Tim Williams - European Spruce/American Walnut Archtop Tenor Ukulele w/Handbuilt Hard Case

This Tim Williams walnut archtop tenor ukulele is a real rare treat. Tim began making ukuleles last year having built dozens of high spec guitar for customers over many years. His work had often found its ways into the more bespoke guitar shops in Devon/Cornwall.

When meeting him here at SUS we mentioned to him that of all of his prototype instruments, we were most taken with his scaled down archtop ukulele. These instruments had all the life and lustre of a standard spruce top ukulele but with the carved arched features of a proper archtop, floating bridge and how confident and stiff the sound was but how light and tender the instrument itself felt.

Tim was really taken with his own one and wanted to keep it but he agreed to recreate the magic by making us two more and the first of which is available today.

This tenor ukulele was made in Plymouth by Tim throughout the first half of this year and has a European spruce top and American black walnut back and sides. The uke has an ebony fingerboard and ebony tailpiece, an English sycamore floating bridge (with ebony saddle) and matching binding.

It sounds open and really complex but has just the right kind of bite when you strum it hard that you would associate with the big archtop guitar older sibling of this ukulele.

The icing on the cake is Tim's handmade woodshell hard case covered in blue fabric for that quintessential 1930's instrument experience. Photos show actual instrument you will receive - although the order form shows options for pickup installations, this ukulele cannot have a piezo pickup fitted.

Specification:
European spruce top
American black walnut back and sides
Ebony fingerboard
Ebony tailpiece
Sycamore bridge with ebony saddle
Sycamore front binding
Sycamore 'racing strip' down the back of the neck
Walnut faceplate
Bone nut and saddle
Gotoh geared tuners
36mm nut width
29mm string spacing
Hand built woodshell hard case