New Build - MP Mike Pereira Custom Tenor

Kenn2018

Kenn2018

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I have talked to Mike for a while about commissioning a tenor and I pulled the trigger a couple of months ago.

He had some work he had to finish first so we discussed woods and what I wanted in the ukulele.

I wanted a uke that I could finger pick comfortably. I'm slowly starting to learn fingerstyle and that is what this build is aimed at.

I also wanted something a little unusual for the body. Something striking, yet classy.

He showed me several wood sets that he has. He described the Chechen (Caribbean Rosewood) as being very hard and dense. That it worked very much like the other hard rosewoods such as Brazillian, Madagascar & Cocobolo. It should produce a clear, well-rounded tone from base to treble. So I decided to go with the Chechen.

Here is what the Chechen blanks looked like:

Caribbian Rosewood - Chechen.jpg
 
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We also decided on a Sitka Spruce top. It would give the crisp notes and project with plenty of volume.

As we talked Mike made several suggestions for the binding. Ebony, maple, blood wood, mahogany, etc. And he sent some pieces placed with the Chechen blank. Nothing quite worked for me.

I then found some build examples that I quite liked. I didn't want anything that would fight with the Chechen body. Nothing with a strong grain or figure. Color-wise I wanted something that would be a good transition between the body and top. He found some koa that didn't have a lot of figure to it and was the right tone. We decided to go with his low-figured koa binding.

Koa Binding.jpg
 
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Good choices! Mike is a terrific builder, and the Chechen is spectacular. Look forward to build progress updates.
 
Ooh, that back though! :drool:

I'd ask for a finish that didn't darken it much, if at all, if that's possible. If I were you, I'd also like to see the bookmatch with the pieces flipped. Might be even better.
 
Jim Hanks said:
Ooh, that back though! :drool: I'd ask for a finish that didn't darken it much, if at all, if that's possible. If I were you, I'd also like to see the bookmatch with the pieces flipped. Might be even better.
Click to expand...

I'm with Jim, always like lighter finishes. Chechen is beautiful. I wonder what a Chechen top would sound like.

This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 9 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 34)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
That's going to be a beautiful ukulele.
Looking forward to updates on the build, and most especially, song samples once you have it. It should be a very special ukulele.
 
Jim Hanks said:
Ooh, that back though! :drool:

I'd ask for a finish that didn't darken it much, if at all, if that's possible. If I were you, I'd also like to see the bookmatch with the pieces flipped. Might be even better.
Click to expand...


He showed me both sides and this is the better one. Also a much better book match. Though the halves aren't exact mirrors. I agree about the finish. I believe the wood is a little darker than it appears in the photo.

I'm going for a high-gloss poly body and a satin neck. So we'll see how it turns out.
 
Ah. Thanks for the suggestion. I gave it a quick look in PhotoShop just now.

Interesting look, but I prefer the "waves" of the center section abutting. Gives it more of an impression of continuity between the sides. (Not as chaotic looking?) Though there will be a stripe between them.

Appreciate the idea. It hadn't occurred to me.
 
Congratulations on commissioning a ukulele from Mike. I know you own one of his Cali models so this will be a wonderful big brother. The Chechen for the back and sides is amazing, the more I look at it the more I am impressed.

Good choice for the bindings and the spruce top will give it an articulate tone with great projection. I look forward to more pictures as the build progresses. When the Chechen has some finish applied it will really be spectacular.
 
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DownUpDave said:
Congratulations on commissioning a ukulele from Mike. I know you own one of his Cali models so if this with be a wonderful big brother. The Chechen for the back and sides is amazing, the more I look at it the more I am impressed.

Good choice for the bindings and the spruce top will give it an articulate tone with great projection. I look forward to more pictures as the build progresses. When the Chechen has some finish applied it will really be spectacular.
Click to expand...

Thanks Dave. I have a couple of other MP tenors as well. They persuaded me to commission one. Here's a quick photo I took of them.

MP Tenors 150dpi.jpg

L to R: Cali all Black Walnut; Mahogany/Spruce; all Myrtle; Myrtle/Spruce 8-String
 
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Back & Front

Here are more build photos:

Chechen back with koa stripe and ebony & maple wood perfling. (No plastic.)

Back & Stripe.jpg

Sitka Spruce top with rosette inlay. I asked Mike to design the inlay without any input from me. I love the classy, understated result. Tying the woods together with an accent of color. Again, no plastic.
Sorry there aren't photos of the process.

Rosette Inlay.jpg

Here's a shot of the Chechen Back and Spruce top before he started the rosette. Notice how dark the Chechen looks from a different angle. The true color is somewhere between the two:

Back & Top.jpg
 
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Sides and Braces

The Chechen sides have already been steamed and bent. (I think this was the first step Mike undertook.)

Mike glued in the neck and tail blocks.
Sides Internal Blocks.jpg

Next is the notched kerfing.
Kerfing.jpg

Top Braces glued. Per Mike: "The horizontal braces on the top are called transverse braces and the braces on the lower bout are fan braces. The whole top bracing is basically called a fan bracing system."
Top Bracing.jpg

Back Bracing glued. Again, Per Mike: "Ladder bracing is what you see on the back."
Back Bracing.jpg

Mike apologized to me for not sending more photos. He said he gets immersed in what he's doing and when he's on a roll, he forgets to take pictures as he's working. I told him it wasn't a problem. Don't let taking photos disrupt your workflow or distract you. Take them whenever you can.

So there will be some jumps in the steps of the construction.
 
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Body is Together

Body is together. The K&K Aloha Twin passive pickups are attached to the rosewood bridge plate. It will have string-through bridge. The hole for the pickup jack won't be drilled until after the finishing.

Top
Together Top.jpg

Top & Side
Together Front:Side.jpg

Back
Together Back.jpg

Back & Side
Together Back:Side.jpg

Binding comes next.
 
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I've been planning to shoot some photos of the Mahogany/Spruce for a review, so I'd be happy to post some shots of the all-myrtle one.
 
Kenn2018 said:
Thanks Dave. I have a couple of other MP tenors as well. They persuaded me to commission one. Here's a quick photo I took of them.

View attachment 120497

L to R: Cali all Black Walnut; Mahogany/Spruce; all Myrtle; Myrtle/Spruce 8-String
Click to expand...

Wow Ken I had no idea you had such a wonderful collection of MP ukuleles. You obviously think highly of them and your new custom build will sure compliment the others.

What I find interesting is they all have different bridge designs. Most luthiers won’t do that but I like it.
 
The myrtle and myrtle/spruce tenors were made about 2005 to 2008. The Cali Walnut and MP Mahogany were made in 2018 & 2017. So part of the build differences are due to Mike's evolution as a luthier.

He does offer either a string-through bridge or a tie bridge on his custom. Depending on your preference.
 
Binding

The first photo shows the grooved body ready for the koa binding. Unfortunately, Mike wasn't able to take a photo of the binding pieces in place before he taped everything up for the glue to set. He was in a hurry before the glue began to set.

Binding Groove.jpg

Binding in place. Shaping will occur this weekend.
Binding Gluing Up.jpg

Neck billet comes next.
 
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