Gorgeous koa, creative inlay, and Moore Bettah tone make these the best! They’re completely handmade and completely one of a kind. This is some of Hawaii’s finest art, but Chuck builds for musical qualities as much as aesthetic. Both are vibrant in tone, have perfect intonation, and play like a breeze. If I had the money, I would keep one. These are special ukes, the most beautiful instruments I’ve held.
Click on image for more.
The difference in Chuck Moore and most builders? Chuck is an artist. No ukes display it better than this pair. From the curvaceous design to the unique themes, Chuck gives thoughtful and attractive art that sounds amazing. Years ago, while living on Molokai, Chuck made a living just doing scrimshaw art work. Some examples below show his mastery of this art.
So how does Chuck go about creating an inlay like this lady drinking from the coconut? It starts with an image he takes out of real life and makes a sketch like the one on the left.
He then looks at materials. “One of the ‘tricks’ to doing good inlay work is letting the materials work for you. I’ll spend as much time choosing the right piece as I do cutting it.” Chuck says. He gives an example ,”In the pareau there are about a dozen different pieces, they are cut out like a jigsaw puzzle and assembled. You need to look for areas on the sheet of stone that gives you the color and effect you want. That way the highlights of the folds in the material look real. After it was assembled I went back and inlaid the flowers with white acrylic.”
With the Mastodon ivory body Chuck says,”The etching alone took me the better part of two days to accomplish.” An extreme amount of creative thought and time went in to these instruments. They are heirloom pieces that would surely be the centerpiece of anyone’s collection.
Sarah Maisel and Craig Chee stopped by the workshop yesterday and played a tune for us on these tenors.
So many details to appreciate. Enjoy two of the best and share your thoughts below.
Comments 36
As per Chucks gifting and talents beautifully engaging instruments. May whoever owns these bring them more life!
Chuckie is da man, these are the best sounding and looking ukes available and are on a limited builds….
Andrew you sly dog, Congrats bruddah what a score lidat….woo hoo me tinks me wants 🙂
Beautiful work, sweet sound.. Aloha
Thanks Andrew,Sarah and Craig…what a treat to see two of the nicest Moore Bettah’s played at the same time…..
Congratulation Chuck beautiful work…Craig dedicated this song to Bonnie…Nice!
Andrew…I just went through all the photo’s…this is your best work too!!
you da man….
each shot is beautiful….I am sure Chuck is proud to have you do the pictures….wow Nice!
Where can I get info and prices?
Author
These are sold now. You can email me at andrew@theukulelesite.com
I love the MOORE ART. They sound great too my friend, good work. Crist and I are planning a road trip one of these days will give you a heads up.
Andrew, Glad you been spending some time on the Big Island . Chuck is an amazing guy and I have to compliment you on your photos and lay out,Well done !
I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah and Craig today at the Tampa Bay Ukulele Society`s annual Get Away Festivval. They both taught and performed and as long as we have Ukulele ambassadors like these two we are in good shape. Two nicer people would be hard to find. It was a honor to meet them. I have a Moore Bettah Uke that Chuck Moore built for me and Sarah showed me how it should be played. I can only strive to do it justice. Jack
They sound as beautiful as they look!
This uke is beautiful!
A beautiful instrument. It looks quite well crafted, but a little gaudy for my tastes.
These ukulele’s are beautiful. Someone is going to be very lucky. I wish it was me. 🙂
beautiful craftsmanship!
these are gorgeous instruments!
I was lucky enough to see these beautiful ukuleles in Chucks shop while on vacation on the Big Island. They are both stunning, and I have yet to see or may never see any other ukuleles as beautiful looking or sounding.
These are works of art that sound wonderful!
These ukes are beautiful and sound amazing! I want one of these in my life!
Chuck’s artistic work is just so beautiful. Wonderful tropical themes
in dazzling colors! Wow!!! I am blessed to own one of his more
simpler ukes and it so stunning to look at. But wait and just play
it and the tone is rich and lyrical.
I sure wish I could afford one of these.
Chuck is an incredible artist Luthier…..To create works of art that not only look incredible, but also sound amazing, and are so playable is something very rare indeed…He is in a class by himself… A craftsman and artist in the best possible way.
Wow, these are gorgeous. Love the palm sound hole and the wood grain and finish is just beautiful. With great sound to boot.
Chuck makes some of the most beautiful ukes on the market today. Hopefully I’ll get to add one to the collection someday. Thanks for the review!
What a beautiful instrument 🙂 sounds good too
Just lovely looking and sounding!
While the inlays are not my style, they are beautifully done. What really impressed me was the sound – very clean and exactly what a great uke should sound like in my opinion.
Awesome ukes!
Chuck’s ukuleles are not mere instruments, each one is a work of art! His attention to detail and the amazing inlay artistry sets his instruments apart from most others I’ve seen. He works almost exclusively with Koa and the materials include some of the most beautiful wood I’ve ever seen. Having evolved from a scrimshaw artist to a ukulele luthier allows him to leave an artistic imprint on his work that few others can match. The sound quality of his instruments is also commensurate with the appearance! While his work commands pretty high prices they are worth every penny, I hope to be able to own one some day.
Chuck is amazing. I would love to visit his workshop on the Big Island. I not convinced he doesn’t have magic elves because his work is truly magical.
Author
Yes! I’m not fully convinced as well Simon. 😀
The koa on the ukes are absolutely stunning!
Glad I could listen to these…I could see right away how beautiful they look. Now I know they sound even more beautiful!
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Wow!!! I’m sure it is commonly understood that his work is finely crafted, but it is out of this world! The inlays are beautiful miniature works of art on an already small instrument. Must be meticulously thought out and a wide source of materials used. Lovely!!!
The artwork on these is amazing! *heart eyes emoji*