808Boy and I met with Willie this afternoon, well I arrived a little later. We spent some time talking about his instruments and how much of an impact UU has made. Over the past day he has taken several orders and sold most of his inventory to UU members.
Willie is a retired teacher and cabinet maker who got interested in uke building about 3 years ago. It's a small one man operation and Willie works out of his garage. We made small talk about uke players, uke festivals, slotted headstocks, strings, pick ups, 6 and 8 string ukes.
On to the ukes (this is just a general assessment on my part) . . . IMO, great projection and sustain. The strings (Aquila) provided a warm sound instead of the brightness we're used to hearing even with the different tops. I did not see or feel unevenness on any parts (upper and lower bouts, book matched top/back/sides) of the instrument and the instrument just felt solid. I like the neck thickness and forming chords up and down was not a problem. Willie will shape the neck to your liking. 12th fret harmonics sounded on the spot. Maple and herringbone bindings along with the soundhole rosettes and the inlaid MOP logo on the headstock give it a nice touch. The instruments were polished with tung oil and will do satin or gloss finish if requested. Grover opened gear tuners, rosewood FB and tie bridge, optional pin bridge, bone or corian nut and saddle. MOP position dots and markers. Please check the website for options to determine the final cost.
I did take a few pictures and unfortunately a few of them came out blurry, so I posted the ones that didn't. Sorry folks . . . Oh one more thing, Willie mentioned this is a hobby and not a full time gig, just letting you know. If you have any questions, visit his
website for contact info.
