Argapa Ukuleles
Argapa Ukuleles is not a manufacturer comparable to bigger and well known brands. I make the instruments in my spare time, and between the day job and the kids I don't have too much of that. I have sold most of the ukes I've built so far, and I have an order list that will keep me occupied a while. After I'm done with that I will attempt to build un-ordered ukuleles and decide everything about them myself. If anyone is interested when I'm done with one I'll consider selling it.
Asturias Guitar Company
ASTURIAS GUITAR MANUFACTURING LTD. is a workshop of handcraft guitars with the highest reputation in quality of its products. The workshop is located in Kurume city of Kyushu island,and 15 highly skilled craftsman from all over the nation are building classical guitars,acoustic guitars, classical mandolins, and ukuleles. Production quantity has been limited in small numbers always since it started in 1962. Most of the instruments are sold through speciality stores with professional knowledge of stringed instruments.
Ayers Guitar
Since 1996 Ayers has grown to be respected as one of the world’s finest makers of acoustic guitars. Founder of the Ayers company, Mr. Huang Chengfa grew up listening to the music of the Beatles, the Eagles and other classic Pop, Rock, Folk and Country artists. As a young man he longed to own a high quality guitar, but found that the cost of such instruments placed them beyond the average musician. He felt that it should be possible for all players to have access to top quality instruments at reasonable prices, and with his passion for music and drive for excellence he set about building a guitar-making factory in Vietnam.
Barron River Guitars
Every instrument is fully hand made from select timbers and finished to the highest of standards. Owning a hand built instrument made to your specifications is easier than you may think and happy to discuss your options and ideas for a custom built instrument. It’s just part of the service that you should expect when commissioning a build, or buying an instrument that I have in stock.
Beltona Resonator Instruments
Beltona began as a partnership between Steve Evans and Bill Johnson in the UK in 1990. A luthier and engineer respectively and sharing an interest in resonator instruments, they set out to produce a couple of instruments for themselves replicating the best features of the originals but also making adjustments and improvements where they were needed.
Brian May Guitars
"Brian May Guitars" has a concert model ukulele, designed by the Queen guitar legend himself. With a body shape reflecting the double cutaway curves of May's iconic Red Special guitar, the antique cherry colour is also a nod to his famous instrument.
The Brian May Uke (usually £225 but currently with a special introductory price of £195 on the Brian May Guitars site) is constructed with sapele back and sides with a spruce top. It’s also ready for the stage with an under-saddle piezo pickup and Fishman KULA preamp.
To order or find out more visit www.BrianMayGuitars.co.uk
Jean Paul Charles
Here you will find the product line of the french musician and luthier Jean Paul Charles, living in Salvador Bahia (Brazil) since 1995. The Jean Paul's core competence is in manufacturing acoustic and electric mandolins, mostly made of tropical solid woods. He has gained this experience by repairing stringed instruments during 18 years and by playing mandolin during 30 years. He also graduated from the ENSAAMA, Applied Arts and Art Profissions school (Paris 1977).
Christian Druery Guitars
From a very early age, I have had a fascination with guitars. I love everything about them; their beautiful shapes - so sculptural in nature, the detailed inlay work, the absolute exactness, the many different sounds that they can produce, the hidden bracing patterns engineered precisely for strength and to best promote sound, and most of all - created from one of this earths greatest resource and eternal friend of mine, the Tree.
Cocobolo Ukuleles
Each Cocobolo Ukulele is a handmade work of art. We personally select cuts of Nicaraguan cocobolo that have interesting grain designs and pretty coloring, giving each ukulele a unique personality of its own.
Nicaraguan cocobolo is a quality tonewood that produces warm acoustics with impressive volume and sustain. The unique sound of a Cocobolo Ukulele is enough to impress even the most experienced musician.
DJ Morgan Ukuleles
All of DJ Morgan Ukuleles are completely handmade, all wood components are individually crafted by David Morgan, including the kerfed linings. The only finished components Ihe buy are the strings, fret wire and the tuners.
After thirty-five years as a cabinet maker and joiner of which the last sixteen were as a business owner, I decided in 2013 to give it all up and spend the rest of my working life building ukuleles.
Davidson Instruments
Hello, I’m Phil Davidson, I have been handcrafting fine instruments for over twenty five years, beginning with banjos and diversifying to mandolins and guitars. Difficulties in sourcing quality hardware has led me to produce my own design mandolin and guitar tailpieces, and scalloped and top-tension banjo hoops, made and nickel plated in house. Learning the trade repairing and restoring damaged and well-worn instruments, I discovered very early on that “Quality is never an accident” (John Ruskin). My dedication is to produce instruments of superior quality while maintaining realistic price levels.
Atelier Maurice DUPONT
Les guitares que vous allez découvrir dans ces pages sont le résultat d’une recherche permanente de la meilleure qualité. Les bois utilisés comme l’épicéa, le cèdre, l’érable, le palissandre, le koa, etc…, font l’objet d’une sélection très rigoureuse et apportent leurs particularités tant esthétiques que sonores.
Fine Resophonic
<span style="color: #000000;"> Les fabricants de guitares à résonateurs de type National ne courent pas les rues. On les compterait presque sur les doigts d’une main. L‘un des plus réputés en Europe est installé à Vitry sur Seine (94). Originaire de Grande-Bretagne, Mike Lewis a fini par consacrer toute sa vie aux fameuses guitares en métal.</span>
Hofner
Hofner makes guitars, basses, violins, violas, cellos and double basses. We have done for a long time - 125 years! The company is situated in Bavaria, southern Germany.
<img class="float-left mr-2" src="/images/logos/Hofner-Ukulele.png" alt="" width="191" height="69" />We are most famous for the legendary Violin Beatle Bass. That’s the one played for over 50 years by ex-Beatle, Paul McCartney. But we make a lot of other great guitars and basses including the Clubs and the Verythins. Then there is the famous President 500/5 bass too, played by Stuart Sutcliffe, also once of Beatle fame.
Peter Howlett
A prophetic photograph of me age 4 used to form the background, Bowman style, to my labels. Clutching my plastic Woolworth‘s ukulele, standing in the tartan kilt of my mother’s Scottish clan, in front of the wall my dad built, is a constant reminder that I really was born to do this job! My whole philosophy is one of care in the selection of materials and attention to detail. I learned these qualities from my toolmaker father whose exacting eye taught me to take notice of the small things. I remember when our neighbors painted their houses; it took a couple of days with a gallon can of Dulux. It always needed re-doing a couple of years later. Dad took a week applying 3 coats of Mangers lead based oil paint over 2 coats of red lead primer. He only did it once. It lasted years.
Jaen Archtop Guitars
“I just had the pleasure of seeing your website… my compliments to you. Your guitars are beautiful! I especially admire your very creative tooling and fixtures. You are a dedicated artisan… and unlike most of us, you are certainly using both sides of your brain!” - Bob Benedetto, Benedetto Guitars -
Jupiter Creek Music
My aim is to build good sounding, playable and affordable instruments and effects for people to enjoy using and enhance their performances. My name is Rob Dick, and I’m Jupiter Creek Music. I’m a small volume builder of musical instruments working from my home workshop in the southern vales area of Adelaide, South Australia.
Koki'o Ukulele
koki’o is the brand-new Asian series of the German quality manufacturer RISA Musical Instruments. RISA has been number one for electric Ukuleles worldwide for more than 10 years. We consequently follow our target to offer high quality instruments for a reasonable price with this new series of acoustic Ukuleles. The specification contains product features which are unknown for Ukuleles in this price range. Even the reasonable colored entry series features many highlights for a low price:
Andreas Kapkes
Whatever You’d like to ask for - perhaps a jazz-mandola, bouzoukis, speciality guitars small or big, A or F mandolins, tenor guitars, ukuleles, a mando-uke, banjos, electric guitars and mandolins, carved tops and backs, fancy woods, custom inlays, french polish... whatever you’ve seen in the books or heard of... don’t hesitate to ask for your own special instrument. There will be a way to make your dream come true at a reasonable price!
LA Guitars & Ukulele
In 1978, after 8-years of experience as a guitar-player and singer in several French pop and rock bands, I started on the crazy (but so exciting) project to create and produce high-end guitars in Toulouse, in the South-West of France, a city well-known for its famous artists and its really active music scene!
I first started an efficient and reliable repair shop dedicated to all stringed instruments. This shop brought a lot of knowledge and experience, as well as many different and interesting customers through our Custom Shop models! Then, thanks to many musician friends who had built a great image for Lâg guitars on stage and in studio, we introduced our first creations to guitar dealers and players; in France first, then all around Europe, with a lot of success.
Jean Larrivee Guitars Ltd.
Jean Larrivée set out in 1967 to make some of the finest guitars in the world. Many believe he is already there. While the company started out in Toronto, Jean and his family currently operate out of two facilities located in Vancouver, BC and Oxnard, Cali. Currently the 02 & 03 satin lines are built in Canada while shiney 05’s, 09’s, 10’s, 50’s & 60’s are built in the USA. In 2006 Larrivée started building high end mandolins and more recently high end electric guitars.
Majesty Ukuleles
When I was a boy, if I wasn’t playing baseball or hanging out with my friends I was usually in my uncle’s guitar shop. I used to pick up leftover tonewood pieces from garbage bins and make something out of them. My uncle owns a world-renowned guitar building company in Gifu, Japan. My father was the chief guitar builder there until 2002. He built exclusive custom-made guitars for musicians around the world for forty-two years. He often worked on weekends, so I used to accompany him to his workshop. I still remember looking up at all the acoustic guitars - which were taller than myself - and also trying my hand at Japanese saws and hammers.
Maton Guitars
The Maton name is a derivative of the words “May” and “Tone”. Until the mid 1930s an Australian guitar manufacturing industry was virtually nonexistent. Good quality guitars were hard to find and at this time the best guitars came from the U.S.A. Bill May, a Melbourne-born jazz musician, woodwork teacher and luthier decided to change all that. During the early 1940s Bill established a custom guitar manufacturing and repair business known as “Maton Stringed Instruments and Repairs”. This enterprise was so successful that Bill was able to convince his older brother, Reg, to join him as a full time guitar maker and in March 1946 the “Maton Musical Instruments Company” was born.
Oceana Ukulele
After working in a region that supported many luthiers, Zac discovered one particularly talented luthier that specialized in small stringed instruments. Working closely together they made their first ukulele. This was during a time when the instrument market was being flooded with cheap Chinese knock offs. Thru this experience Zac immediately recognized the uniqueness and quality of an instrument that was made with the traditions and art that had been passed down from generation to generation.
Ortega Guitars
The starting point for our modern company was the crafting of guitars along classical Spanish lines. Today we have taken traditional guitar-making to new levels, developing instruments that are tailored listening to our customers’ requirements. And in doing so we use all our senses – listening to them, fingering them, gauging their shape and colour. The results can be found in every single instrument we make – which you have helped to create! Connecting all these things together allows us to on pulse of time.
Pelem Ukulele
Handcrafted Ukulele Builder from Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Pelem Ukulele is a Handmade Ukulele brand hailing from an art town of Java named Yogyakarta. The name “Pelem’ came from Javanese language means ‘Mango’. Our earlier works mostly used Mango Woods. As the time goes by, we continued our work with various type of woods and materials including Teakwood, Mahogany, White Ash, Rosewood and Acacia.
Red Sands Ukuleles
Red Sands Ukuleles are hand made by Heidi Litke. Always by her side is shop production manager and loving husband Rob Litke. On the island of Prince Edward Canada, we hand pick island woods to make these beautiful instruments of Soprano, Concert and Tenor sizes. Woods include maple, birch and spruce. We finish our Red Sands Ukuleles with a non toxic, hand rubbed “French Polish” finish. We will display ukuleles as they become available on our “Gallery” page. We will also have a sound clip for you to listen too. So come and join us on this wonderful adventure of ukulele playing!
Takahiro Shimo
My name is Takahiro Shimo. I am a luthier (specialist for making and repair of stringed musical instrument) in Japan. I graduated from Robert-Venn School Of Luthiery (technical school of making guitar in Phoenix Az. U.S.A.) in 1980. I worked for Morris Musical Instrument in 1981. I was a member of “Handcrafted Team”. So, I used to make high grade guitars and develop newguitars. In April 1982, I opened Shimo Guitars my shop, and started making guitar by myself.
Stefan Sonntag
Corresponding in size to the tenor ukulele, the Uke has a scale length of 39 cm. It is built like an acoustic archtop guitar, with parallel bracing and handcrafted arched top and back. The one-piece bridge provides a very direct transmission of string vibration to the body. The Uke is amplified by a single-coil pickup made by Coil Tec.</p
Don Stawski
Based on the popular triangular shape pioneered by J.Chalmers Doane, these individually handcrafted ukuleles are custom built when ordered. Made from a variety of choice woods by Don Stawski in Campbell River, on Vancouver Island BC, these Canadian made ukuleles offer unique styling and a choice of two models.
Johannes Striebel Gitarrenbau
Nach einer Gitarrenbauerlehre bei der renommierten Münchner Edel-Gitarrenwerkstatt von <span class="style_2">Steven´s</span> <span class="style_2">Guitars</span>erhielt Johannes Striebel eine Auszeichnung als erster Bundessieger im Leistungswettbewerb des Hand-werkskammernachwuchses.
Te Kaha - Ukuleles & Guitars
Hand crafted in Polynesia the center of the ukulele world Woody Howard uses the finest wood, rare “Tou” Cordia Subcordata . With this fine wood and his long experience in wood working, Woody produces very fine instruments. “Tou” (as it is called in Tahiti, Kou in Hawaiian) has great tonal properties and a rich smooth look and feel. Tou wood was reserved only for the high ranking polynesiens because of it's rarity and qualities.
Laurie Williams Guitars
Luither Laurie Williams of Mangonui, Taipa, New Zealand. Building Ukuleles, Guitars and Mandolins. I live in the Paraoanui valley in the Far North of New Zealand’s North Island surrounded by native bush and farmland. It is off the beaten track; to get here requires a rugged drive on rough gravel roads.
Wise Luthiers
Ukulele luthier from Margaret River, Western, Australia. Welcome to the Wise Ukulele website. I am Scott Wise. I have been making ukuleles since 1979. I have always had a deep interest in historic Hawaiian ukuleles and their precursors from Portugal and Spain.
I believe that the traditional lightly built handmade ukuleles of the early 20th century have important characteristics which are not found in modern instruments. I am working to regain some of the old magic.