EVAN CHRISTIE, my grandson is shown here with his hands full of "Pinecones". These are all sopranos that we have made for us by Jesus Jurado in Tijuana Mexico. He makes the gig bags also that come with each uke. Here is the "Pinecone" story.
It all began when I got the itch to build a travel uke that was very thin very strong and very unique. I enlisted my talented grandson and together we designed the "Pinecone", so named because it is made using tonewoods native to the north country where we live. These aren't "Pineapples", they don't grow very well where the tall timber does. These are "Pinecones"! Made with a carved and curved solid backs of beautiful Big Leaf Maple cut in the hills that surround us. The one piece bent sides are the same wood, tough and beautiful. The top is Sitka Spruce, another native wood and the necks are walnut from a tree I had cut down in Bellingham 35 years ago.
The peg head plate has the laser etched image of a pinecone and the peg head is cut to pinecone shape.
After building a few proto-types we produced this amazing little uke that is not only cute and lovely but projects just incredible tone and volume. We knew we had a winner and that we could sell far more of them than I could or wanted to build.
Through contacts at Taylor Guitar and Pacific Rim Tonewoods we found Jesus Jurado, a twenty year employee of Taylor, a lifetime luthier who has a small shop at his home in Tijuana. His handful of Mexican luthiers build custom guitars and mandolins. Now they also make Pinecones. I ship him the wood and he sends back completed instruments. Evan and his wife Megan sell them over their website houseandmill.com. Take a look, they are excellent ukes that you will want to use daily, not just for travel.
We have also designed a concert model, It is 20% larger but has the volume, tone and sound of a tenor. One day we might also have them made by Jesus but for now I make a few each year and have them available on this website.
So take a look at the House &
