I make my ukuleles at 2nd Chance Wood Co. in Durand MI--purveyor of wood reclaimed from old Michigan barns and other structures, and "urban reclaimed" wood from downed trees in the local area. The company sells the lumber and also has a full line of custom-made furniture for residential and commercial customers. (See LINKS at right.)
It was my idea to use this great resource of reclaimed wood to make music--specifically, to make ukuleles. Actually, before I had this thought, some people with the company had already experimented with box drums and tongue drums, so I guess that was the original spark of my idea.
Ukuleles are not that big, so I find about 90% of the time I can build them using off-cuts from larger projects--tables, chairs, beds, cabinets, or whatever. We get in lumber in a lot of different dimensions and types--barn beams, framing lumber, siding, and slabs of lumber out of trees--and I think I have used most of these types for the parts of a ukulele.
I don't make conventional ukuleles that look like miniature versions of the guitar. Although most ukuleles do look like mini-guitars, there are also some popular variants that have developed over time (the bell shape, the pineapple, and triangle-type shapes like the Wolfelele and the Fluke).
I have taken this tendency to variety in ukulele design and decided to run with it--sometimes in whimsical or wacky directions (the Michi-lele, the Texalele, the Cat's Eye Ukulele) and sometimes simply with the goal of creating an interesting new shape pleasing to the eye. This is a lot of fun for me, the designer/builder, and I hope for the player as well.
As far as the quality of the music goes, the guitar shape is not the only shape that can put out a resonant, pleasing sound, and it isn't necessary to use exotic woods to get good music either. Black walnut, cherry, maple, ash, elm and other species native to Michigan do very well as "sound woods."
Feel free to visit the 2nd Chance showroom in Durand at any time to see the instruments on offer at the moment. Custom orders are welcome--and you can customize a little or lot, from minor details to overall design for a unique instrument that is all your own.
