Fleur de Decour
Title: Fleur de Ducour
Type: Concert 10
Price: $950
This is one attractively appointed Concert ukulele. It is a ‘Concert 10 which is the smaller bodied of the two concert instruments that Pohaku Ukulele makes. They both share the same 14 3/4” scale length but this version has a smaller body giving it the characteristic of a more soprano-esque percussive, sparky, bright sound but it has more fingering room than a soprano size ukulele offers.
This particular instrument is made out of a fine pin-curl Cuban Mahogany from the Kahala district on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. The wood is quarter sawn and its delicate pin-curl figuring is quite stunning. The neck is Honduran Mahogany and the fingerboard is Bocote, a type of Rosewood. The peg head shape is reminiscent of early banjo peg heads and tuning is easy and precise with 4:1 ratio planetary geared Peg Head brand tuning machines. Currently it is strung ‘high g’ with Aquila Nyl-Gut strings which seem to work well with these little instruments. It can also be strung Low G.
The slotted bridge is super accurately made with different size slots corresponding with the different size strings so it won’t fail and strings won’t pull out of it. It is made of a hard birds-eye Maple which the rest of the accents on the instrument also use; the edge binding, the fret position markers, the little Fleur-de Decour inlay at the base of the instrument and the peg-head inlay are all Birds Eye Maple.
With accurate fretwork and excellent set-up this instrument plays easily, in tune and its nature is bright and loud.
The back is arched along both axis making it slightly bowl shaped (as all Pohaku instruments are). The lacquer finish is glossy and silky smooth.
Overall the instrument is about 23 1/2” long and it weighs just over 17 ounces. It will come in a nice quality hard-shell case.
Shipping is + $50 via Fed-Ex ground in a sturdy re-useable ukulele shipping box