Moore Bettah
ukuleles
GALLERY OF RECENT WORK
This gallery features some of the ukuleles that I have recently sold. I show them to you to give you an example of the styles I make and the materials I use. There are a lot of images on this page and I've intentionally left the images large to provide as much detail as possible. Please be patient while they load, I think you'll find it worth it. Please click on any image for a larger view.
DETAILS......sweating the small stuff (Click on any picture to enlarge)
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4 STRING ROPE BOUND TENOR
AAAAA Master Grade curly koa top, back & sides. Mahogany neck. Highly figured cocobolo fretboard & bridge. Handmade maple and rosewood rope binding on both sides of body, end-graft and head stock. Gold mother of pearl & cocobolo rosette with bound sound hole. Gold mother of pearl "hula dancer" inlay and fret position markers. Fourteen frets to the body, eighteen total. Grover tuners and Aquilla strings with a low "G" setup.
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4 STRING TENOR--"Ulu (Breadfruit)"
AAAAA Master Grade curly koa top, back & sides. This is some of the nicest koa I've worked with. Mahogany neck. Ebony fretboard & bridge and headstock overlay. Ebony binding with paua abalone shell purfling on both sides of body, and head stock. Paua abalone and ebony rosette. Ebony bound soundhole. Hand cut Paua abalone and gold MOP "ulu" inlay. Paua abalone top and side fret position markers. Fourteen frets to the body, eighteen total. Grover tuners and Hilo strings with a low "G" setup. Hard shell case included.
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4 STRING TENOR CUTAWAY--"The Wave"
Mater Grade curly koa top, back & sides. Mahogany neck. Ebony fretboard & bridge and headstock overlay. Ebony binding with paua abalone shell purfling on both sides of body, end-graft and head stock. Paua abalone and ebony rosette. Ebony bound soundhole. Paua abalone "wave" inlay and fret position markers. Fourteen frets to the body, eighteen total. Grover tuners and Hilo strings with a low "G" setup. Deluxe hard shell case included.
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Click on any image for a larger view
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Rockin' Hawaiian Style--The RICK VITO ukulele
Long time former lead guitarist and vocalist for Fleetwood Mac, Rick Vito has performed with some of the most influential musicians of our life time including Bonnie Raitt,Jackson Browne, Bob Seger, John Mayall and contless others. Recently Rick has reunited with Mick Fleetwood again, this time in Hawaii, in the form of the Island Rumours Band, also featuring Willie K and Eric Gilliam. So when Rick contacted me for a new ukulele that better reflected his love for Hawaii than his old baritone Papoose I was more than happy to oblige. Although he gave me complete freedom with the build, it was a joyful collaboration that involved dozens of emails and phone calls to each other. One of the outstanding features of the uke is the tiki headstock inlay that Rick himself designed composed of Tahitian black pearl, and gold and white MOP. The cocobolo neck, headstock veneer, and bridge really compliment the master grade curly koa nicely. The Fishman Matrix pick up with the controls just inside the sound hole allows Rick to make easy adjustments while performing on stage.
Rick performing with the Island Rumours Band at the Grand Wailea Beach Resort in Maui.
Let this be a lesson that mai tais and a steady camera hand are not compatible!
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Tenor 4 string built for Bob Kevonian of the nationally syndicated radio "Bob & Tom Show". Bob was a joy to work with on this ukulele as we shared he same love of nostalgic Hawaii. The "Pin-up Hula Girl" inlay is scrimshawed in fossil mastadon ivory and is reminiscent of a World War II bomber painting. The hibiscus flowers are inlayed with composition stone.
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"Hawaii Island".....Koa with ebony. Curly koa bindings and inlays. Simple elegance.
"Humu humu nuku nuku apu a'a" .............little fish, big name!
Double sound hole tenor. Koa with ebony. Paua abalone purflings.
When four strings aren't enough, or even eight, you'll have your hands full with this double neck tenor ukulele fitted with both a 4 string and 8 string neck. The woods I used for this unusual instrument are spalted curly koa for the body, carbon reinforced Spanish cedar necks, and ebony for the fret board, head stock veneer and bindings. The bamboo inlays are of gold mother of pearl and cocobolo. I chose to use "Peghed" planetary geared tuners for their light weight and their classic, unobtrusive appearance. The dual side sound ports give the player immediate feedback and gives improved tonal balance and overall projection.
Double Neck Tenor Ukulele
Built for a customer who wanted a ukulele that had an "earthy" attitude to it, this ukulele features a tree of life inlay with celestial heavens above. The theme is also carried out in the ebony and cocobolo bound fret board that is firmly "rooted" around the sound hole.
The snake around the trunk of the tree is reminiscent of the medical symbol that represents the customers field of work.
Tree of Life Tenor
Four string cutaway tenor with rope binding and rosette. Spalted curly koa and cocobolo. The side sound port gives the player feed back without compromising forward projection. Cocobolo fret board head stock veneer and bridge. Gold MOP gecko inlays and fret position markers. Bone nut and saddle for exceptional tone. 16" radiussed fret board. Hand rubbed satin nitro cellulose lacquer finish.
The Gecko Dance
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Master grade curly spalted koa with curly maple bindings on top and back of body, head stock and fret board. Custom tri-color rope purflings. Cocobolo fret board, head stock veneer and bridge. Fast action neck and bound fret board has 18 fret total, 14 to the body. Open geared Grover tuners make this a nicely balanced ukulele. The "mermaid" inlay is scrimshawed fossil mastadon ivory (legal), gold MOP, and composition stone. Bone nut and saddle.
4 STRING TENOR "MERMAID"
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Rope Bound Soprano--Style 0
4 String tenor ukulele "Japanese White Eye"
AAAAA curly koa with ebony bindings, fret board, head stock veneer and bridge. Paua abalone purflings. Inlays of abalone shell, pink mussel & koa. Bound fret board and sound hole. Bone saddle.
"TIKI ISLAND" Ukulele with AAAAA fiddleback koa.
Style 1 Soprano Ukulele
AAAAA Master grade curly koa with ebony fret board, binding bridge and headstock overlay. Paua abalone shell purfling, rosette and fret markers. "Moorish Idols" inlay is made up from black, gold, white and abalone shell and composite stone. Side sound port gives the player additional feedback while adding forward projection as well giving the ukulele a more "open" sound. This little uke has surprisingly BIG voice and is a delight to play. Micarta nut and bone saddle, Grover tuners, and Aquila strings.
Mango, it sounds as sweet as the fruit tastes!
The body on this mermaid inlay is fossil mastadon ivory that I've scrimshawed.
Rope bound Tenor with slotted head stock.
Koa, cocobolo and gold MOP.
Mango Concert with curly koa fret board and accents.
Soprano, curly koa with ebony. Scrimshawed mastadon ivory inlay & Paua abalone purfling.
The TAKEO Ukulele
Inspired by gyotaku artist, Laron Kageyama, this stunning tenor features elements that are meaningful to him including koi, bamboo and a family crest. The slotted headstock, side soundport, red purfling and bridge detail make this a truly one of a kind ukulele.
To see Laron's own unique fish printing art, visit his website:
Please click on the images for more detail.
When four strings aren't enough, or even eight, you'll have your hands full with this double neck tenor ukulele fitted with both a 4 string and 8 string neck. The woods I used for this unusual instrument are spalted curly koa for the body, carbon reinforced Spanish cedar necks, and ebony for the fret board, head stock veneer and bindings. The bamboo inlays are of gold mother of pearl and cocobolo. I chose to use "Peghed" planetary geared tuners for their light weight and their classic, unobtrusive appearance. The dual side sound ports give the player immediate feedback and gives improved tonal balance and overall projection.
This remarkable tenor is redefining the boundaries of art and acoustics in modern ukuleles. The AAAAA Master Grade solid koa body features a scalloped lower bout and side sound port in a cutaway design. The body, fret board, head stock, and both sound holes are bound in cocobolo and accented with black and white purfling strips. The custom tri-color rope purfling adorns the front and back of the body as well as the headstock. The fret board, head stock and bridge are ebony and the carbon reinforced neck is Spanish cedar. Over 160 individual pieces of pearl, wood and stone make up the inlay of the scholl of koi happily swimming down the ukulele. The elegant inlay of koi and aquatic plants on this instrument took 40 hours to accomplish.
Priced at $4,000 (SOLD)
Seven Swimming Koi
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