NUD: Bonanza cherry Homestead concert

mikelz777

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I treated myself with this uke for my birthday last November (just got it a few days ago) - a Bonanza cherry Homestead concert! It's got some really cool grain patterns where the two halves come together along the edges.

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Well I know the Homestead was kept simple to reduce cost, but I love the elegant clean lines and simplicity of that uke. Just beautiful.
 
Wow, congratulations!
Interesting....what in the world are the nut and saddle made of?
 
You likee?

What is the material of that saddle? Looks very different.

The nut and saddle are made of Corian(?) maybe or some other similar substance used for counter tops.

I like it a lot. I like the thinline body, it's very comfortable to play when I'm sitting back in my easy chair. It's resonant and has a real nice sound. Volume-wise I'd say it's average or a tick on the quiet side of average. I don't think thinline ukes are made to have a big, booming sound.
 
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Well I know the Homestead was kept simple to reduce cost, but I love the elegant clean lines and simplicity of that uke. Just beautiful.

I originally wanted an Oreo but when the Homestead came along, I really loved the simplified look. The contrasting wood on the edge of the Oreo looks great but I think I like the look of where the grain patterns meet at the seam of the edge on the Homestead even more.
 
Now I have to figure out how to adapt a regular depth hard case for the thinline body of the Homestead. I also have to figure out how to humidify it. An Oasis humidifier doesn't fit and the Humilele humidifier is too deep. I currently have it gently wedged at an angle in the sound hole for a temporary solution. I may end up having to go with a Damp-it type humidifier.
 
I think they look great. In fact, a baritone version of the homestead just arrived with me and will be on Got A Ukulele in a couple of weeks!
 
Beautiful! I love that clean look. What made you choose cherry over walnut?
 
I got a cherry oreo and wasn't sure what to expect of cherry as a tone wood but I shouldn't have been worried. It has a great sound that seems to get better as the wood darkens. Mine came with Worth Brown strings which I liked but I have Living Waters strings on now and they are excellent.
 
Beautiful! I love that clean look. What made you choose cherry over walnut?

I wish I had a sexy answer that made me look smart and musically educated about tone wood qualities and all but it really just came down to the coloring of the wood which hadn't been represented yet among my other ukes. I already had dark brown and warm sounding ukes so I opted for the cherry to get something different. I liked the sound of cherry from what I heard in sound samples and I like the warmth of it's coloring. I know the coloring is supposed to change over time with the exposure to natural light and I kind of like the idea of that as well. I'm no expert but I think it will darken and take on kind of a reddish tint. I also like the varying grain patterns. At first I was a little worried that it might look "ply-woody" but those worries were unfounded.
 
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I got a cherry oreo and wasn't sure what to expect of cherry as a tone wood but I shouldn't have been worried. It has a great sound that seems to get better as the wood darkens.
Good to hear. I noticed that cherry is slightly less in terms of hardness & density than mahogany and koa, while walnut fits in between for the most part. If I had the money, I'd love to buy three homesteads. One each of mahogany, walnut, and cherry and listen to them over a long period with various strings. This would be assuming they are all created the same. But I'll just have to choose one the next time the urge to buy another uke hits me.
 
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I really like the design A LOT. Nice!
 
Here's the end result of my case adaptation. I found a square of 1" craft foam and cut it to fit snugly in the bottom of the case. I had a piece of plush microfiber cloth around the house I had purchased from the Dollar Tree some time ago. I cut the cloth about 1-1/4" wider than the foam pad around all of it's edges and then I just tucked it in around all the edges. The foam fits firmly enough against the edges of the case to hold it in place. It turned out nicer than I thought it would and it ended up costing me less than $4!

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The nut and saddle are made of Corian(?) maybe or some other similar substance used for counter tops. I like it a lot. I like the thinline body, it's very comfortable to play when I'm sitting back in my easy chair. It's resonant and has a real nice sound. Volume-wise I'd say it's average or a tick on the quiet side of average. I don't think thinline ukes are made to have a big, booming sound.

Are the top and bottom actually carved out since it's not book matched, but meet at the center of the sides?

The Kala thinline is amazingly resonant, and I have a Lanikai Bocote Thinline that also has good projection.


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Are the top and bottom actually carved out since it's not book matched, but meet at the center of the sides?

The Kala thinline is amazingly resonant, and I have a Lanikai Bocote Thinline that also has good projection.

Yes the front and the back are machined out like a shallow, flat bowl and then they are joined at their edges so the only seam is in the middle of the edge of the finished uke. This is a video of one side being machined out.

 
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