Custom Kula ‘Big Blue Marble’ Tenor Ukulele
Circa 2017. A work of art! Beautiful custom tenor Kula ukulele handcrafted by master luthier Crist Pung of the Big Island, HI. Crist handcrafts very unique aesthetically pleasing ukuleles that also play wonderfully for both the professional musician and recreational player.
This wonderful custom tenor ukulele was handcrafted from gorgeous Hawaiian Kiawe wood back and sides harvested from a private estate on the Big Island of Hawaii and a master grade set of Englemann spruce on the soundboard, giving this instrument excellent low end with a responsive bright and full tone. A beautiful Hawaiian hardwood and family of spreading Mesquite trees, a moderately sized Hawaiian Kiawe tree bears spines and yellowish flowers with spikes throughout it’s branches. It is a legume since it does have long pods filled with small brown seeds and is native to Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru. In woodworking, it is most noted for its tremendous density and golden brown color with chocolatey streaks and blonde sap wood. Kiawe wood is as unique and beautiful a hardwood out of Hawaii as can be with wonderful tonal offerings and an aesthetic appeal entirely unique to is own from the islands. Matching Hawaiian Kiawe wood fretboard with a natural wood knot accent – attributing to the unique aesthetic character traits of this wood, a Kiawe wood bridge, and Kiawe wood top head-plate with mitered purfling in keeping with the theme of the instrument. Gorgeous Purple Heart wood top and back binding with mitered purple and black accent lines on the fingerboard. Matching Purple Heart wood back headstock plate. Contrasting black-white-black purfling lines on top, back, sides, giving the contours of the instrument greater definition while attesting to the skill-level of the luthier, Crist Pung. The neck was carved from Honduran Mahogany wood and a carbon fiber truss-rod was inserted for added stability and sustain. 14 frets to the body and 18 overall frets to the soundhole. Vintage bone nut and saddle and professional Waverly open-geared tuners with Ebony wood buttons for precise tuning are a few more amenities to this beautiful instrument.
The inlay…absolutely meticulous! The headstock inlay theme of this ukulele is ‘Big Blue Marble’, with the classic ‘Great Wave’ of Kanagawa cresting out in the deep big blue ocean – in tribute to a woodblock print by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai originally printed sometime between 1829 – 1833. Accent ‘marble’ appeal coin inlay rosette with black-white-black purfling lines throughout. Headstock inlay constitutes of blue abalone shell, mother-of-pearl, and reconstructed stone. A truly wonderful piece of art themed perfectly in commemorating the long history between Hawaii and Japan through the use of the Kiawe wood and in combination with the ‘Great Wave’ inlay, making this a beautiful piece of art and a professional grade recording instrument.
Wonderful depth of tones from this wood combination with remarkable clarity, brightness and low end. The instrument is also very well center balanced which makes for a very comfortable instrument as you cradle it up against your body. String action is set rather high but adds to the projection of the uke. For this reason, the instrument has been discounted significantly to get it into the hands of the right player. ID#:180101
Price: SOLD