What can I say. I never order decoration on my instruments, but when Lynn saw the honu (Hawaiian for green sea turtle) petroglyph design around the soundhole of Andy Berard's ukuleles, she was hooked. She checked practically every box on the order form, and got this gorgeous, great playing, bright sounding ukulele as a result.
Lynn wears a honu petraglyph every day, so this design was irresistable. I gotta admit, it's pretty cute. Andy's label gives all the details of the construction of the instrument.
The top is Englemann spruce, the bridge and fretboard are pau ferro.
The sparkling blue of paua abalone from New Zealand sets off the rich brown of the koa insert and binding.
Curly koa peghead overlay, abalone logo, and gold open back Grover tuners give a light but elegant head to the uke.
Andy Berard uses koa for the neck, following in the tradition of Hawaiian ukulele builders. The koa on the back and sides is terrifically figured, and Andy adds the modern touch of letting the lighter sapwood serve as a backstrip.
The spalting on the sides looks a bit like a petroglyph, but this pattern is created by nature rather than by man. The koa sides ripple like a lake in a mild breeze.