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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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Category: Articles
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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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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 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,
PaperClip Design
Specializing in both Web and print design
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Mainlander
Walnut, Koa and Ash
Mainlanders
Concert model
w/ Tortoise binding
A fine sounding ukulele made from domestic tonewoods. The MAINLANDER
fills the need for a basic, decent instrument, without frills. It’s available in
standard, concert, or tenor size in a variety of mainland hardwoods, including
Maple, Sassafrass, Pear, or Walnut, with a mesquite or pearloid fingerboard and
Grover Sta-tite tuners.
| Soprano – $650 |
| Concert – $750 |
| Tenor – $900 |
| binding – $100 |
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Total Length |
Width-Upper Bout |
Width-Lower Bout |
Maximum Depth of Body |
Body Length |
Scale Length |
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Soprano uke |
21 5/16″ |
4 15/16″ |
6 5/16″ |
2 7/16″ |
9″ |
13 5/8″ |
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Concert uke |
23 5/8″ |
6″ |
7 7/8″ |
2 11/16″ |
11″ |
14 7/8″ |
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Tenor uke |
25 7/8″ |
6 7/8″ |
9 1/8″ |
2 7/8″ |
12 1/8″ |
17″ |
Sassafrass Mainlander
Hawaii has it’s pineapples, but for size, color, texture, and
taste, the king of the fruits here on the mainland has got to be the
watermelon. An icon of folk art, plantation lore, and kitchen décor, the
watermelon makes a perfect fit with another symbol of camp and kitsch,
the ukulele. The Ipulele (Ipu means melon in Hawaiian) is hand painted
with uncanny realism by NY artist and uke enthusiast, Kim Do. A concert
size uke with a bolt-on maple neck and ash body, the Ipulele is a
delicious feast for the eyes and the ears…too bad you can’t eat it!
| Concert – $875 |
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Total Length |
Body Length |
Maximum Width of Body |
Maximum Depth of Body |
Scale Length |
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241/2″ |
11″ |
8″ |
13/4″ |
14 7/8″ |
From out of the blue comes Sputnik. The Russians didn’t tell us,
when it took off back in 1957, that the first satellite to orbit the earth
and launch the space race was actually a ukulele (which undoubtedly
inspired Neal Armstrong to be the first ukulele player to walk on the
moon)! Like any time capsule, Sputnik looks a little out of date. Fins
were big in the ’50s, as were colors like Sea Foam Green and Fiesta Red,
chrome trim, and, of course, that marvel of the plastics industry,
Pearloid (aka Mother of Toilet Seat). But don’t let those looks fool you,
Sputnik is a great sounding uke. With a poplar body, bolt-on neck, and a
concert scale ebony fretboard, Sputnik pumps out a sound that’s out of
this world – warm, loud, and full. There’s also a Schatten soundboard
transducer so you can plug Sputnik into the stratosphere. Sputnik also
travels nicely in a lightweight plush lined chipboard case. Whether you’re
just sitting around the launch pad or on an enterprising starship, Sputnik
can provide an otherworldly soundtrack to an otherwise down-to-earth day.
| Concert – $750 |
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Total Length |
Body Length |
Maximum Width of Body |
Maximum Depth of Body |
Scale Length |
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24″ |
11″ |
7″ |
17/8″ |
14 7/8″ |
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Little Red
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Little Red An electric mandolin, pared down to its simplest (and most aerodynamic!) form, LITTLE RED is a modern, solid body instrument carved from a single piece of lightweight hardwood, and reinforced with a graphite epoxy rod. This exceptionally strong and light construction produces an instrument with great sustain, bright tone, and perfect playability. Available in 4, 5 or 8 string models, with arched or flat fingerboard, and a humbucking blade pickup, in a choice of woods (including Spanish cedar, ash, or poplar) depending on desired tonal qualities.
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