To relax from his day gig as a master guitar builder, Kim Breedlove used to escape home and burn the midnight oil while dreaming of Hawaii and creating high-end ukuleles from native, bright, yet deep-sounding Oregon myrtlewood, which offers an even richer sound than traditional koa or mahogany. Those groundbreaking designs, developed in his garage workshop and boasting essential sonic improvements alongside remarkably fluid playability, serve as the basis for a new acoustic and acoustic/electric line of classy, powerful—and colorful—Breedlove Lu’au Ukuleles.
Along with its body shape, a ukulele’s top is the defining element of its sound, driving, through its vibration, the key aspects of volume, tone, sustain and projection. Spruce will, due in part to its famous stiffness-to-weight ratio, ring loud and clear. A solid wood top translates those vibrations with more immediacy and purity of tone, and reacts more directly with the intent of a player. If you are at an intermediate level or above, you will appreciate the instantly recognizable benefits of a solid wood top.
CONCERT BODY SHAPE
Slightly larger than the original diminutive Hawaiian soprano, the Concert size is considered by many to be the perfect ukulele. It retains the delightful pingy sound of its smaller cousin, but its longer 15” scale allows for easier fretting, while its marginally wider body provides more tone and volume while still tucking comfortably beneath a strummer’s elbow.
MYRTLEWOOD TOP, BACK & SIDES
Popularized by Breedlove, myrtlewood, from the windblown Oregon coast, combines the best elements of rosewood, mahogany and maple—rich bass, warm midrange and clear, bright trebles—for truly versatile guitars. Each sonically distinct instrument is individualized by the gnarled, wildly varied, but always arresting grain patterns.
