According to the old adage, “Good things comes in threes”, and that’s certainly true of the new Romero Creations ‘Ekolu Tiny Tenor.
If you’ve ever thought four strings is just too many, this is the uke for you! In all seriousness, though, the ‘Ekolu is actually a very cool concept that was co-designed by famed luthier Pepe Romero Jr and Hawaiian virtuoso Daniel Ho.
“I originally got the idea in Mongolia, where I was recording Between the Sky & Prairie,” Daniel explains. “They have a three-stringed instrument called a doshpuluur and it blended beautifully with the ukulele. Realising how liberating and functional three strings are, I thought, ‘Why not a three-string ukulele?’ ‘Ekolu is the Hawaiian word for ‘three’.”
The ‘Ekolu is based on the Tiny Tenor, the model that started it all for Romero Creations 10 years ago: a tenor-scale uke built to the length of a concert, which maximises portability without compromising on sound.
The top, back and sides are made from all-solid, highly sustainable phoenix wood, with an ebony fingerboard, bridge and tuners. A Limited Edition 10th Anniversary mother-of-pearl logo adorns the 12th fret.
“I’ve discovered the concept to be both enabling for beginners (most evident when playing the Bb chord with two fingers) and equally empowering for advanced players, who play voicings all over the fretboard in twelve keys,” Daniel says. “It also has the same musical range as an ukulele with a high G string.”
As you read this, master luthier Jay Lichty
is probably in his workshop in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in
North Carolina, USA, creating something beautiful. A former home builder, Jay’s
been making custom ukes since 2008 and has garnered praise for his elegant
designs and his instruments’ exceptional tone.
The first instrument you ever built was a ukulele. What inspired that decision and where is it now?
I became infatuated with ukuleles about 10 minutes
after I opened the box containing my first factory-built baritone. I loved it
and the potential I saw in what could be played on it. I’d played five-string
banjo and mandolin for years and I saw the ukulele as a combination of the two.
So then I thought, “I wonder what a tenor with a high G would sound like?” A
week later, I had a tenor. Then I thought, “I wonder what a custom-made ukulele
would be like?” After a bit of dreaming about custom ukes, I decided I should
try and build one. The first one I built was a soprano from a kit. It now hangs
on a wall and is very playable.
Jay with his personal archtop
What’s so special about a custom instrument?
A well-built custom instrument will typically look, play, feel and sound better than a factory-built instrument because they are put together with more direct thought and intention. They are typically more refined, so have better intonation and responsiveness. Add to that having a builder build that instrument specifically for you and your style of playing with the woods and ornamentation you helped select and you have magic. I’ve always had custom banjos and mandolins. My feelings were that if I was going to put all this effort into trying to play well, I wanted the resulting sound to be as good as I could produce. In other words, if it was going to sound bad, it was on me, not the instrument.
Do you have a favourite tonewood?
Now that is a tricky question. Each species of wood
has its own set of attributes, so my favourite depends on what my goal is. I
love working with Brazilian rosewood. The smell alone is addictive. Unfortunately,
that particular wood has become hard to get. Fortunately, there are a lot of
other choices that look and sound great. We use at least 18 different species.
I find most ukulele players want wood with some visual pizzazz. That is not
hard to do with the back and sides, since they are tonally speaking more like
the spice you add to a recipe. For those, I’m quite fond of cocobolo, ziricote
and granadilla. The top is the key tone-producing ingredient and for that I
prefer the sound of spruce. Of course, spruce doesn’t have the visual pizzazz
of curly koa, so lately I’ve been using a lot of bear claw sitka spruce because
it has a visual element as well as the great tone of spruce. I also love sinker
redwood.
You don’t currently build sopranos. Do you think you might in the future?
I have only built that one kit uke that was a
soprano. Initially, I thought they were too small to get the type of sound I
was chasing. Let’s face it, I don’t build the typical Hawaiian-sounding
ukulele. My intention has always been to build ukuleles that play best as solo
instruments. The soprano is so small that I just didn’t pursue those builds as
I felt I couldn’t meet my goal. I have rethought that now and would be
delighted to build a custom soprano.
Your Baby Bard Archtop Ukulele looks and sounds incredible! Do you have any other non-standard models in the works?
Thank you. It rarely leaves my hands. Funny you
should ask about non-standard models. I have experimented with different scale
lengths for years and have found that adding one inch to the standard tenor or
concert scale really makes a huge positive difference. Additionally, I just
finished a baritone without a typical sound hole in the top. By having the
neck/body connection at the fifteenth fret instead of the typical fourteenth, I
was able to locate the bridge in a more optimum place. I used my Baby Bard body
style and placed the sound ports in the cutaway areas. It looks pretty cool and
sounds amazing. The notes are clearer and the sustain is about 20% longer than
my typical model. I sent it to Kimo Hussey for his evaluation. This is a
project we are working on together and it’s great to have someone to bounce
ideas off. We are like two kids in a science lab trying to cook up fun
projects. I want to do a tenor-size one soon. You can see the Modified Baritone
on our website.
As well as being a great luthier, you’re a talented musician. What’s your favourite type of music to play on ukulele?
Thank you for that. I am not one of the gymnast
ukulele players whose right hands are so amazingly fast and nimble, but I love
to hear the notes. I compose a lot of tunes, mostly instrumental based around
melody. I like playing Beetles music, as well as other popular music because
these songs lend themselves so well to ukulele.
How many ukes do you own?
Had to ask, eh? You do realise some of them are
research? Well, they are all research. I have a dozen ukuleles, including those
first two factory instruments. Thanks for not asking about guitars.
You also teach workshops. What’s the first lesson in building a ukulele?
The very first lesson is to get in the right head
space for the task. You are getting ready to create something magical and alive
out of a pile of seemingly inert objects. That build is going to be directly
influenced by what and how you’re thinking. If you are building with
trepidation and fear, then you will have a confused ukulele. If you are
building with love and good intention (and actually communicate this either
internally or externally to the uke as you build) then you will produce a
wonderful instrument.
“You
are getting ready to create something magical and alive out of a pile of
seemingly inert objects”
The Blue Ridge Mountains are famous for music. Do your surroundings influence your work?
There is no doubt about that. I get inspiration just
looking around at these mountains and nature. A hike around here is like taking
an air hose and blowing the cobwebs out of my brain. Musically, my ukuleles are
a combination of the sounds I’ve heard listening to banjos and mandolins. I
love that throaty sound of a great Lloyd Loar mandolin or the deep timber of
Earl Scruggs’ Gibson banjo. Those are some of the sounds I have incorporated
into my builds.
Stars such as Bonnie Raitt and Kimo Hussey play your instruments. Are there any other famous artists you’d love to see holding a Lichty uke?
Wow, great question! I have not really given that
much thought. Do you reckon Tommy Emmanuel plays uke? [ED: He does!]
ESTABLISHED in 1916 in what was then the Territory of Hawaii, Kamaka is the oldest manufacturer of ukuleles in the world and the name is still synonymous with quality. KAMUKE chats to production manager and third-generation luthier Chris Kamaka.
What makes a Kamaka ukulele so special?
Here at Kamaka, we really take pride in our work. We are fast approaching 100 years and I feel special just to be a part of it. Experience helps with anything and we all learn from our mistakes along the road of life. Through the years, there have been ups and downs, but it’s how you handle your journey that makes the difference.
As a Kamaka, was being involved in the family business your only career option?
No, I almost joined the US Air Force with aspirations to be a pilot. Now my two younger brothers are captains with Hawaiian Airlines and my son Dustin is a pilot flying with Trans Air, a cargo outfit here. I majored in business and art design with the intention to join the family business.
What does your role as production manager entail?
I oversee the production models, primarily to manage the orders and make sure everything is flowing properly. I also look over and check each instrument before we send them out.
There are more and more uke builders arriving on the scene all the time. How has Kamaka responded to that challenge?
The ukulele has grown and the popularity is tremendous. Many builders today look to us to set the standard because we have expectations and we hold our craftsmanship at a high level. We try to continue to set the bar high and maintain a level of excellence which others look up to. I am glad there are more builders and welcome them. I don’t see others as a challenge to what we do.
Why do you think we’re seeing such a worldwide resurgence of the ukulele now?
The ukulele has always been a fun instrument. Technology (especially things like YouTube) has helped introduce the ukulele worldwide. There have been many promoters of the ukulele through the years, most recently Israel Kamakawiwo’ole and Jake Shimabukuro.
How did the famous and often copied Pineapple Ukulele come into being?
My grandfather Samuel Kamaka Sr invented the pineapple and actually had it copyrighted until a few years ago. He started building pineapple ukuleles in his garage in Kaimuki, experimenting with the sound.
What’s your bestselling model?
It’s pretty close, but I would say the HF-3, our four-string tenor model.
Tell us about Kamaka’s proud history of employing disabled people.
My dad hired many hearing-impaired workers and they turned out to be some of our best workers. My mom was an occupational therapist and introduced many of these workers back in the day. Their sense of touch was so sensitive that when my dad trained them, they could tell just by tapping on the top of the instrument whether it was correct or not.
What can a visitor expect from the Kamaka factory tour?
If you have uncle Fred as your tour guide, you will have one thorough tour, and I’m sure you will enjoy it tremendously.
Check out the full Kamaka range and find your nearest stockist at kamakahawaii.com
This article first appeared in Issue 7 of KAMUKE, which is available in the Store
