I have asked Steve Doreen to build a tenor for me, again using west coast woods. We have decided on a driftwood red cedar top cut from a log that Steve salvaged from the island. He will build the back and sides from some local black cherry wood and for the binding, fretboard and bridge Steve has suggested west coast maple (similar to the back and sides of the soprano).
I am hoping this new uke will have good volume and a warm tone. As with all his builds, Steve’s Lone Tree tenor will undoubtedly have handsome looks to go along with a terrific sound.
The build should start by mid October and be completed late November. I. am. so. stoked!
