Burdekin Plum Tenor 001 2024 - Sold |
Burdekin Plum Tenor
A Tenor Ukulele with a scale length of 432mm and 14 Frets to the Body. This Ukulele
S/N - UKE-BP-T001 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.
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.
Sound Board - Monterey or Radiata Pine (Pinus radiata)
Native to central and southern coastal California, also widely planted throughout the southern hemisphere. This soundboard was reclaimed from a used cable drum, just to demonstrate its not so much what is made of but how it’s made.
Soundboard Bracing System - Falcate
The Falcate soundboard bracing system has been made to fit into and was assembled in a 20ft radius dish, which increases its stiffness and structural integrity. The Falcate (sickle shaped) Bracing is made of strips of King Billy Pine, laminated into sickle shapes that are radiused to 20ft. The Bracing tops were profiled. This radiused/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.
Headstock, Fretboard and Bridge - Ebony (Diospyros spp.)
The fretboard has a Zero Fret, Compound Radius and is bound with Maple purfling and Ebony Bindings. The Bridge is a Gladstone Guitars ‘String Through Design’
Rosette New Zealand Paua Shell (Haliotis iris or austalis)
A solid ring design using segments of New Zealand Paua Shell with black/white Maple accent lines.
Paua is the Mauri name for Abalone. While the name Paua is used extensively in NZ to describe any Abalone collected from NZ waters, in the Luthier world Paua usually means it’s the predominately blue abalone that comes from the south end of New Zealand’s South Island. All shell on this instrument was sourced from “Ocean Shell” https://lumea.co/about-us/who-we-are
Tuners - Tuners - Grover Gold ‘Sta-tite’
Grover’s very popular guitar style open gear Ukulele tuners, these are the long string post model to suit the thicker Headstock. They come with a “Lifetime Warranty”.
Nut and Saddle - Northern Territory Water Buffalo Horn (Syncerus caffer)
The Nut and Saddle are handmade and fitted into their respective locations. The 3mm saddle is a firm fit into the Bridge but can be removed if needed. It has a line scribed along the soundhole face; this indicates the orientation of the saddle in the bridge. The instruments intonation has been set using the saddle, so it’s important that the saddle goes back with the correct orientation. The Nut has been slotted to suit the as fitted Strings. The Nut is also a firm fit; a small amount of CA glue has been put under it to hold it in place while changing strings.
Strings – Worth Brown Fluorocarbon Low G
Strings are an important part of any instruments sound structure. We have tested numerous different string types on our Tenor Ukuleles and found that the ‘Worth’ Brown Fluorocarbon far outperforms any others, giving a warm/mellow Classical Guitar type sound.
Finish - Hand Polished High Gloss Nitro Cellulous Lacquer
A hardwearing lacquer that is chemical resistant and easily repaired. Approximately 20 coats of Lacquer are applied, after curing the lacquer is hand levelled, cut, and polished to a mirror finish.