All Kerry Char guitars feature solid wood construction from some of the finest woods the world has to offer: rosewoods from Brazil and India, Koa from the Hawaiian Islands, mahogany from Africa and Honduras, various spruces: European, Sitka, Engelman, and Western Red Cedar. This is only a partial list of the tone woods available. Given the new wave of alternative tone woods, (curly walnut [Claro], myrtlewood and African black wood, to name a few,) players have an even greater choice in tone woods than ever before.
Luthier Brad Donaldson of Cannon Beach, Oregon. I have been a part time luthier for 28 years. As a Seattle native, my real job was running the ambient air monitoring network for Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. I retired from the agency in 2005, moved to Cannon Beach and have been free to pursue my passion of building instruments since. I started out making ukes at first, but as there was not much interest in them, switched to making mandolins and guitars. I am very glad that the ukulele has become popular again, it was the first instrument I learned to play and is the most fun for me to build.
My approach involves a strong focus on hand tool use. With hand tools the feel is immediate, giving me a direct connection with the raw materials. By using planes, chisels, scrapers, and files for crucial shaping and joining I am able to closely monitor the musicality of the result. My design work is highly individualistic and creative.
Saul Koll grew up in southern California just north of Los Angeles in a town called Newhall. He always had an interest in how things were made and what made things work. While other kids were playing sports, Saul was in the garage taking expensive toys apart and gluing the components into new weird new contraptions. At 12 he started to play the guitar and his compulsive tendencies were then directed to learning the instrument. It was about this time that he found a book on guitar making at the library in Redondo Beach. It was Classic Guitar Construction by Irving Sloan. One of the earliest writings on the subject and as it turns out eventually very influential.(Notice how even at the beach, Saul was at the library!) Saul found the book intriguing but beyond his skills at age 12. He continued his guitar studies and school and all the usual teenage stuff.
Mark Roberts has maintained a lifelong passion about creativity and understanding the nature, patterns, and systems of the world around us. An extensive background in all disciplines of fine art, furniture design, and product design have uniquely crafted his approach to design and craft fine instruments.
Ono Ukuleles are handmade in my workshop in Ashland, Oregon. Although I am a "hobby builder," I take my craft very seriously. I probably have as many tools, jigs, forms and other equipment as many full-time luthiers. You can view a slideshow tour of my building process and workshop here. Being retired, I have the luxury of building at my own pace. This allows me to take all the time I need to achieve the stringent quality level that gives me great satisfaction.
The "Outdoor Ukulele" is injection molded from glass fiber filled polycarbonate. This high-performance composite plastic creates a very strong structure with exceptional tonal quality. Outdoor Ukulele™ is a father and daughter manufacturer of composite polycarbonate instruments. Scott does the design, development, and assembly. Grace does the marketing, photography, and customer relations.
When I decided to begin making ukuleles for sale, I promised myself that I would always remember a lesson that I learned from my father: Simplicity is Elegance. The most successful designs are those that make the most of the least. Why increase the weight of an instrument and dampen its ability to resonate naturally in the name of making it...fancier? That’s why I make my finishes thin and keep my decoration to a minimum. Like the vintage Martin and Kamaka instruments that I admire so much, SpruceHouse Ukuleles are very light and a little plain. But there is nothing plain about the sound.
