AUCTION: Moore Bettah Custom Spruce/Macassar Ebony "Hula Girl" Tenor (#1520)

 AUCTION * AUCTION * AUCTION 

We get lots of requests from people to buy a Moore Bettah Ukulele. The ones we get are usually sold far in advance of us receiving them. In collaboration with luthier Chuck Moore, we’re offering this beautiful Moore Bettah Ukulele with Armitage case in an exciting auction format.

1.The auction will close on Monday, August 24 at 4:00 pm Hawaii time.

2.This is an English format “open bid” auction. The reserve price is $7,975. 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" you need to set your auction name and choose when you would like to be emailed under the "My Auction" tab. 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, the next highest bidder will be contacted and invoiced at their final bid price. This will continue until the sale is concluded.

Moore Bettah Custom "Artist Series" Spruce/Macassar Ebony Tenor with Amaritage Case (#1520)

Moore Bettah is a famous custom ukulele brand made entirely by Chuck Moore in a remote and beautiful area on the Big Island of Hawaii. He crafts very special instruments that capture the magic of these islands like no other. We proudly share with you the quality of sound, feel, and attraction possible in a Hawaiian ukulele. With this auction you have the opportunity to call this ukulele of extraordinary sound and beauty your very own.

This one is called "Hula Girl" from the Moore Bettah original "Artist Series" and features his unique scrimshaw art. Scrimshaw is the name given to engravings and carvings done in bone or ivory. It is said to be the oldest of all North American art forms. Years ago, while living on Molokai, Chuck made a living just doing scrimshaw art work and it really sets him apart form other inlay artists. For this inlay he uses scrimshaw on very ancient Mastodon ivory for the body of the hula girl. The detail work of the hands and feet alone are very time consuming and take a very advanced level of skill. Here's what Chuck said when I asked him about this.

"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."

He then finds just the right cuts of comp stone to puzzle together the grass skirt, and lei's, and then maple burl for her hair. The result is the beautiful wahine performing the Hawaiian dance called hula where the dancer dramatizes or portrays the words of the mele (chant, song or poem).

These inlays from his Artist series are completely one-of-a-kind, never to be reproduced art from the most respected luthier and artist in our industry. His precision, creative design, and execution are at an all-time high. The instrument available here will be regarded for many generations as one of the finest works of musical art ever made.

"The Artist Series can take me three times as long to build as a basic uke…. I sometimes think about these projects a year or two before I execute them."

-- Chuck Moore

Kalei Gamiao lives right up the road from our shop in Haleiwa so we took our studio equipment over to his house. We did our standard "raw" sound samples right in the beauty of his backyard. These videos are done using transparent recording equipment and are not enhanced in any way. We are dedicated to showing true tone so use quality speakers or headphones for the most accurate listening experience.

Features on this instrument include an Adirondack spruce (also called red spruce) for the soundboard. This wood has the highest cross-sectional strength and across-the-grain stiffness of all the spruces. Tops made out of red spruce have the highest volume ceiling of any species, yet they also have a rich fullness of tone that retains clarity at all dynamic levels and exhibits more complex overtone content. It is also one of the most difficult woods to obtain in this artist quality and, being considered by many to be the holy grail in top wood, it is much more expensive than other spruces. 

The back and sides are an extremely rare and expensive wood called macassar ebony. This is a very dense wood that provides amazing clarity and tonal balance, along with added volume. Together with the red spruce top this is a magical combination for those looking for the absolute best in tone. 

Master grade koa frames off the entire instrument including the smoothest arm bevel you will ever find, a side sound port, and a unique and beautiful rosette.

This ukulele has Chuck's new string-through bridge and 2015 body shape with a slightly wider lower bout. The volume is incredible and the voicing, dynamics and intonation are phenomenal.

On top of that it has the best feel you can imagine. Mr. Moore does a world-class setup and this ukulele has 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 incredible, one-of-a-kind craftsmanship and you have a real treasure.

With the combination of Kalei's playing and this phenomenal uke, we couldn't stop at one sound sample. It simply sounded too good! So Kalei gives us two more songs here. Enjoy!

This ultimate custom tenor ukulele includes an Ameritage case for the best fit and protection, as well as an Oasis OH5+ Humidifier.