Char Guitars » New instrument http://www.charguitars.com Rooted in classic building traditions, Kerry Char crafts a wide variety of beautiful and unusual instruments as well as providing museum quality repair and restoration. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:54:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Silent Uke, (ACME) http://www.charguitars.com/2009/12/silent-uke/ http://www.charguitars.com/2009/12/silent-uke/#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:42:14 +0000 Kerry http://www.charguitars.com/?p=269 IMG_1546.JPGMy friend Mike asked me if I could make him a uke that he could cart around places and practice with out being heard.Hes called it His ACME uke. A Mi Si pickup was installed for the times when He wants to be heard, as well as a circuit to plug in a headphone when He wants to be in”silent mode”. It also has an onboard tuner. This is the design he He sent me. It has a decidedly Danish vibe to it so Teak seemed to be a good choice for the body. The electronics were a bit of a challenge as I had to figure out how to integrate all the components together. I had to get some help with that one.IMG_1630.JPGAnd fitting all that stuff into the cavity was also a challange. Aside from that everything went smoothly. Got a custom knob from my friend Dave King who is a fabulous bass builder and  happens to make custom knobs on the side.IMG_1634.JPGI figure its the one piece of jewelry on it so I might as well pick something cool.Fret board is Ebony as well as the headstock  and bridge.For more photos click here.

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]]> http://www.charguitars.com/2009/12/silent-uke/feed/ 0 Lil Rev with his Char uke http://www.charguitars.com/2009/11/lil-rev-with-his-char-uke/ http://www.charguitars.com/2009/11/lil-rev-with-his-char-uke/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:02:34 +0000 Kerry http://www.charguitars.com/?p=249 lilrev_kerry_char_1.jpgLil Rev emailed this link of Him playing Pig ankle Rag with Brian Hefferan on His Char uke. Rev tells me that Brian is known for his arrangements of rags for ukulele. I love this stuff! To check it out click here.

]]> http://www.charguitars.com/2009/11/lil-rev-with-his-char-uke/feed/ 0 Custom 5string Panormo Tenor uke http://www.charguitars.com/2009/11/custom-5string-panormo-tenor-uke/ http://www.charguitars.com/2009/11/custom-5string-panormo-tenor-uke/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:40:20 +0000 Kerry http://www.charguitars.com/?p=241 IMG_1501.JPG

My customer, Quico, who has a love for the work of the great 19th century Italian guitar builder Louis Panormo, asked me if I could build him a 5 string tenor uke that had the  look of a Panormo guitar. Always being up for something challenging, and interesting as well, ( I am also a great fan of romantic period guitars) I talked to my friend John Doan (pictured below)  whose circa 1810 Panormo I had in my shop at one time. I asked Him if I could borrow it for a bit of poking and prodding.He let me measure it and take lots of photos.

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Quico also wanted to have installed Ruck style sound ports. The back and sides are Brazilian rosewood and the top is red spruce. I used Mastodon for the nut and saddle and the bridge pins are vintage ones I got somewhere along the road. They just seemed to fit (no pun intended).The bindings and rosette are super curly Cuban Mahogany. This uke has a really amazing sound.It doesnt sound like your typical uke. It got volume  but has a very balanced sweet tone with exceptional highs that dont sound clipped but have some sustain. A very fun project. Quico suggested that I might expand the idea to make a Terz guitar. It’s a thought. More photos click here.

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