This was a one off instrument, which has now been sold.

This is a gorgeous tenor ukulele, hand made on Vancouver Island in Canada by luthier Martin van Humbeck. This one, his 178th build, is made from master grade Englemann spruce, paired with solid Indian rosewood, which is also the highest graded wood available.

There are loads of visual treats to discuss but first, onto the sound. This ukulele is fitted with a low G, and the sound has a life of its own, bursting forth in a lively, harmonically-rich tone, which is loud, sweet, warm and bright all in one. The spruce top is light and thin and the sound sort of explodes out of the body - it really is top drawer.

It plays beautifully too, with a nut width just wider than average, at 36.5mm. Worth fluorocarbon strings are fitted, with a Fremont Soloist low G, together with brilliant Gotoh 510 Super Mini geared tuners. Those tuners are an £80 set, so only the best for this custom made, one-off build. There’s a quality tweed finish hard case too.

Looking at this tenor's visual features then, let's start at the top, where there's a mother of pearl inlaid 'Beck' logo (a sensible choice, as 'Martin Van Humbeck would have required a really wide headstock!). This is faced with beautiful figured Pacific yew - which wouldn't look out of place on the dashboard of a vintage Jaguar E-type.

The fretboard and bridge are made from Amazon rosewood, with lovely subtle streaks and grain, with tamarind bridge pins installed. The asymmetric soundhole decoration features more yew, with iridescent abalone inlay. There's pomelle bubinga binding, and a yew tail gradt, with a strap button fitted. The whole thing is finished with a hand applied tru-oil finish.

This Martin Beck tenor ukulele is a thing of real beauty, with well thought out appointments, top quality materials and a sound to die for.

If you click additional info below, you can watch a video comparison of this ukulele, and another from Martin’s workshop.

For common accessories and customisations (like strap buttons / low G fitting) scroll down to the bottom of the page where you'll be able to add these common items to your basket.