Dasilva Ukes, who has/had one? thoughts on this maker

darylcrisp

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I have opportunity to purchase what appears to be a very nice Dasilva-all koa, concert. Price seems very appropriate-under $1000.

thoughts on this maker from those who have experienced his instruments.

thanks
d
 
I love mine, sounds great and plays very easily, lovely action and finish is very good. You can tell it is handmade there is the odd tool mark, but I like that it’s been made by a craftsman, not CNC cut and assembled…

Hope that helps

John
 
*raises hand* Me! You can read a bit about mine here. I received it just over a year ago, and still love it as much as the day it arrived. Like Troubled Man said above, you can tell it is handmade - and that is one of my favorite things about it :) It was made to my very-particular specifications: I wanted a soprano with 19 frets, that had absolutely no "bling" of any kind, perfect intonation all the way up the neck, and as Martin-like of a sound as possible. Mike came through on all of these points - I would not hesitate to recommend him as a builder if you want something really specific.
 
Mike is one of the best, his instruments are very consistent high quality looks and sound.
I have an early James Hill signature model.
 
Mine is opposite of no ‘bling’ it is pretty much ‘ultimate classic bling’ see below. It is a 5k Concert…
DaSilva 5k.jpg
 
Thank you for selling it to me Stevelele ;-) hope you are not missing it too much :)
 
If you're talking about the used Hana Hou concert for sale, it was new for sale there just a few months ago. Call them and get the background.

Had two DaSilva ukes, they are great players, extremely light and with lots of tone. Definitely worth a try if you have the spare $.

It has 12-frets to the body, do you prefer 14? Also check the scale, the DaSilva concert I had was 15.5 inch scale, but that shouldn't make much difference.
 
I DO miss it, but as with all my other ukes that I've loved and sold, it always makes me happy to see it in the right hands. That one was truly one of the best I've ever played.

Thank you for selling it to me Stevelele ;-) hope you are not missing it too much :)
 
I have the soprano #34. I think it is the best soprano I have heard IMHO.
 
I had the privilege of meeting Mike and talking ukuleles for a few hours two years ago. He is incredibly knowledgeable. He is outspoken, generous, kind, patient. He really knows his stuff.

Sadly, when I came to get a new custom ukulele, he had increased his prices out of my pay range. But if I ever decide, after my Mya-Moe is finished, to get yet another ukulele, I will save for a DaSilva.

He is one of the top names in the business. In fact, Mya-Moe went to him very early on and he gave them lots of advice. I think that Gordon would happily say that their ukuleles would not be as good without Mike DaSilva's input.
 
I have never owned one,but respect Mike's work.

I have seen two on the marketplace within the past year where soundboard dishing, sometimes called bellying, was mentioned. It may or may not be evident, or if evident, a problem, on any particular instrument.

If I was buying a used DaSilva, I'd pay special attention to the area around the saddle for bellying or dishing.

Good luck with the purchase of what I'm sure is a lovely ukulele.
 
I have never owned one,but respect Mike's work.

I have seen two on the marketplace within the past year where soundboard dishing, sometimes called bellying, was mentioned. It may or may not be evident, or if evident, a problem, on any particular instrument.

If I was buying a used DaSilva, I'd pay special attention to the area around the saddle for bellying or dishing.

Good luck with the purchase of what I'm sure is a lovely ukulele.


I'm not a luthier, but I think a bit of a bend just above the bridge is normal, particularly in older instruments. He showed me a 1920s Martin soprano that had a dip. That was one gorgeous instrument, and weighed almost nothing.
 
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