NUD: fv (Francesco Verginelli) Cedar / Koa Tenor

Locolele

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Charlotte, NC
I haven't seen any fv ukuleles here. I couldn't resist this one. Been looking for a cedar/koa tenor. It's currently in Rome getting CITES permits for the Honduran Mahogany neck and Indian RW binding and rosette.

Entirely handmade instrument. New, June 2018.

Shape: Tenor
Diapason: 17 3/32" (434,18mm)
Nut Width: 34,9mm
Body length: 307,5mm
Fingerboard Radius: 20"
Finishing: Shellac w/ poly resin (french polish)

Top: Cedar (30 seasoned)
Back & Side: Hawaiian Koa (Master grade)
Neck: Honduras Mahogany (CITES)
Bridge: Ziricote
Fingerboard: Hawaiian Koa
Haedplate Cover: Ziricote
Kerfing: Tilia
Braces: Italian Val di Fiemme Spruce
Binding: Indian Rosewood
Frets: 18% Nickel / Silver
Tuning Machine: Waverly koa buttons
Nut and Saddle: Bone
Rosette Inlay: Koa/rosewood
Headstock Inlay: Koa

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Here is a quick vid of the shellac, polyresin solution french polish...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=19&v=QL8s-rf4tOk

The builder describes it on his site as having some advantages over pure shellac, one of which is greater durability, while still achieving the relative thinness of a french-polished shellac. Who knows how much it really matters in reality, but the results certainly look and sound nice, IMO.
 
Wonderful classy ukulele. The wood sets of Koa and Cedar are amazing and the sound is sweet. Congrats. Hope you don't have to wait too long!
 
That is one of the classiest most elegant and refined ukuleles I have seen. Everything comes together beautifully. Congratulations on an awesome instrument
 
Wonderful classy ukulele. The wood sets of Koa and Cedar are amazing and the sound is sweet. Congrats. Hope you don't have to wait too long!

Congratulations Locolele, wow, what a stunner! :D

That is one of the classiest most elegant and refined ukuleles I have seen. Everything comes together beautifully. Congratulations on an awesome instrument

Thank you very much guys! I'm excited, as you can probably tell by the extensive post. :) I always love pictures and media, so...

There is very little about fv out there. I thought I would give some exposure.

It could be a while before it arrives, but I figured it is potentially worth it. You never know for sure until you have it in your own hands, especially with a relative unknown builder--to me here in NC, at least. But, I decided to take the risk. I've been looking at cedar/koa since almost purchasing a Fred Vento cedar/koa from Shawn at Ukulele Friend. I ultimately decided the Vento was a bit out of range. This fv comes in at just over half the price of the Vento. I really liked the sustain of the cedar, as well as the trebles, and it seems to match well with koa. From the clip, this fv seems to have the same general sound qualities. I also wanted some radius in the fretboard. Add the looks, and I was hooked.:drool:
 
Holly Cow!! That ukulele looks amazing. Love the wood grain on the back.

Thank you! Sorry, I missed your post squeezed in there with some of mine.

Pictures never do justice to the curl in the koa, either. You get some feel for the curl in the polish video, though.
 
Congratulations Locolele. Beautiful and classy looking :drool: Very exciting, hope you get it soon so we can have an update. Sounds very sweet. Had a look on the website and looks like some great builds. I like the look and sound of the tenor Kasha, unique looking.
 
Congratulations Locolele. Beautiful and classy looking :drool: Very exciting, hope you get it soon so we can have an update. Sounds very sweet. Had a look on the website and looks like some great builds. I like the look and sound of the tenor Kasha, unique looking.

Thank you! I agree on the Kasha Tenor. In fact, I listened to the clips for several of Francesco's ukuleles, and I was impressed that they were all resonant and exhibited the characteristics of the tone woods used. The extensive pictures he shows on his site of the various builds, along with the sound clips gave me a measure of confidence in purchasing sight-unseen, so to speak.


Absolutely amazing! That's the most beautiful ukulele I've ever seen.

This Uke is a classy beauty. Sounded great too. Congratulations.

Absolutely gorgeous!

Thank you all! I can't wait to get it. The pressure will be on to play it to its potential, so to speak. It would seem a shame to own something so nice and not make beautiful music with it--or at least nice sounds. Not sure if I can live up to the "beautiful music" standard. :)

LL
 
Early congratulations! That is a beauty. 1st time I've seen one from FV. I hope you'll give us more pics when it comes, and a recording maybe???
 
That is lovely. I can see why you’re so excited!
 
Early congratulations! That is a beauty. 1st time I've seen one from FV. I hope you'll give us more pics when it comes, and a recording maybe???

That is lovely. I can see why you’re so excited!

Thank you again!

I only picked up the ukulele a little over a year ago, and then I decided to take classical guitar lessons starting last September. So, I've been moving among my ukuleles, classical guitar, and steel-stringed acoustic as I have felt inspired by one piece or another. (I'm not a very disciplined student at 47.) I've made a lot of progress, but it is split across the different instruments and styles. I aspire to "do it all," so to speak, and so I'm moving forward along many fronts at once, as the inspiration hits me. The result, however, is that I'm not very good at anything yet. I can do a little flat-picking, a little cross-picking, a bit of fingerstyle, some strumming, basic chords, the barre chords are coming along, a little chord noodling, a little bit of lead using major, minor and pentatonic scales. But, I don't have any pieces that are presentable.

I used to play wind instruments in jazz and orchestral settings, but never any strings. So, the theory and reading standard notation are not a problem. I understand the guitar and ukulele well, but I'm still in the early-intermediate phase of training my hands and fingers. And, I prefer not to read straight tablature--still working on that. I prefer to read standard notation and have the tablature as an aid, if needed.

The recent project has been working up Scott Tennant's arrangement of "Wild Mountain Thyme" on my classical. But, I've also been itching to work up "Here Comes the Sun" on the ukulele. That will probably be my first project with this fv tenor. My classical instructor also teaches ukulele (and acoustic and electric guitar), so we are a good fit, and I'll likely tap him for some help.

I've never considered recording myself to date. I'll need to get some recording equipment first, and a somewhat polished piece I can play. Not sure I want to use my phone.

I'd really like to find a group to play with at some point, but I don't have the confidence or repertoire yet.

LL
 
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