AUCTION: Moore Bettah Custom Koa Tenor "Mermaid" ( #1612)

AUCTION: Moore Bettah Custom Master Grade Koa Tenor with Ameritage Case (#1612)

If you are a fan of great ukes then you most likely know of Big Island luthier Chuck Moore and Moore Bettah Ukuleles. Even though we know Moore Bettah Ukuleles to be consistently incredible, each one is a unique piece of timeless art with a gorgeous tone and effortless playability. 

This ukulele features an incredible master grade koa body with a side sound port, ebony bound with the smoothest and most elegant arm bevel, and shown off with a perfect thin gloss finish. The headstock and fingerboard are inlayed with scrimsahwed fossil mastodon ivory, amboynia burl, acrylic, koa, ebony, and silver to create this gorgeous image of a mermaid playing ukulele. Talk about a unique and beautiful art piece to go along with this superb instrument!

Take a listen as Kalei gives us a "raw" sound sample of this ukulele. Audio recording is not compressed or mastered. To hear the most accurate tone use quality speakers or headphones.

Chuck is a solo builder and works by hand, no computer aided design, laser cutting machine or outside sourcing. This one features a unique art called scrimshaw. This is the name given to engravings and carvings done in bone or ivory and it's said to be the oldest of all North American art forms.

"I've been doing scrimshaw work for almost 30 years so it comes as naturally
to me as drawing does. The etching itself is all done with a #11 Exacto
knife to scribe either lines or individual dots. The effect is one that
painters know as "pointillism". Wearing a 10 power magnifier and working
with strong reflective light each dot or group of dots is scribed then
filled in with finely ground artist's oils. The pigment is immediately
wiped off revealing the etching. There is no paint actually left on the
surface. If I make a mistake or scribe too deeply in a particular area,
the piece would need to be resanded and begun again. I only use legal and
fossil ivories, mostly from mastodon or wooly mammoth that can be as much
as 40,000 years old."

With world-class skills and a unique imagination, Chuck Moore created another one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Corey gives us another sound sample.

This ukulele has Chuck's new string-through bridge and body shape with a slightly wider lower bout. The sound goes from sweet and clear when played lightly, to powerful and focused when you dig in. It has excellent balance in tones and this is in part because of the Thomastik Infeld Low g and c strings. They aren't as boomy or dominating as regular wound strings. They are also smooth when sliding, not squeaky like wound strings, but they have better sustain and tension balance than plain strings, especially on the low G. Chuck continues to refine his offering and this is another area he has been striving to improve on. He continually enlightens us on just how great an ukulele can be. 

This came to us with a world-class setup, very low action without buzzing, and a carbon fiber rod in the neck to ensure it maintains that perfect feel. Having an ukulele this easy to play with this wonderful of a sound is very special. Add in the original art and you have a real treasure.

This ultimate custom tenor ukulele includes the Ameritage case offering the best fit and protection and also the Oasis Humidifier.

This is an auction and the details are below.

1. The auction will close on Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at 3:30 pm Hawaii time.

2. This is an English format “open bid” auction. This means the bids are public and can be seen by others. The reserve price is $6,500. Any price shown above this is the current prevailing bid. You must bid higher by at least $25.00.

3. You must log in to your TheUkuleleSite account to bid. If you don’t have an account, simply create one. From "My Account" and  under the "My Auction" tab you need to set your auction name and choose when you would like to be emailed. You can also cancel bids from there. 

4. You can bid a fixed amount, or choose Auto Bid. With Auto Bid, you set your maximum bid price and the system will bid as necessary on your behalf up to your Auto Bid maximum price.

5. We’re also including Going, Going, Gone to simulate a live auction with an auctioneer. With this feature, any new highest bid received in the final sixty [60] seconds will re-set a sixty [60] second window for new bids to be received. As long as a higher bid comes in, the Going, Going, Gone window will re-set again. This cycle will continue until the prevailing bid survives without being overbid within the sixty [60] second window.

6. When the auction ends, the highest bid received at or above the reserve price will be the winner. We must receive your bid for it to count.

7. The highest bid will be invoiced for the full value of the bid and have 24 hours from the invoice date to pay for their purchase in full. If the purchase price is not remitted by the deadline, Hawaii Music Supply may choose to offer the next highest bidder the opportunity to buy it at their final bid price.

8. Hawaii Music Supply reserves the right in its sole discretion to invalidate any bids that it determines have been made for the purpose of collusion or undermining the integrity of the auction. In such an event, Hawaii Music Supply may re-start or cancel the auction or choose to sell to any valid bidders. By entering this auction, all bidders agree that their bids are made with the intention to purchase the instrument featured in the auction at the price of their highest final bid. All bidders agree to avoid any coordination or collusion with other bidders.

Includes Ko'olau grey Ameritage case and Oasis humidifier. Good luck and aloha!