hammer40
Well-known member
I have a Boat Paddle tenor cutaway uke that is just about complete. The build is finished and it's now in the finishing stage, so another 3 weeks for the lacquer finish.
This is my first custom, so it was pretty exciting, and surprisingly difficult, to be able to choose whatever I wanted. I guess once you're "the kid in the candy store" its tough to decide what will satisfy your sweet tooth.
I decided to go with Boat Paddle for a few reasons, one is that I loved the design of his M style uke. Second, was that every review or comment that I could find about Boat Paddle was very positive. Third, I thought it would be nice to support someone being somewhat regionally close to me, I'm outside Chicago, and he is outside St. Louis.
I mentioned his M style uke, but ended up choosing a different style tenor I saw on his website. It's a newer design for him, his version of a traditional cutaway. I liked the fact that it was 12 frets as well, with the cutaway giving access to higher frets if needed. I just loved the lines of this uke, the asymmetrical design really caught my eye, so I decided to go with it instead. Hey, I can always get an M style next time around.
We exchanged e-mails and phone calls, but it was difficult for me to decide what I wanted by seeing pictures alone. I saw that he was only 400 miles away, so I figured I would just drive down and check things out. I hopped on my bike and drove down for a visit and to choose the woods for my uke.
I have to say Jerry was extremely patient with me. I took up a lot of his time that day (several hours), he even let me go through all his wood to find what I liked. He of course offered his expertise and knowledge as we mixed and matched things along the way. He is very easy and accommodating to work with, for any future or potential customers.
In the end I chose:
Kamagong Ebony for the back and sides (upgraded)
Kamagong Ebony for the Fretboard (radiused), bridge, Peg head overlay, heel cap (all matching)
Red Spruce sound board (upgraded)
Flamed Maple for the neck, the body binding and the sound hole binding
Perfling is all bwb with perfling around the sound hole to match the body, in lieu of a rosette.
Basically, I wanted a two tone (black/white) look and I think I achieved exactly what was in my head. I think the gloss finish will really make it pop, can't wait to see it finished.
This is my first custom, so it was pretty exciting, and surprisingly difficult, to be able to choose whatever I wanted. I guess once you're "the kid in the candy store" its tough to decide what will satisfy your sweet tooth.
I decided to go with Boat Paddle for a few reasons, one is that I loved the design of his M style uke. Second, was that every review or comment that I could find about Boat Paddle was very positive. Third, I thought it would be nice to support someone being somewhat regionally close to me, I'm outside Chicago, and he is outside St. Louis.
I mentioned his M style uke, but ended up choosing a different style tenor I saw on his website. It's a newer design for him, his version of a traditional cutaway. I liked the fact that it was 12 frets as well, with the cutaway giving access to higher frets if needed. I just loved the lines of this uke, the asymmetrical design really caught my eye, so I decided to go with it instead. Hey, I can always get an M style next time around.
We exchanged e-mails and phone calls, but it was difficult for me to decide what I wanted by seeing pictures alone. I saw that he was only 400 miles away, so I figured I would just drive down and check things out. I hopped on my bike and drove down for a visit and to choose the woods for my uke.
I have to say Jerry was extremely patient with me. I took up a lot of his time that day (several hours), he even let me go through all his wood to find what I liked. He of course offered his expertise and knowledge as we mixed and matched things along the way. He is very easy and accommodating to work with, for any future or potential customers.
In the end I chose:
Kamagong Ebony for the back and sides (upgraded)
Kamagong Ebony for the Fretboard (radiused), bridge, Peg head overlay, heel cap (all matching)
Red Spruce sound board (upgraded)
Flamed Maple for the neck, the body binding and the sound hole binding
Perfling is all bwb with perfling around the sound hole to match the body, in lieu of a rosette.
Basically, I wanted a two tone (black/white) look and I think I achieved exactly what was in my head. I think the gloss finish will really make it pop, can't wait to see it finished.
