AUCTION: Moore Bettah Custom Spruce/Ebony Tenor "Shadows" ( #1701)-2

AUCTION: One-of-a-kind Moore Bettah Tenor!

Adirondack Spruce Black & White Ebony w/ Ameritage Case (#1701)

Chuck Moore is a phenomenal luthier, but he's more than that. He's an artist in the most creative way and each one of these special instruments is not only a world class musical instrument, but also an original, one-of-a kind piece of fine art. This one features the unique skill of scrimshaw, or etching into a material with a blade to create an image. Chuck does this masterfully here with the use of shadows. This form of art sets Chuck apart from most inlay artist and allows for another level of depth and dimension. A beautiful conceptual art piece here but it's also one of the finest tenor ukuleles we've had the pleasure to show.

This ukulele features an ultimate soundboard wood with the loved Adirondack spruce which excels in projection and articulation. The sides and back are a gorgeous marbled black and white ebony that's amazing to just look at but is also a most excellent tone wood. Together on this instrument they are just perfect. Of course woods on their own won't sound great. It's Chuck's evolved and unique build style that makes this tone along with these woods. And just as important is the perfect neck set and curvature and top notch setup for an ultra smooth feel and true intonation all over.

All of this is accompanied by a slew of wonderful appointments like an ebony bound side sound port, the smoothest and most elegant arm bevel, mitered purflings flowing along with wood bindings nicely rounded off, and thin high-gloss finish smooth to the slide.

Take a listen as Corey samples this unique masterpiece!

Chuck is a solo builder and works by hand, no computer aided design, laser cutting machine or outside sourcing. The unique art called scrimshaw is said to be the oldest of all North American art forms. It's the art form that Chuck made his living at years ago while living on the island of Molokai and it's a time consuming technique he uses on many of his most special instruments. He is so attuned to detail that you can see that every fretboard marker and bridge dot is shaded with hundreds of little dots that creates a subtle shade or direction of the light hitting it. With world-class skills and a unique imagination, Chuck Moore created another one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

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.