After Robert-Venn (School of Luthiery) I went to Santa Cruz to work with Rick and he was the best boss ever. I was building the Compass Rose ukuleles and he really let me take my time to do good work. I learned a lot and it was great, but eventually I left to pursue my own line.
As much as Jake enjoyed Santa Cruz, the cost of raising his family there was not conducive with his desire to be an independent luthier. So he ended up going back to his roots in West Virginia and built a beautiful workshop on his property. We are so glad to see the quality and value he is now offering.
Jake has a rare and refreshing dedication to excellence along with the experience and ability to execute that vision. Only a few people have such flawless technique, and the design is original, creative and modern with a classical touch, very nice. Add to that the finest tone woods, Waverly tuners, and an included Ameritage case. As far as features that matter most, this ukulele is extremely easy to play with very low action that just refuses to buzz! It’s a 12 fret to body tenor and the sound …. well, I recorded three different sound samples for a variety of styles. Tell us what you think.
This ukulele will get listed at TheUkuleleSite.com See more Hive soon (hopefully) and see more now at Hive’s Website Aloha and mahalo for checking out The Review. A hui ho!
Comments 8
What a bee you tee ful uke….so clean and with great clarity… wow
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hornet said “what’d he call me?” lol, hey Stan!
Kato is telling me to grab it, he he ….:)
Congrats Andrew…the Hive is as good as we all thought….or better!
the quality of the build top notch…
glad you have the Hive to show everyone…..Congrats to Jake too…..
It is a beautiful sounding uke ,I saw a 2011 you tube with one and I just as impressed . The joining at the 12th fret is a little new to me ,the sound hole also looks lower . Maybe you can provide a short explanation .
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Hey George, 12 frets to body follows a more classical style build and puts the bridge at the center of the lower bout, giving a warmer tone. It’s not new, Martin did both 12 and 14 fret tenors from the beginning and still some builders choose the 12 frets to the body for the tone, like the Pepe Romero you have. Thanks!
Thanks for making us discover this wonderful masterpiece, and the talent of Jake. I love how classy and modern this uke is, without sacrificing to the sound quality. It had been months since I felt such emotion looking at an instrument. Looking forward to seeing more Hive products on the ukulele site. Thanks Andrew and Aaron!
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Thanks Abel!