HERE THEY ARE, sanded to 320 grit, From left to right, East Indian Rosewood back and sides and redwood top, Honduran mahogany neck, Aust. blackwood binder. ; center, Big leaf tiger-stripe maple back and sides, Redwoodwood top, Black walnut neck. Rt. Australian Blackwood back and sides, Redwood top, maple binder, Alaska Cedar neck. Fun to get them to this stage, The really tough part is done.
The next step will be putting the frets in the finger-boards and attaching same to the nexus, Then the peg head plates get attached, then the final shaping of the neck. Soon the French Polish work begins and the true beauty of this wood will begin to reveal itself. I think these ukes are going to be lovely.
All three of these tenors have tops made from extremely fine-grained quarter sawn redwood salvaged from an old water tank on top of a New York City apartment building. It is probably 80 to 100 years since it was sawn into a stave for a water-tank, and judging by the grain the tree was more than 1,000 years old when it was cut.
This is truly master grade Redwood and I can hardly wait to hear it.
This is truly master grade Redwood and I can hardly wait to hear it.
