RichM
Well-known member
I don't usually post New Uke Days posts, because, if I did, I would take up half the bandwidth of this forum! But today is something pretty special.
For a while now, my dream uke has been a vintage Martin 3K. For my money, the 3K is just about the most beautiful uke design ever created. The fly in the ointment was that I wanted a 3K concert. According to Walsh & King, only 15 3K concerts have ever been made, most of those in the mid-1920's. So on the rare chance that I stumbled across one, the price would likely have been heart-stopping.
About a year an a half ago, UU member MattyDee posted about a great experience he had working with luthier Dave Talsma. In fact, you can still read about it here: http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?78171-New-Uke-Day-Talsma-Custom!
Matty's custom was beautiful, and it drove me to Dave's website. His work was wonderful, from the wildest out-of-the-box designs (see Warren Buffet's Dairy Queen uke) to loving replicas of vintage ukes. After seeing the 3M and 3K replicas in his gallery, I was pretty sure I had found the luthier for my 3K concert. After talking with Dave a few times, I knew he was the right guy. And so I joined his build list and began the process of waiting.
That wait ended today, as a breathtakingly gorgeous uke showed up at my door. I am delighted with this ukulele; it is exactly the uke I wanted, and Dave's work is flawless. It is a very close replica of a 3K, with a few exceptions:
If anybody is considering a custom, I can't recommend Dave Talsma highly enough. Check out his other work at: http://davetalsma.com/
For a while now, my dream uke has been a vintage Martin 3K. For my money, the 3K is just about the most beautiful uke design ever created. The fly in the ointment was that I wanted a 3K concert. According to Walsh & King, only 15 3K concerts have ever been made, most of those in the mid-1920's. So on the rare chance that I stumbled across one, the price would likely have been heart-stopping.
About a year an a half ago, UU member MattyDee posted about a great experience he had working with luthier Dave Talsma. In fact, you can still read about it here: http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?78171-New-Uke-Day-Talsma-Custom!
Matty's custom was beautiful, and it drove me to Dave's website. His work was wonderful, from the wildest out-of-the-box designs (see Warren Buffet's Dairy Queen uke) to loving replicas of vintage ukes. After seeing the 3M and 3K replicas in his gallery, I was pretty sure I had found the luthier for my 3K concert. After talking with Dave a few times, I knew he was the right guy. And so I joined his build list and began the process of waiting.
That wait ended today, as a breathtakingly gorgeous uke showed up at my door. I am delighted with this ukulele; it is exactly the uke I wanted, and Dave's work is flawless. It is a very close replica of a 3K, with a few exceptions:
- Most 3Ks had one piece tops, mine has a bookmatched top (it's easier to do a one-piece top with a soprano!). One could also say it's rare to find a 3K with as much figure as this one.
- 3Ks has friction tuners, mine has Gotoh UPTs (which look great, don't they?)
- Martins have, well, Martin-style bridges, whereas mine has a Talsma-designed string-through bridge. Dave was more than willing to put a Martin-style bridge on it, but I thought it would be nice to have a Talsma touch on a uke that is otherwise a replica.
If anybody is considering a custom, I can't recommend Dave Talsma highly enough. Check out his other work at: http://davetalsma.com/