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GALLERY 1

Moore Bettah

ukuleles

I am no longer accepting orders for custom instruments.

Future spec instruments are available either by emailing me directly or by contacting me on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chuck.moore.376

Enjoy the pictures you'll find here on these pages but please do not copy any of my designs or images in any manner without my permission. Mahalo!

The following ukuleles have all been sold.

Please enjoy these special instruments of the past.

Prices & Availability

I operate a small one man shop in rural Hawaii, run entirely on solar electricity. It’s not always fun or easy but it’s the only option I have given my remote location. I make all of the wood elements that go into my ukuleles and every step of every process is done by my hands alone. I have no apprentices nor do I farm out any of my work, a practice that is so common in many luthier shops today.

Because of the diversity of my work, it is difficult to quote exact prices. I can have as few as 40 hours or more than 150 hours into each uke I build (the average is 60 hours.) Rather than trying to provide you with a Chinese take-out menu of options I will attempt to simplify things with this rough guide line. I no longer have a standard (NSB) model; each uke is unique as I combine different elements suited for that particular instrument.

Base prices for my ukuleles are as follows: Tenor: $4500, Concert: $4400, Soprano: $4000. That’s where we start. The base price includes bindings & purflings on body, neck and headstock, rosette, bound sound holes, bone nut & saddle, bound side sound port, choice of premium tuners, glossy nitro cellulose finish and hard shell case. Popular options are slotted headstock ($200), arm bevels ($500), cutaways ($300), paua abalone purflings ($300+), pickups ($200) and inlays. Premium wood upgrades are also available, ranging from $100 to $1000 when available. Inlays and other decorative elements can be as time consuming (or more) than building the uke itself and can drive prices over $10,000.

At the current time I am not accepting any new custom orders as I focus on expressing some of my own ideas with my work. These and other non-commissioned ukes will be posted here when they become available.

4-String Tenor Ukulele

Honu Tenor with Side Sound Port

Skull Island

Black Orchid Tenor

Woods used are Macassar ebony and spruce. Orchid inlay is Tahitian black pearl shell.

Tenor in Black & White

MAUI STRONG!

This special Ukulele was built commemorating the tragic fire that devastated the town of Lahaina, Maui in August of 2023. The ukulele was sold at auction for $31,000 and all proceeds went directly to The Maui Food Bank.

The dramatic contrast of colors in the Black & White Ebony represent the old and new, the death and subsequent rebirth of the Spirit of the people and the town of Lahaina.

Early in 2024 I donated ukulele for the Hawaii State Archives and Ukulele Museum as a representation of modern design and building techniques in 'ukulele. I chose hula as the theme for this ukulele because hula tells the story of Hawaii. The cultural practice of hula transcends race, gender, social and economic status and is available to all of people in Hawaii. While hula is a living tradition, it is also a way for Hawaiians to connect with their ancestors, their history and the aina they come from while at the same time appealing to newcomers who are seeking a deeper understanding of Hawaiian culture.

It seemed natural to me to link hula with this ukulele since the ukulele also holds deep cultural significance in Hawaii. Both are symbols of the islands' heritage and music.

The woods I selected for the body of this instrument are all local to Hawaii Island. They include lama wood (aka: Hawaiian ebony), a wood with deep cultural significance to the practice of hula. A block of lama wood is often wrapped in ti leaves and placed on an altar during hula ceremonies as an offering to Laka, the goddess of hula. The sound board is made of ulu (breadfruit), which was a staple food and was important in the cultural, and spiritual life of ancient Hawaiians. The breadfruit tree was an important source of wood for canoes, drums, surfboards, and houses; bark for kapa and the sap from the tree was used as caulking, chewing gum and salve. Finally, this ukulele is bound with curly koa. With its deep significance in Hawaiian history, koa wood remains a valuable symbol of Hawaiian heritage. Originally used to craft ocean-going canoes, surfboards, spear handles, and 'ukulele, Koa was the wood of Hawaiian royalty.