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Boomerang Take a piece of Firebird, a little Explorer, some Flying V, add a bit of Danelectro, and a touch of Fender. . . put ’em all together and what have you got?. . .The Boomerang! Earnest Instruments combines the best of what’s “out there” into one retro-electro-mando that brings back the future. Available in mahogany or limba (a.k.a. korina), the Boomerang features a bolt-on neck, reverse headstock, lipstick tube pickup, pearloid pickguard, amber speed knobs, and a strat style tailpiece with through body string anchors. Available with 4 or 5 strings, 14.5″ scale length, or NovaX multi-scale fretboard.
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Category: Articles
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The Stradelele Concert Uke
 Stradelele Concert Uke with Curly Mahogany and Tru-Oil finish |
The Stradelele Concert Uke Antonio Stradivari is well known as a prodigious and celebrated maker of violins and cellos. He also made a few guitars and some mandolins, but its pretty safe to assume that he never made any ukuleles. One of his guitars, made in 1700, was recently on exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Its long-waisted shape, and understated ornamentation inspired this concert size ukulele. The headstock mirrors the body shape in a style that is typical in Portuguese and Hawaiian instruments, but also not uncommon in Italian guitars of the period. The uke is available in curly mahogany, koa, or maple, with rosewood or ebony binding and a rope style rosette. A spruce top is an option. Traditional violin tuners are standard. Pegheds™ machine tuners are also available. The instrument can be finished in tru-oil, lacquer, or antiqued violin varnish. The Stradelele is currently played by classical ukulele master, John King.
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 Stradelele Concert Uke with Curly Maple and Antiqued Violin Varnish |
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Earnest Instruments: Tenor Guitars
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Tululele Rock ‘n Roll will never be the same with the Tululele, which combines the sound of an acoustic uke with the look of a classic electric guitar. With a hollow ash body, a bolt-on maple neck and a concert scale length (14 7/8″), the Tululele pumps out plenty of acoustic sound and also plugs in to your favorite amp for a hot acoustic/electric effect. The Tululele is available in “Ruby”, “Blondie”, or “Bluey” (custom colors and finishes also available — see below) and includes a standard piezo soundboard transducer, and a plush lined chipboard case.
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 Custom Tenor Tuluele, built for Ed Vedder, Pearl Jam |
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Earnesto A classic European styled flat-top mandolin, EARNESTO is designed for the ethnic or classical musician looking for an alternative to the standard bowlback, archtop, or crack top mandolin. The large, deep body, and long (14 1/2″) scale length gives this instrument a clear brilliance, with strong bass and rich overtones, capable of a wide range of timbres and moods. EARNESTO is available in a variety of domestic and imported hardwoods, with a slotted or solid headstock.
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Octavio The original EARNEST octave mandolin has gone through a number of design changes and refinements resulting in OCTAVIO, a flat-top, octave mandolin featuring a strong, guitar-like bass and a sweet, balanced treble with lots of sustain. The deep, rounded teardrop shape creates a large air chamber allowing the instrument to respond to the low G strings, while the 23″ scale gives it the “feel” of a tenor banjo. OCTAVIO fills a void in the mandolin family. It creates an ideal voice for Celtic music, as well as other ethnic, classical, and contemporary styles. OCTAVIO is available in domestic or exotic tonewoods, with a spruce top, ebony or rosewood fingerboard (12″ radius or flat), and ivoroid binding.
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Big Red Tenor Guitar
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Big Red Possibly the first four-string cello guitar (tuned CGDA), BIG RED combines the best qualities of the flat-top guitar and the mandocello in one instrument. Originally based on a Bourgeois slope-shouldered dreadnought body, BIG RED is built with padauk back and sides, a spruce top, and a long 26.5″ scale (similar to a cello) that projects powerful bass response, great sustain, and clear separation of tones. BIG RED has none of the weak muddiness of most acoustic bass guitars, and none of the wimpiness of most mandocellos. Bass (even slap bass), rhythm, or melody are all possible on this unique hybrid instrument.
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Veronica Archtop tenor guitars from the 30s and 40s were often little more than a tenor neck stuck on a standard six string guitar body. The result was usually an outsized, overbuilt, and under-responsive instrument with little volume and a thin, nasal sound. VERONICA, on the other hand, is designed to be a tenor guitar. The body cavity is correctly sized to respond to tenor tuning, to maximize power and improve tone. The instrument has the throaty “thunk” you’d expect from an archtop rhythm guitar, as well as a sweet, clear tone when playing single notes. VERONICA is also available as a cutaway in a standard clear blonde finish, or a deluxe sunburst with block inlays. A Kent Armstrong humbucker pickup, mounted to the pickguard, with a volume control and endpin jack (as shown below) is also available.
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Earnest Links
- The Ukulele Hall of Fame
Museum - The Ukulele Diner
- Jim Beloff
- Bob Brozman
- Augusta Heritage
Center
Joel teaches a course at the Center each summer. Details here. - Jim Garber,
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