Three tenors and a concert. (Click on pictures to see full resolution image.)
In order from left to right
#100 – Tenor – Since this is number 100 I figured I would do something a little special. My little enterprise is “Jupiter Ukulele”, because we have a little house here in Jupiter Florida. So, here is a ‘Jupiter’ ukulele. It is made from what is known in Florida as ‘Florida rosewood’. More properly this is North Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia sissoo) . It is a true rosewood being in genus Dalbergia. It is planted around south Florida as a landscape tree. This is from a large log given to me by a wood-turning neighbor. The top is water-tank curly redwood, curly maple binding, paua abalone rosette. The headstock inlay is the iconic Jupiter lighthouse (built before the civil war) and then going down the fingerboard are denizens of the Jupiter inlet, in descending water order: flying pelican, mangroves, wading egret, manatee, snook, shells.
#106 Tenor – Book-matched crotch figure Pennsylvania black walnut sides and back, water-tank redwood top, koa binding, ziricote fingerboard and bridge, heart paua abalone rosette
#107 Tenor – single piece crotch figure Pennsylvania black walnut back, black walnut sides, water-tank redwood top, koa binding, ziricote fingerboard and bridge, heart paua abalone rosette
#105 – Concert – Back and sides are Box Elder – (Acer negundo ) – The exact cause of the red streaks is a matter of discussion, but seems to be related to injury and/or a fungus. Many of these red stains surround bore holes from an ambrosia beetle which is both injury and carries a fungus. This is genus Acer, so it is a maple. Handles like softer red maple. Top is aromatic cedar (Juniperus virginiana) – This is the cedar used to make moth-proof closets and chests. One rarely finds it big enough, and with clear wood to make an instrument. I was driving down a local country road and noticed that the power company had taken down a number of big aromatic cedars along the road, under some power lines. I spoke to the landowner about getting some of the wood and he said “help yourself”. The trees were quite large for a local aromatic cedar, and they had had the lower branches pruned up a long time ago so the wood was nice and clear, with only a little pin-knot here and there. It is pink/purple when fresh cut but this fades to a warm caramel brown pretty quickly on exposure to light. Fingerboard is casuarina, very hard and an invasive species in south Florida. The inlays on the fingerboard were a design suggested by the customer (this was a commission). They are the ‘cat moon’.
