Has anyone

Ever tried a uke with the following wood:
Zircote?
Sassafrass?
Myrtle?

If so, could you kindly give me some feedbacks on them? Warmth and brightness, punchiness etc.

Muchas Gracias

A couple of custom-builders are using myrtle.

I have a handcrafted mountain dulcimer made of sassafras wood, with walnut trim. It looks gorgeous and sounds quite nice. I would say the tone is somewhat akin to koa: not too bright (like spruce), but warm, round and sweet. Here's a pic of my sassafras dulcimer:



Those are butterfly soundholes, because the builder (who lives in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee) used to work at Dollywood. The butterfly is one of Dolly's good luck charms. but I digress...

I would think a uke made of sassafrass would sound quite good.

Mya Moe has their Northwest Aloha Series (often seen as NWAS) line which is all made from myrtle. It seems to be a very popular line. I know that UU users JumpingFlea and UnknownUkeMaster1 both have myrtle Mya Moes and have both raved about them. I put in an order for one but it won't start getting built until the middle of December (finishing the middle of January). You can go to Mya Moe's site and hear some sound samples.

MP Customs also made a myrtle uke which UU member Jehicks bought. He wrote a great review and spoke very favorably about the sound.

Oh, i got mistaken. Apparently after consulting a local luthier in Australia, he says that Australian Tiger Myrtle and USA myrtle is totally different. Nothing in common, so i might have to reconsider WHEN i am going to actually get a custom made

Currently still contented with the KoAloha

In that case, do you mean sassafrass or Tasmanian blackhearted sassafrass? I tried to source some for my custom build, but after some initial positive responses, had no replies for a couple months. Gave up.

From what I've read, and I TRIED to do my homework, most tonewoods are related to other tonewoods, and you can sort of infer what the basic taptone will be like. If you start reading tonewood reviews, they usually say "sounds like..."

You start expecting one to finally come out and say, "Tastes like chicken."

Good luck, and if you manage to source something and have it built, PLEASE let us know how it turns out. I sort of feel that's my undiscovered country. And with a custom on the way, I honestly hope it's a journey I never feel tempted to make.

Thanks pulelehua!

IF i happen to have a custom built, i will