Sumi Kobo Solid Japanese Keyaki Tenor Ukulele with Custom Zelkova Inlay

Keyaki was a wood that we were not overly familiar with here at the Southern Ukulele Store but having sampled some Ukuleles in recent years made of other indigenous Japanese woods like Tochi, I had nothing but good vibes running through my veins as I picked up the first of these wonderful instrument at the 2019 NAMM show. That instrument sold before we even made it back to the UK with it and the instrument before you today is the second one Sumi has made. Keyaki is a rare and 'well kept secret' tonewood - it is obviously stunning to look at with long pronounced grain that looks like the rings of a tree and unstained it has a golden hue and straw like tight grain pattern.

The more research I do into Keyaki as a tonewood the more impressed I am - Keyaki wood is a strain of Japanese Elm (Zelkova) valued highly in Japan and used often as a premium building material. A quick google search pointed me at many far East Luthiers using it for Concert Guitars, Mandolins and even Drums.
As a tonewood, Keyaki falls somewhere between Mahogany and Koa. As I sit here now and construct the description of this Ukulele for you I find that in just one strum you get warmth and an openness right out of the gate. It has a strong mid-range with good clarity like Koa. I think maybe we have found a new favourite wood!

This Ukulele has a real tonal range and lots of expression, Sumi does wonders with his super thin nitro-cellulose gloss finishes. This Ukulele is a great example with a finish so light that you can feel and see the wood grain through many areas as the finish sinks and coats the wood. A bi-product of this is that the finish has a handful of imperfections where the nitro has cured at different speeds. We have said it before and will no doubt say it again but it really is not a major detriment to the quality of this instrument to find some small flaws in the finish. The way in which these really light finishes allow the wood to breath and mature much quicker than modern polyester and UV finishes more than makes up for any small cosmetic defects - the Japanese even have a saying for this 'Wabi-sabi' meaning that the imperfections are part of what make something beautiful, we price the Sumi's with these light imperfections in mind. The key thing here is that the instrument has come straight from Eiichi Sumi's workshop; built with no modern machinery - just hand tools and is new with no dings or dents.

Let's talk about the deluxe cosmetic appointments that tie this whole wonderful thing together. Following on from all of the positive feedback the cherry blossom inlays he has produced in the past have received around the world - this Ukulele incorporates a brand new unique 'Zelkova' inlay that carries across from the headstock down the fingerboard. Zelkova aka Japanese Elm are a species of plant related to Keyaki so the inlay on this Ukulele is wonderfully traced back to the wood it is made out of. WOW! The top and back of the body, fingerboard and headstock are all bound with quilted maple and the top also features an abalone binding and soundhole rosette that sit exquisitely with the slight 2 tone cherry burst on the top.

This instrument well and truly blurs the lines of functional instruments and works of art. It looks as beautiful as it sounds and Sumi once again has taken the instrument we love and leapt forward with a new bold and beautiful design.

Solid Keyaki Top, Back and Sides (Japanese Elm/Zelkova)
Honduran Mahogany Neck
Japanese Zelkova Headstock and Fingerboard inlay
Maple Binding with Abalone appointments.
Gold Gotoh UPT Planetary Tuners
35mm Nut Width
17'' Tenor Scale
Comes in a Sumi Hard Case

First video depicts actual instruments...

The videos below are not of the actual instrument but display the same model available at the beginning of 2019.