Lyn Brickell's Burdekin Plum Baritone
Burdekin Plum Baritone
A Baritone Ukulele with a scale length of 508mm and 14 Frets to the Body. This Ukulele
S/N - UKE-BP-B001 2024 was built by hand using the materials and methods listed below.
Back and Sides - Burdekin Plum (Pleiogynium timorense)
Burdekin Plum, a beautiful Australian Timber that comes in many colours, orange to deep rich browns near black. A very dense wood ideally suited for instrument back and sides. Trees grown in hard/arid country normally have much darker timber. Burdekin Plum has proven to be a survivor; fossils of its seed pods have been found in the Riversleigh Fossil Fields with some fossils dating back 15 to 25 million years. This tenor was built from orange phase Burdekin Plum from the same tree, which originated from the Boyne Valley, Central Queensland.
Soundboard - Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii)
Engelmann is valued for its colour, tight grain, and light weight. Rarer than Sitka Spruce, often used in high end instruments.
Soundboard Bracing System – “King Billy Pine Falcate.”
The soundboard bracing system has been made to fit into and was assembled in a 40ft radius dish, which increases its stiffness and structural integrity. Falcate (Sickle shaped) Bracing is made of strips of King Billy Pine, laminated into sickle shapes that are radiused to 40ft. The Bracing tops are then profiled and the top tuned. This radiused and curved symmetrical bracing system is of low mass and is incredibly stiff.
Neck - Silver Ash (Flindersia bourjotiana)
A rare Queensland timber, closely related to Queensland Maple, perfect for steam bending. It is a durable silver-white to pale yellow timber, with open mostly straight grain. It’s suitable for Boat Building, Gun Stocks, Cricket Stumps, and Instruments. This is a 3-piece neck, Silver Ash with a Burdekin Plum Spine with Black/white Maple accent lines. It’s fitted with a double action steel trussrod which is accessible through the soundhole with a 4mm Allen Key.
Body Construction – High Impedance Double Linings
The joints from Sides to the Soundboard and to the Back are double lined (a Kerfed Lining and an internal Rimband) this increased the rigidity/impedance of the joint which in turn improves the overtones and sound complexity/quality.
Back Bracing – Live Bracing
The Back Bracing is a “Live Bracing Design “which increases the backs interaction with the soundboard during playing, resulting in a fuller more complex sound. The Bracing has been made with a 20ft Radius, which increases the stiffness and structural integrity.
Bindings - American Curly Maple (Acer spp.)
Curly Maple is one of the figure types in Acer species, we import this timber from the US or Canada. It's one of the most popular woods for stringed instruments. It is very stable and can be visually stunning.
Headstock rear – Birdseye Huon Pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii)
Famous for its durability and extensively used for boat building in Tasmania.The Birds Eye variation is quite rare and while not suitable for structural use it is highly sort after for its aesthetic appeal. It is critically endangered and no longer harvested.