What is a “High” Baritone Ukulele? Normal Baritone Ukuleles are tuned like the top four strings of a guitar–DGBE–and have a string length that is generally 19″ to 21″ or more. Over the years, I have found baritone ukuleles sound better if they are strung with tenor ukulele strings and tuned up a third to FBbDG, which gives a brighter… (more…)
Category Archives: Ukuleles
Renaissance Guitar Build 2021
This is my first Renaissance Guitar build and a really different challenge for me. We know very little about how these instruments were constructed, but we do know they were very popular, and quite a lot of music survives. We know that the Renaissance Guitar had 4-courses of strings with the lower courses in pairs and the top string a… (more…)
Oregon Myrtle Tenor Ukulele
Tenor Ukulele with Oregon Myrtle back, sides and top; Walnut neck and Ebony fingerboard and bridge.
Ziricote Baritone Ukulele
This Baritone Uke features some stunning Ziricote for the back and sides, a torrefied Sitka Spruce top, Macassar Ebony fingerboard, bridge, and head plate, Curly Koa Bindings and Sound Hole ring, and a slotted headstock and Rubner tuners.
Long-Neck Soprano with Cardinal Inlay
Recently completed in early 2017, here’s a Long-Neck Soprano Ukulele (soprano body with a concert neck and scale) made of Claro Walnut (back and sides), Lutz Spruce (top), Mahogany (neck), Koa (binding and sound hole ring), and Indian Rosewood (fingerboard and bridge) with Grover Gold open-back tuners. The instrument features a special inlay of a male Cardinal perched on a… (more…)
Art Deco Tenor Ukulele
This is a recently completed (early 2014) tenor ukulele where the client wanted special inlays using an Art Deco theme. The headstock is based on a frieze above the entrance to Rockefeller Center by early 20th-century architectural sculpterLee Lawrie depicting “Knowledge” (or Zeus if you like). The fingerboard inlay is based on the sculpture of Atlas (also by Lawrie) that… (more…)
New Concert and Tenor Ukuleles
Here’s a pair of ukuleles (concert and tenor) that I just finished and delivered to a customer who lives in Cleveland. The bodies, body binding, and head plates are curly koa, with mahogany necks, and ebony fingerboard and bridge. Both sound as good as they look.
Tiger Ukulele Finished
The tenor ukulele with the inlay of a tiger is finally done. I began working on this last March with a client in New York City who wanted a special inlay. We finally settled on this image of a tiger standing on a cliff overlooking a large body of water with hills and mountains in the background above which are… (more…)
Milwaukee Ukulele Festival 2012
Mason Guitars and Ukuleles was at the Milwaukee Ukulele Festival on October 20, 2012. We had a great time showing and talking ukuleles with the attendees. Here are some photos:
- Hand-Crafted Guitars and Ukuleles by Kevin Mason
Slideshow
