New to me, Custom Aaron Oya Maple/Spruce Tenor. Also my first NUD post.
Quilted Maple with Sitka Spruce Soundboard
Matching Quilted Maple Neck
Neck & Headstock is one piece
Fretboard and Bridge are Musician-Grade Cocobolo
Binding and End Graft are Hawaiian Curly Koa
Rosette is Abalone with Ebony & Maple Perfling
Paua Shell Vine Fretboard Inlay with Leaf Position Markers at 4, 7 & 10 frets.
Flower and Leaf Inlay at the 12th Fret.
Tusq Nut and Saddle
Gold Gotoh Closed-Gear Tuners
You would expect a maple-bodied and spruce-topped tenor to have a loud, very forward and brash sound with tons of sustain. This ukulele speaks with a more tamed voice. It’s warmer than expected, yet has a nice clarity with excellent resonance and sustain. There is plenty of projection, but it’s not in-your-face or overwhelming. It has a unique tone unlike any maple & spruce tenor I have ever heard. And that is what drew me to her.
I’m not usually into bling and a lot of decoration on my instruments. But Aaron has used a deft hand with the inlays. They are delicate and functional and don’t shout, “Here I am!” as so many shell inlays do. I absolutely love the rosette. It too is modest, yet one of the prettiest abalone rosettes I have ever seen. Lovely use of the materials, and it doesn’t compete with the fretboard inlays but compliments them. Truly exceptional work that I have quickly grown to admire.
The neck is a really nice thickness. A flattened “D” shape. Somewhat similar to that of a MyaMoe tenor. 1-7/16” nut with 1-1/8’ from A to G strings. That makes it very comfortable to play. The heel is in two parts, with a maple endcap as well.
The cons: The Fender-esque headstock shape takes some getting used to. I like the gentle curves and the rounded-bevel top and sides. But there is no damn place to clip on a tuner! I can hang a D’Addario micro tuner underneath, but anything else hangs on by its fingernails and will pop off if I forget to remove it.
There are a couple of nicks and dings in the glossy lacquer finish. A rough spot on the binding and the binding's ends aren’t quite centered. The lacquer on the bridge has a couple of bare spots where it has come off the cocobolo wood.
Small annoyances, that a person with OCD might not be able to cope with. They seem very minor to me, for such a wonderfully-crafted instrument.
Aaron Oya does not label his instruments. He does sign his name to the upper cross-brace. It’s visible through the sound hole. But, he does not date it. Shawn Yacavone at UkuleleFriend.com estimates that the ukulele is 5 years old, based upon what the original owner told him. He believes it is one of Arron’s earlier pieces.
Here is a Vimeo link that was posted by Ukulele Friend of this instrument being played by Neal Chin: https://vimeo.com/312430441
I wasn’t looking for another ukulele. Honest. In fact, I had sworn to myself that I wouldn’t buy another one until the Fall. Yet I kept going back to look at the listing photos. Then, after Shawn posted the video, I was hooked. After listening several times, I pulled the trigger. And I am so pleased that I did.
PS: I have to give a shout-out to Chaundra and Brad at Iluak Instrument Fittings for my Strap Pins. I asked for some dark cocobolo with abalone dots pins—if they had them, to match the fretboard and bridge. They replied that if I didn’t mind waiting an extra day, Brad would make me a set from some dark cocobolo wood they had in their stock. Chaudra found two matching abalone dots to use for the inlays. I think they look like they are OEM and are just perfect finishing touches on my Oya tenor.
Now I have to find the perfect strap...
Cheers!
Quilted Maple with Sitka Spruce Soundboard
Matching Quilted Maple Neck
Neck & Headstock is one piece
Fretboard and Bridge are Musician-Grade Cocobolo
Binding and End Graft are Hawaiian Curly Koa
Rosette is Abalone with Ebony & Maple Perfling
Paua Shell Vine Fretboard Inlay with Leaf Position Markers at 4, 7 & 10 frets.
Flower and Leaf Inlay at the 12th Fret.
Tusq Nut and Saddle
Gold Gotoh Closed-Gear Tuners
You would expect a maple-bodied and spruce-topped tenor to have a loud, very forward and brash sound with tons of sustain. This ukulele speaks with a more tamed voice. It’s warmer than expected, yet has a nice clarity with excellent resonance and sustain. There is plenty of projection, but it’s not in-your-face or overwhelming. It has a unique tone unlike any maple & spruce tenor I have ever heard. And that is what drew me to her.
I’m not usually into bling and a lot of decoration on my instruments. But Aaron has used a deft hand with the inlays. They are delicate and functional and don’t shout, “Here I am!” as so many shell inlays do. I absolutely love the rosette. It too is modest, yet one of the prettiest abalone rosettes I have ever seen. Lovely use of the materials, and it doesn’t compete with the fretboard inlays but compliments them. Truly exceptional work that I have quickly grown to admire.
The neck is a really nice thickness. A flattened “D” shape. Somewhat similar to that of a MyaMoe tenor. 1-7/16” nut with 1-1/8’ from A to G strings. That makes it very comfortable to play. The heel is in two parts, with a maple endcap as well.
The cons: The Fender-esque headstock shape takes some getting used to. I like the gentle curves and the rounded-bevel top and sides. But there is no damn place to clip on a tuner! I can hang a D’Addario micro tuner underneath, but anything else hangs on by its fingernails and will pop off if I forget to remove it.
There are a couple of nicks and dings in the glossy lacquer finish. A rough spot on the binding and the binding's ends aren’t quite centered. The lacquer on the bridge has a couple of bare spots where it has come off the cocobolo wood.
Small annoyances, that a person with OCD might not be able to cope with. They seem very minor to me, for such a wonderfully-crafted instrument.
Aaron Oya does not label his instruments. He does sign his name to the upper cross-brace. It’s visible through the sound hole. But, he does not date it. Shawn Yacavone at UkuleleFriend.com estimates that the ukulele is 5 years old, based upon what the original owner told him. He believes it is one of Arron’s earlier pieces.
Here is a Vimeo link that was posted by Ukulele Friend of this instrument being played by Neal Chin: https://vimeo.com/312430441
I wasn’t looking for another ukulele. Honest. In fact, I had sworn to myself that I wouldn’t buy another one until the Fall. Yet I kept going back to look at the listing photos. Then, after Shawn posted the video, I was hooked. After listening several times, I pulled the trigger. And I am so pleased that I did.
PS: I have to give a shout-out to Chaundra and Brad at Iluak Instrument Fittings for my Strap Pins. I asked for some dark cocobolo with abalone dots pins—if they had them, to match the fretboard and bridge. They replied that if I didn’t mind waiting an extra day, Brad would make me a set from some dark cocobolo wood they had in their stock. Chaudra found two matching abalone dots to use for the inlays. I think they look like they are OEM and are just perfect finishing touches on my Oya tenor.
Now I have to find the perfect strap...
Cheers!
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