GREAT CHARACTERS of the Bellingham music scene

Meet Gail McDonald.  Gail is the leader of the Bellingham ukulele revolution,  The leader of the Bellingham Ukulele Group (BUG),  The conductor of the Bellingham Ukulele Orchestra, and an accomplished teacher of Ukulele in this region.  This photo shows Gail teaching an advanced class in her newly acquired home studio.  Gail is both very good as a teacher, but is also lots of fun, a wonderful combination for a teacher.  Perfect for the ukulele, a fun instrument. She is a community treasure.

Meet Obie.  He is pictured here taking a wood order over the phone.  Obie has been selling wood in Bellingham for more than thirty years.  What he does not know about wood is not worth knowing.
Obie is very knowledgeable about woods for luthiers and It was to Obie that I came today to buy some East Indian Rosewood for the several orders I have received recently.

Obie had it.  I knew that he had purchased a supply of this great wood from the same source that I bought this wood months ago.  I hoped he had some left as I had made six great tenors from this wood and having more orders, I was out of wood.  Obie holds the last of it.  Enough East Indian Rosewood to make five tenors.  It was not cheap, but it makes wonderfully rich and tuneful tenors when combined with a soundboard made of  Redwood  from a NYC water tank.  I am delighted to get this great wood.  It will make some wonderful instruments.

This is where Obie does his thing,  It is quite an experience to visit.  There is wood everywhere.  Logs, veneer, old planks  out doors under tarps.  Somehow, out of all this cacophony, you can find really fine wood.  A fun and pretty crazy place to visit.  Wood nuts love it, I love it.

HERE'S OBIE

This is the end result.  enough of this great wood to build five tenor ukuleles.  In my experience, if you want a tenor ukes with rich, warm tones, the combination of East Indian Redwood and Redwood is the very best.  I am delighted that I will be able to make five more.