Over a year ago, I was saddened as I decided to pass on a Moore Bettah uke, letting logic prevail over my heart. I realized it might be my last opportunity to purchase one. As time passed and I rued my decision more, I decided to find another custom builder to build a no holds barred ukulele. And after videos, posts, chasing leads in this forum, etc., I decided to get a Barron River concert built by Allen McFarlen in Australia.
Appearance first: It is gorgeous! I went with the 3000 year sitka spruce for the soundboard based on photos on his website (https://www.brguitars.com/). I followed his recommendation and matched it with Honduran Rosewood. Upgrades included a soundport and Gotoh Planetary tuners. The sitka spruce is amazing! It transforms with the lighting from a silver grey to a golden brown (first two photos). It is a palette of beauty. The Rosewood and the bindings complement this completely. (And his final few pieces of ancient sitka wood are spoken for, so I was lucky to get mine).
Workmanship next: Impeccable construction! It is a flawless build. Finish brings out the wood grain and beauty. The edges are rounded and a week of admiring it has made me appreciate his craftsmanship even more. This is a master builder at work. I also selected to have a string through bridge instead of using bridge pins.
Feel and playability: Excellent. I like the radiused fretboard which is standard construction for his ukes. Action is close to 2.4 mm, no buzzing with great intonation. Of interest is that he uses Hannabach 235MHT Super Carbon strings. These are fluorocarbon of medium to high tension, which I am undecided on changing out (to lower tension). But the ukulele sounds great with them. And they seem to require a shorter break in period than other fluorocarbons I have used (Living Waters, Worth CM, UkeLogic). Neck is narrow and comfortable.
Sound: It is a cannon! It is loud in a most pleasing way. Great sustain. And there is a complexity of sound (overtones?) that elevate my joy while playing it.
Cons: Well, this uke did not cure my UAS… it had an unintended effect. I am now in his queue to have a soprano made by him.
Photos: For more, I refer you to his June 25th post on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BarronRiverUkuleles
Appearance first: It is gorgeous! I went with the 3000 year sitka spruce for the soundboard based on photos on his website (https://www.brguitars.com/). I followed his recommendation and matched it with Honduran Rosewood. Upgrades included a soundport and Gotoh Planetary tuners. The sitka spruce is amazing! It transforms with the lighting from a silver grey to a golden brown (first two photos). It is a palette of beauty. The Rosewood and the bindings complement this completely. (And his final few pieces of ancient sitka wood are spoken for, so I was lucky to get mine).
Workmanship next: Impeccable construction! It is a flawless build. Finish brings out the wood grain and beauty. The edges are rounded and a week of admiring it has made me appreciate his craftsmanship even more. This is a master builder at work. I also selected to have a string through bridge instead of using bridge pins.
Feel and playability: Excellent. I like the radiused fretboard which is standard construction for his ukes. Action is close to 2.4 mm, no buzzing with great intonation. Of interest is that he uses Hannabach 235MHT Super Carbon strings. These are fluorocarbon of medium to high tension, which I am undecided on changing out (to lower tension). But the ukulele sounds great with them. And they seem to require a shorter break in period than other fluorocarbons I have used (Living Waters, Worth CM, UkeLogic). Neck is narrow and comfortable.
Sound: It is a cannon! It is loud in a most pleasing way. Great sustain. And there is a complexity of sound (overtones?) that elevate my joy while playing it.
Cons: Well, this uke did not cure my UAS… it had an unintended effect. I am now in his queue to have a soprano made by him.
Photos: For more, I refer you to his June 25th post on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BarronRiverUkuleles
