A Magical Tenor From Mr. Moore

This is a new and unique tenor ukulele from the legendary Big Island builder, Chuck Moore. It’s ultra light in weight and has a huge, deep sound not common to koa. Also uncommon is the absolutely perfect setup Chuck does, butter smooth action with no buzz. Isn’t that the norm for high end custom builds? No. Ok, what else…ah, the gorgeous inlay.

Chuck’s talented use of natural materials and scrimshaw ability give his inlay the most amazing dimension. Here he uses 40,000 year old Mastodon ivory to etch out the fairy, the extremely rare South East Asian amboyna burl wood for her hair, and the perfect abalone shell for her butterfly wings. Chuck speaks of his vision for this piece,

This fantasy uke was inspired by the pond we have next to the shop. It’s filled with white and pink lotus blossoms and attracts a lot of dragonflies. I only ever seem to get a fleeting glimpse of the fairies, so that depiction is largely from my imagination.

Truly a one of a kind masterpiece from Chuck Moore. Enjoy another epic Moore Bettah and share your thoughts below.

Model: 4 string tenor #1408
Body materials: Koa
Bracing: Top, Sitka spruce, 3 fan pattern. Back, Honduran mahogany
Binding: Ebony
Purfling: B/Gr/B fiber
Neck: Spanish cedar (carbon fiber reinforced)
Head stock design: Solid
Head stock overlay: Ebony
Side sound port: Upper bout
Fret board: Ebony, bound
Bridge: Ebony
Inlay: “Fairy” Scrimshawed mastodon ivory, composition stone, pearl shell, amboyna burl
Rosette: Paua abalone
Nut & saddle: Bone
Tuners: Gotoh UPTL
Strings: South Coast HML-RW (Low G)
Finish: Glossy nitrocellulose lacquer

Aloha friends. A hui ho!