This is a rare Barron River ukulele, made in Cairns, Australia, by the sought-after and supremely talented luthier Allen McFarlen. Allen’s reputation is such that his order book is very full - but he allows one or two ukes to be sold by ukulele stores now and then, presumably as an advert for his work / promotion. This build would have been destined for the USA, but the tariffs now involved mean that I have been able to snag it instead - and very happy I am about that!

The top of this baritone ukulele is made from Adirondack spruce (ironically from North America), which is famed for its clarity, dynamic range and sustain, with a greater density than typical sitka spruce variants. Guitar makers seek it out as it offers a mature, more vintage sound. This has been paired with Honduran Rosewood, for the back and sides. This is a classic combination, with the power and clarity provided by the spruce, and a rich resonance and complex overtones delivered by the back and sides. There’s a lovely depth to the sound, with real rolling waves of warmth, but the spruce top means there’s always clarity in the mix, with an articulate, well defined sound.

This Barron River baritone ukulele has a rosewood scratch plate and soundhole inlays, together with maple binding, and an ebony fingerboard. It is fitted with D’addario Nyltech DGBE strings and plays beautifully. The nut width is a shade over 35mm, which isn’t as broad as many a baritone, but it feels precise and more familair to those of us (like me) who have learned on standard nut width instruments. The tuners are Waverley geared units which are very much a premium tuner, and work beautifully.

At the bottom of the page are some optional extras (standard ones that appear on each page). They include cases - which you don’t need as this has a good quality tweed-style hard case. And low G fitting (as this is DGBE, it has a low G, and a low D for that matter, already).

This is an example of the work of a luthier at the top of the tree when it comes to desirability and craftsmanship, a really world class instrument.