This was a one off instrument, which has now been sold.

Well, this is certainly a spectacular looking and sounding tenor ukulele, number #181 from the stable of Canadian luthier Martin van Humbeck. While he’s shortened his name for his handmade ukuleles, they’re not short on dynamism or visual flair. This particular tenor uke is made from Master Grade red cedar, which he has paired with more Master Grade wood, in this case flamed maple - which looks stunning.

Using fan braced sitka spruce to make this tenor, the volume bursts forth, with the depth of the low G effortlessly matched by bright, yet complex trebles. So often a low G can dominate the mix with a uke but here, the volume from the trebles sings out in unison with the richness of the low G, and maintains volume and sustain in the further reaches of the fingerboard. There are beautiful harmonics and a resonance you can feel in your body as you play. Lovely stuff.

This model has snakewood binding, burled camfor headplate and and abalone inlay on the soundhole decoration, which features more of that attractive camfor (which is also on the tail graft). Martin’s signature side soundport is in place, and he’s used Gotoh 510i Super Mini geared tuners with black buttons. If you’re the lucky owner of this model, you’ll just want to get on and play, but at least when you tweak the tuning from time to time, it’s a pleasure with these superb tuners. Worth clear strings are fitted alongside a Fremont squeakless low G. A nice tweed hard case is included also.

The nut width of this Martin Beck tenor ukulele is 36.5, giving a little more room over ‘standard’, without putting off a player like me, who is used to 35mm. It’s well balanced and medium-weight - feeling solid and substantial but light enough, with thin tonewoods for volume to burst forth from the body.

The letter you get with the uke, detailing all the materials used, is headed ‘Martin Beck Performance Instruments’. And boy, can this tenor ukulele perform!

You can watch a video demo of this Martin Beck tenor by clicking additional info below.

For common accessories and customisations (like strap buttons / low G fitting) scroll down to the bottom of the page where you'll be able to add these common items to your basket.