Sumi Kobo - Curly Maple Custom Tenor Ukulele w/Ebony Stain - NAMM 2024

Some years back now, I stumbled upon some Sumi Ukuleles that looked like Gibson Hummingbird guitars and I squawked with excitement at the prospect of bringing them home to the Southern Ukulele Store. I had no idea just how inspiring I would find the Sumi Kobo Ukes and for a few years, I brought home various one off Sumi creations that would seemingly come and go before I could catch my breath. With Eiichi Sumi being in his later years and his ukuleles being such a long labour intensive process; I didn't think I would ever have the opportunity to bring more to Southern Ukulele Store following COVID. I was pleasantly surprised to see two stunning Gibson inspired creations at the NAMM show this year. 

This tenor ukulele is the first of its kind from Eiichi Sumi; inspired and loosely based on the 1950's and 1960's ebony Gibson acoustic guitars; this curly maple piece of art has a translucent ebony stain over a nitrocellulose finish. Nictrocellulose is much harder to work with and rarely seen these days as it is highly toxic to work with; requires patience and weeks to fully cure. The reason all of these wonderful instruments from 60-90 years ago all sound so good is because they have this finish and it ages wonderfully.

Eiichii Sumi began his career in the 1960's working in the Kentucky Mandolin factory in Nagano, Japan. Decades before automation and CNC machinery were commonplace in instrument manufacturing; Eiichi cut his teeth carving mandolins and later Acoustic Guitars by hand producing hundreds of instruments the old fashioned way by the time he set up his own workshop. For context; Kentucky Mandolins from this time often fetch thousands of dollars at auction and are held in the highest regard by players in the know.

Curly maple is a wonderful wood for a ukulele with depth and colour and an almost absorbent nature meaning that when you play it, you get a soft release and a fluffy decay from each note. The gorgeous Sumi style cutaway and shaping to this ukulele make it comfortable and it feels and sounds rich in the hands whilst retaining the Japanese 'petite Tenor' feel to them. It weighs nothing, I literally thought the case was empty when it arrived... The plastic pearloid pickguard completes the Gibson look perfectly. Add to that the maple bindings and trim, the gorgeous touch of blue with the crushed turquoise bridge inlay and the mother of pearl flower in the headstock; this is a uke like nothing else we have had before at SUS or will likely ever see again. 

This Sumi tenor ukulele was on display at the NAMM show in January 2024 and there are some light surface marks that cannot be easily polished out (pictured). This is normal with completely handmade traditionally built instruments and it is especially common with thin nitrocellulose instruments. As a Sumi owner myself; these instruments age wonderfully with sweet highs and booming, deep lows. A Sumi Kobo is as close to the early days of ukulele manufacturing that we can get in 2024 and I'm just delighted they exist given the limited output of Ukuleles and Eiichi Sumi's advanced age. The Japanese have a term which I love to use when describing Sumi Ukuleles; Wabi Sabi which is finding extra beauty in something just as much for its imperfections as its perfections. 

Specification:
Curly maple top, back and sides
Ebony fingerboard and bridge
Bone nut and saddle
Turquoise inlay on bridge
35mm nut width (28mm string spacing at nut)
Mother of pearl logo and flower inlay 
Ebony faceplate
Gotoh stealth tuners
Transparent black (ebony) stain
Nitrocellulose gloss finish
Curly maple bindings throughout
Deluxe white fibreglass hard case