This is a custom made Millar Pilikua large body tenor ukulele, constructed in Taiwan by Millar’s head luthier from top quality 5A grade (and frankly gorgeous) Hawaiian mango. This particular option has rope style binding on the body, matched with the soundhole decoration, and has Worth Brown strings paired with a Fremont soloist low G.

This instrument came into being when my friend Alex at Southern Ukulele Store looked at the possibility of combining the jumbo body of Millar’s popular JA-260GB tenor, with some of the gorgeous mango we’d previously seen in their luthier-made custom shop series of instruments. I added some design and decoration elements and the result is a group effort together with Millar, the small family firm from Taiwan. (The man who made this ukulele is joined at the business by his mum and dad, aunt and older brother). The result is a smooth sounding, resonant and really ‘alive’ sounding tenor uke, which can really stand up to other instruments in this price bracket - and beat them in many cases.

This particular model, as I had two on my initial delivery, I decided to fit with a Fremont low G (and talking about it with Alex, he’s fitted one with his own Ukes with Alex low G strings which he says sounds fabulous, so I am looking forward to trying that combination too). With the low, the smooth bass already achieved from the top quality tonewood and slightly larger body size is accentuated further, giving a rich, rolling depth. With a big bottom and more bass you might wonder if it’s all too much at the lower end, but the trebles, with their sweet, crispness stand up to the task well, singing out over that rich backdrop.

This Millar Pilikua tenor ukulele has a bone nut and saddle, the 35mm nut which suits me so well and Gotoh geared tuners which are beautifully smooth and simply excellent quality. This is a high end uke so yes, you’d expect high end tuners. Well, you’ve got them. And the satin finish is really tactile too, so smooth to the tough. It’s wood that has been treated with love.

These days there are more and more options at the higher end of the market, as more players improve and discover the possibilities of the ukulele, and strive for better instruments to better suit their skill or aspiration. Any of those players opting for this exquisitely made Millar Pilikua custom mango jumbo tenor ukulele would be getting an instrument that can stand up to anything else on the market at this price point.

This ukulele is supplied with a gig bag, for safe shipping. There’s a video demo of this series of Millar ukuleles if you click 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.