This model was a limited edition and has now been discontinued.

This is the Uluru Sedera III tenor ukulele is an exclusive design made to my specifications here at World of Ukes. It is a long term project, which took 11 months to come to fruition from the initial designs being submitted, to their arrival here. Thankfully, it was worth the wait.

I have always liked cedar top instruments, with the even tone they deliver, and so opted for solid cedar for the top with this tenor. This has been paired with solid African mahogany for the back and sides, with the two separated by ovangkol binding and very thin, delicate maple purfling. Ovangkol also features on the soundhole rosette, either side of abalone, for a just a touch of added sparkle.

The fingerboard and bridge are extremely smooth ebony. I opted for side dots to mark common positions on the side of the neck - but not on the fretboard itself. Side dots are perfectly sufficient but I've a habit of craning my neck or tilting the neck to see fretboard markers so I've taken the temptation away. It looks classy too.

There's a rosewood heel cap and the sleek slotted headstock has a rosewood veneer on the front and the back - with the front featuring the Uluru logo and the reverse, a discreet World of Ukes logo etching. I wanted to highlight the different details with wood that was different, yet not so different that there was any clash! So in different places, ovangkol, rosewood, and mahogany - all shades of brown, with that tiny touch of maple for a little ‘pop’.

The compensated saddle is made from bone, as is the 35mm nut (28mm G to A). The nut width was another decision to agonise over, but I opted for this average nut width as that's what I play, and also 'average' means it covers more people's preferences by definition. I don't find Uluru ukulele necks overly chunky, so playability-wise, it suits me very well.

String choice was another poser for this Uluru Sedera project - and something I waited until the arrival of my stock before confirming. This involved testing various sets to find the one I liked most on this ukulele... I've chosen Ken Middleton's Living Water strings - the only strings I would have to pay full retail price for! But... that's what I liked the most paired with this instrument so having gone to the trouble of trying various types and preferring those, that’s what it had to be!

Uluru make all their ukuleles by hand, with a very high standard of finish and build quality. With cedar being quite a soft wood, I wanted to protect that with a gloss finish - and knowing how nice and neatly they do that on account of my own ukulele being a Uluru (a Lehua IIICX), it seemed a sensible and attractive choice. While I am fine with a gloss neck, I know some people do find them a bit sticky, so I've gone for a satin finish neck. This has an ovangkol and maple 'skunk stripe' along its length - a feature of my Lehua IIICX that I wanted to 'borrow' for the Sedera!

The sound has plenty of volume, and what I'd term a 'balanced brightness' - with enough sparkle to lift your melodies while not suffering from any brittleness. There's a background of richness and attractive harmonics that really shimmers. The note separation is good too, with picking techniques settings off nice bursts of brightness which then softly ebb away with smooth complexity.

Uluru are a Taiwanese company who make ukuleles in a small factory in Vietnam - all by hand. By nature then, this is a low-volume project, with limited numbers. Throughout the design and production process, a seemingly endless array of options on even the minutest details have been assessed and decisions made along the way. It would have been easier, and probably more sensible from a financial perspective, not to devote so much time and working capital to a project that is never going to produce vast numbers of ukuleles - but... it is what I love doing. I've got a strong feel for what works and what I like in a uke, and wanted to work to bring out a model that will offer something a little different. There are lots of ukulele choices up to £500, and then more options again after £1,000, but in this price range, it is something of a no man's land. I wanted to create something that had a high end sound without reaching the heights of high end prices (though, let's be straight - I know this isn't cheap, but I believe it is good value!)

I am really pleased with how the Sedera III tenor ukulele has come out - when they arrived there's a mixture of excitement and nervousness as you check that what you wanted in the design has turned out as you imagined it. Thankfully, every stage of the hand made production process had been documented with pictures sent by Uluru, so there were no surprises!

Initially these instruments included a bag, but due to a problem with the zips, I’m not including one. However, the discount should allow you to choose one if you wish.

For video demos of the Uluru Sedera III tenor ukulele, click additional information below. There’s a quick sound sample and also a video review and extensive demonstration.