Custom Little River “Little Prince” Tenor Ukulele

Preowned. Custom Little River “Little Prince” Tenor Ukulele hand crafted by Dave Sigman of Kona, Hawaii. Dave, a woodworker passionate about perfection and expressive creativity, has embraced his love of woodworking for over 40 years; spanning everything from finish carpentry to cabinetry to furniture building, complex joinery, jewelry making, marquetry and inlay, and lutherie – handcrafting beautiful instruments for the recreational and professional musician alike. His business name, “Little River”, was chosen as an homage to the small town he formerly resided in Mendocino County, California filled with scenic views of the coastline where the Little River met the Pacific Ocean. It is most widely known for its recreational activities, including ocean kayaking, hiking, and canoeing among other activities. Dave has since relocated to Kona, Hawaii where he continues to enjoy the beauty of nature while handcrafting ukuleles for music enthusiasts around the world.

This beautiful Custom Little River Tenor Ukulele was handcrafted of a set of sinker redwood soundboard. The log was raised out of Big River, near the town of Mendocino. Sinker redwood are redwood trees that were harvested and sent downriver to processing mills but sank at some point along the way. They are extremely difficult to recover and are often buried under silt that has accumulated over the years. Nonetheless, these logs are highly sought after by luthiers for their structural and tonal characteristics, having been subjected to low oxygen levels at extreme cold temperatures at the bottom of the river floor. Aesthetically, the darker colored streaking is characteristic of a sinker redwood.  It is very stiff and lightweight, making it ideal for soundboards and uniquely distinct in its structural properties when compared to a typical redwood. The back and sides are curly Claro Walnut, which came from a tree near the town of Chico, California in the area adjacent to the Sacramento River. The woods are from Dave’s reserve of premium wood sets for his finest builds. Claro Walnut is a popular wood for guitars and ukuleles and is highly regarded for its noted structural properties and wonderful tonal qualities. Gabon Ebony fingerboard and bridge with a slight radius on the fretboard for ease of play with bar chords and in higher positions on the neck. Gorgeous blonde curly Maui Koa wood top and back binding with bound fretboard, all from a tree harvested in upcountry Maui in a place called, Olinda.

The theme of the instrument is “The Little Prince”, a children’s story written and illustrated by French aristocrat, writer, and military pilot Antoine de Saing-Exupery in 1943. The story follows a young prince who visits various planets in space, including Earth, and addresses themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Despite its style as a children’s book, it makes observations about life, adults, and human nature as well. Consequently, the story of the Little Prince is considered one of the all-time best-selling books in history having sold an estimated 140 million copies and translated into over 500 languages worldwide. The planets on the fingerboard and headstock were meticulously inlaid with birdseye maple wood, purple reconstituted stone represents the Little Prince gazing out into outer space with a matching nouveau rosette, mother of pearl stars inlay, and more. The headstock is also fitted with Gotoh Stealth tuners that have been retrofitted on the back of the headstock to allow the artwork to be shown unobstructed. Graphite dowels guide the strings through the headstock to the recessed tuners in the back of the headstock. A side sound port was incorporated for a monitor-like experience by which the sound fires outward to the audience as well as upward toward the player so that you can hear each subtle nuance in sound.

A true work of art! Dave’s instruments have a clean build to them and offer precise and full tones all the way up the neck. One professional repair of redwood on the underside of the soundboard that is nearly invisible externally. Wonderful articulation of each note with an ease in playing all throughout the neck. Excellent volume, sustain, and an wonderful warm tone with the combination of sinker redwood and Claro walnut. #220067