Each Kepasa Ukulele model was created out of a customer asking "Can you build a ukulele that looks like...?" Most of the influences have come from early mainland ukuleles, as well as the Dias soprano that represents the very early ukulele that migrated from Madeira, Portugal in the late 1800s, and the Gypsy style ukes are influenced by the Selmer-Maccaferri gypsy guitars.
My inventory of ukulele wood for back and sides generally includes sapele (also known as African mahogany), Honduras mahogany, various maples including New England red curly maple, caramelized maple, koa in various grades, zebrawood, pao ferro and East Indian rosewood.
In-stock soundboard woods generally include Sitka spruce, Englemann spruce, Adirondack red spruce, cedar, redwood and in the case of an all-koa or all-mahogany ukulele, of course, matching koa or mahogany.
Let's examine Kepasa Ukuleles head to toe, or head to tail as it is with the ukulele. We'll be talking about the inside of the ukulele, too. This discussion exposes my preferences, opinions and building style regarding the details and components that are typical of most ukuleles.
Headstock- The shape of Kepasa headstocks vary between models, and sometimes the same model is built with a choice of headstock styles. I'm quite fond of the headstock shapes of the old Harmony ukuleles. My standard headstocks are built to 1/2" in thickness, with the exception of slotted headstocks, such as my gypsy ukuleles have, which are close to 3/4" in thickness. I build a scarfed headstock, along with a stacked heel.
Headplate- The headplate is a thin sheet of solid wood glued to the face of the headstock. Headplates may be up to 2mm thick and are sometimes matched to the same wood as the back and sides of the ukulele. Ebony also makes a nice headplate, which often matches the fingerboard. In addition to being cosmetically appealing, headplates lend extra strength to the headstock. I occasionally install backplates as well. Backplates are rare but lend an extra touch of decor to an otherwise ignored part of the instrument.
Tuners- My current preference in a quality ukulele tuning machine is the Gotoh UPT planetary tuner. They are a straight and geared tuner of low mass and low weight. Grover also makes a variety of very nice geared right-angle tuners sized for the ukulele, in all chrome, or gold with black buttons. Slotted headstocks always receive a right-angle geared tuner set. On a slotted headstock, these tuners point to the back instead of to the side. I also offer Pegheds®, which are a 4:1 ratio geared tuner which resembles a violin peg, great for retaining a vintage look. Most earlier Kepasa Ukuleles (2004-2009) were fitted with Grover Sta-Tite friction tuners. They are a decent quality friction peg and are available with black plastic buttons (Grover 4B) or white plastic buttons (Grover 4W). As the ukulele market has grown, more and better tuner options have become available and I no longer use friction tuners.
Nut- I prefer Tusq™, a manmade ivory substitute, manufactured by Graph-Tech in Canada. Tusq looks and acts like bone and has a very clear, bell-like tone when you drop a piece on a hard surface. I've also used black buffalo horn, which can be polished to a very shiny surface or left with a flat black sheen. Ebony also makes a great nut, as well as bone.
Neck- Kepasa Ukulele necks are usually built of Spanish cedar. Martin used Spanish cedar for the neck on their early ukes, and it's also used as a neck wood for many high-end classical guitars. Spanish cedar is lighter weight than mahogany, another popular neck wood. I also use mahogany, koa, and maple for neck woods upon request. Most of my necks are a single length of wood, and I can also build necks that are layered with alternating strips of dark and light colored woods. Necks can be three or five piece necks of mahogany and maple joined. The neck thickness on most of my ukuleles is an average of 5/8" thick from the first fret to the seventh fret, including the fretboard, and then sloping into the heel. The actual neck thickness is somewhat affected by the nut width chosen. The nut width on Kepasa tenors can be 1 3/8" or 1 7/16". Concert ukuleles generally have a 1 7/16" nut width. Kepasa soprano ukuleles can have a nut width of 1 7/16", 1 3/8", or even less on certain models. I can also build a neck to your specifications, usually without any change in cost.
Volute- To volute or not to volute? Some stringed instrument builders shape a diamond or bullet or "V" at the transition between the neck and the bottom of the headstock, right where the thumb sits. I don't.
Carbon Fiber Rod- In 2010, I began installing carbon fiber rods in all of my ukulele sizes. The rods are non-adjustable, but make the neck stiffer. I previously installed carbon fiber reinforcement only in tenor ukuleles, but now the shorter neck scales get it as well. Stiffening the shorter necks is relatively unnecessary, but as we say, "It can't hurt".
Fingerboard- Most Kepasa Ukuleles have either ebony or rosewood fingerboards. I've also used cocobolo, koa, maple, pau ferro and other woods. Pearl dot position markers at frets 5, 7, 10, 12 and 15 are pretty standard, as well as side dots. The fingerboard can be flat like most ukuleles or can receive a radius of either 20", 16" or 12".
Frets- I use two sizes of fretwire; a narrow vintage style fretwire for soprano and concert, or a medium small fretwire for some concerts, tenors or baritones. Narrow fretwire is more popular on most ukuleles.
Inlay- I'm not a big fan of inlay, above and beyond the standard round MOP (mother of pearl) dots as position markers on the fingerboard. That's usually enough shiny stuff for me. But I'm happy to outsource your custom inlay needs for a fair upcharge.
Side Markers- All Kepasa Ukuleles have side markers positioned at the same frets as the fretboard inlay markers, usually at the 5th fret, 7th fret, 10th, 12th and 15th fret. Some players request no markers on the face of the fingerboard, just side markers on the edge. I'd be willing to skip them if you asked, but I can't guarantee you'll play the right notes.
Heel- The heel, which is the part of the neck that joins with the body, is a good example of form and function. The heel has an important job in helping to hold the neck onto the body at the right angle and with the right amount of mass. The heel can also be a beautiful part of the ukulele. I usually style my ukes with a triangular shaped heel that resembles the old Harmony and Regal ukuleles. Kepasa gypsy ukuleles have a heel that is square in shape, styled after the Selmer-Maccaferri gypsy guitars.
Bolt-on Neck- There are several effective ways to attach a ukulele neck to the body. I prefer a single bolt system that includes a threaded brass insert that is installed into the heel of the neck. A hole is drilled into the heel area of the body to accommodate a ¼" diamter hex bolt. The bolt is inserted through the soundhole and tightened into the insert mounted in the heel. The bolt is not used for adjusting the neck. Do not loosen or tighten this bolt. Baritone ukuleles are built with two neck bolts.
Body- The body consists of the soundboard, back and sides. Different wood types will offer different sounds, as discussed more thoroughly under "Soundboard".
Sides- Sometimes referred to as rims. The wood type of the sides matches the wood type of the ukulele back.
Back- Usually the same wood type as the sides, as above.
Soundboard- Up to 90-95% of the sound quality comes from the soundboard. Different woods have different tonal properties. Spruce tends to be quite full-toned, with clear highs. Mahogany has a warm tone with slightly more midrange. Cedar generally has slightly less volume but has a great tone and is well balanced from highs to lows. (Most classical guitars have cedar tops). Many alternative soundboard woods can be used with great satisfaction. Koa, redwood, maple, Douglas fir and others are good choices. I can also influence the sound during the build by using different soundboard thicknesses and different bracing patterns.
Soundhole- The soundhole is usually round, except on the gypsy ukulele and the KeVita uke, which both have a D-shaped soundhole. The thinline hollowbody Comet can have double pukas, multi-soundhole epaulets, or the D-shape soundhole. The Ukebox usually receives multi-soundhole epaulets.
Binding- I use both wood and plastic binding. Wood binding can be maple, rosewood, cocobolo or other, while plastic can be tortoise-shell, black, white, creme, ivoroid, and others. Combinations of colors and even combinations of wood and plastic binding can achieve an almost limitless choice of single color or layered looks. I generally bind the top and back of the ukulele unless you ask me to bind only the top. The headstock and/or fingerboard can also be bound on request.
Soundhole Trim- Instead of a soundhole rosette, I like to use a ring of binding inside the soundhole that matches or contrasts the body binding. This style is borrowed from the old Regal and Harmony ukuleles, and I think it makes ukuleles look much less guitar-like.
Tailpiece Trim- This type of trim is not present on all ukuleles. It can be requested on any uke and or left off any uke. The material used for the tailpiece trim usually matches the binding, but often may be a complimentary color or material.
Bracing- The bracing is one of the most beautiful parts of the ukulele, yet we rarely get to see it again after the uke is fully built. The internal braces, under the soundboard and visible on the the inside back of the uke, help to stiffen the top and back plate. The top and back plates on a quality ukulele are generally pretty thin and would collapse under the tension of the strings if not for the reinforcement of the bracing. Kepasa Ukuleles have a brace just above and below the soundhole, and a bridgeplate. Larger body ukuleles like the Gypsy Rose concert, and all of the tenors, employ additional support braces for the soundboard. I alternate between using three fan braces or one ladder brace, depending on other building factors of the specific ukulele. Kepasa ukes have either two or three braces on the back, depending on the size of the ukulele.
Bridge- My bridge shapes vary from model to model. Most of my soprano and concert ukuleles have a bridge that is rectangular with the bottom ends tapering inward. The wood type will match the fingerboard, usually ebony or rosewood. Tenor ukes may also have the same bridge, or they may have a bridge shaped like the Gypsy Rose tenor ukulele. I'm also partial to the bridge shape of the vintage Lyon & Healy ukulele, and have used that on tenor and baritone ukuleles, although it could go on any size or any model.
Bridgeplate- The bridgeplate is another component that you should never need to see, at least not without a mirror inside the ukulele. The purpose of the bridgeplate is to reinforce the area of the soundboard that the bridge is glued onto. Materials used for the bridgeplate can be rosewood, mahogany or maple. I select the bridgeplate material based on the stiffness and thickness of the soundboard.
String Attachment - I use a "string-through" style of bridge. The string end is inserted through its hole in the bridge, easily fished through the body and out the soundhole, at which point you tie 2-3 knots in the bridge end of the string, and pull it back up so that the string knot nestles inside the body just underneath the bridge. It's a very clean look, and I feel that it triggers the soundboard more efficiently, by pulling upwards on the soundboard instead of just pulling on the bridge.
Strings - There is a good selection of great ukulele strings out there today. I'm happy to install and setup your ukulele with any brand that you prefer. I personally prefer flourocarbon strings on most of my ukuleles, although I will sometimes use a nylgut type of string on sopranos. I also like nylgut strings on the Kepasa Grande Baritone, as they feel much like classical guitar strings.
Pickups- When I install a pickup in a ukulele, it's usually a K+K Aloha Twin or the L.R. Baggs Five-O.
Bling- I'm not much into excessive ornamentation on ukuleles. I can outsource inlay artwork for your needs.
Tone- It's all about the tone! I work with wood types and body styles to produce the best voice possible for each ukulele that I build. The combination of wood types, plate thicknessing, bridgeplate, bracing type, and body size is a little different with each instrument. The process is quite similar from uke to uke but the exact recipe varies slightly with each build.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups- As you can see, Kepasa Ukuleles all start with one of my standard models as outlined on this site and can be personalized to your own choice of woods and details. I have had a number of requests over the years that I've passed on, due to requests of combining features that I don't feel go together well. This may include combinations of woods, body size and neck scale length, headstock shape, bridge shape, soundhole style etc. My feeling is that just because certain things are great individually, they may not be great together. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups... those were a great idea.
My inventory of ukulele wood for back and sides generally includes sapele (also known as African mahogany), Honduras mahogany, various maples including New England red curly maple, caramelized maple, koa in various grades, zebrawood, pao ferro and East Indian rosewood.
In-stock soundboard woods generally include Sitka spruce, Englemann spruce, Adirondack red spruce, cedar, redwood and in the case of an all-koa or all-mahogany ukulele, of course, matching koa or mahogany.
Let's examine Kepasa Ukuleles head to toe, or head to tail as it is with the ukulele. We'll be talking about the inside of the ukulele, too. This discussion exposes my preferences, opinions and building style regarding the details and components that are typical of most ukuleles.
Headstock- The shape of Kepasa headstocks vary between models, and sometimes the same model is built with a choice of headstock styles. I'm quite fond of the headstock shapes of the old Harmony ukuleles. My standard headstocks are built to 1/2" in thickness, with the exception of slotted headstocks, such as my gypsy ukuleles have, which are close to 3/4" in thickness. I build a scarfed headstock, along with a stacked heel.
Headplate- The headplate is a thin sheet of solid wood glued to the face of the headstock. Headplates may be up to 2mm thick and are sometimes matched to the same wood as the back and sides of the ukulele. Ebony also makes a nice headplate, which often matches the fingerboard. In addition to being cosmetically appealing, headplates lend extra strength to the headstock. I occasionally install backplates as well. Backplates are rare but lend an extra touch of decor to an otherwise ignored part of the instrument.
Tuners- My current preference in a quality ukulele tuning machine is the Gotoh UPT planetary tuner. They are a straight and geared tuner of low mass and low weight. Grover also makes a variety of very nice geared right-angle tuners sized for the ukulele, in all chrome, or gold with black buttons. Slotted headstocks always receive a right-angle geared tuner set. On a slotted headstock, these tuners point to the back instead of to the side. I also offer Pegheds®, which are a 4:1 ratio geared tuner which resembles a violin peg, great for retaining a vintage look. Most earlier Kepasa Ukuleles (2004-2009) were fitted with Grover Sta-Tite friction tuners. They are a decent quality friction peg and are available with black plastic buttons (Grover 4B) or white plastic buttons (Grover 4W). As the ukulele market has grown, more and better tuner options have become available and I no longer use friction tuners.
Nut- I prefer Tusq™, a manmade ivory substitute, manufactured by Graph-Tech in Canada. Tusq looks and acts like bone and has a very clear, bell-like tone when you drop a piece on a hard surface. I've also used black buffalo horn, which can be polished to a very shiny surface or left with a flat black sheen. Ebony also makes a great nut, as well as bone.
Neck- Kepasa Ukulele necks are usually built of Spanish cedar. Martin used Spanish cedar for the neck on their early ukes, and it's also used as a neck wood for many high-end classical guitars. Spanish cedar is lighter weight than mahogany, another popular neck wood. I also use mahogany, koa, and maple for neck woods upon request. Most of my necks are a single length of wood, and I can also build necks that are layered with alternating strips of dark and light colored woods. Necks can be three or five piece necks of mahogany and maple joined. The neck thickness on most of my ukuleles is an average of 5/8" thick from the first fret to the seventh fret, including the fretboard, and then sloping into the heel. The actual neck thickness is somewhat affected by the nut width chosen. The nut width on Kepasa tenors can be 1 3/8" or 1 7/16". Concert ukuleles generally have a 1 7/16" nut width. Kepasa soprano ukuleles can have a nut width of 1 7/16", 1 3/8", or even less on certain models. I can also build a neck to your specifications, usually without any change in cost.
Volute- To volute or not to volute? Some stringed instrument builders shape a diamond or bullet or "V" at the transition between the neck and the bottom of the headstock, right where the thumb sits. I don't.
Carbon Fiber Rod- In 2010, I began installing carbon fiber rods in all of my ukulele sizes. The rods are non-adjustable, but make the neck stiffer. I previously installed carbon fiber reinforcement only in tenor ukuleles, but now the shorter neck scales get it as well. Stiffening the shorter necks is relatively unnecessary, but as we say, "It can't hurt".
Fingerboard- Most Kepasa Ukuleles have either ebony or rosewood fingerboards. I've also used cocobolo, koa, maple, pau ferro and other woods. Pearl dot position markers at frets 5, 7, 10, 12 and 15 are pretty standard, as well as side dots. The fingerboard can be flat like most ukuleles or can receive a radius of either 20", 16" or 12".
Frets- I use two sizes of fretwire; a narrow vintage style fretwire for soprano and concert, or a medium small fretwire for some concerts, tenors or baritones. Narrow fretwire is more popular on most ukuleles.
Inlay- I'm not a big fan of inlay, above and beyond the standard round MOP (mother of pearl) dots as position markers on the fingerboard. That's usually enough shiny stuff for me. But I'm happy to outsource your custom inlay needs for a fair upcharge.
Side Markers- All Kepasa Ukuleles have side markers positioned at the same frets as the fretboard inlay markers, usually at the 5th fret, 7th fret, 10th, 12th and 15th fret. Some players request no markers on the face of the fingerboard, just side markers on the edge. I'd be willing to skip them if you asked, but I can't guarantee you'll play the right notes.
Heel- The heel, which is the part of the neck that joins with the body, is a good example of form and function. The heel has an important job in helping to hold the neck onto the body at the right angle and with the right amount of mass. The heel can also be a beautiful part of the ukulele. I usually style my ukes with a triangular shaped heel that resembles the old Harmony and Regal ukuleles. Kepasa gypsy ukuleles have a heel that is square in shape, styled after the Selmer-Maccaferri gypsy guitars.
Bolt-on Neck- There are several effective ways to attach a ukulele neck to the body. I prefer a single bolt system that includes a threaded brass insert that is installed into the heel of the neck. A hole is drilled into the heel area of the body to accommodate a ¼" diamter hex bolt. The bolt is inserted through the soundhole and tightened into the insert mounted in the heel. The bolt is not used for adjusting the neck. Do not loosen or tighten this bolt. Baritone ukuleles are built with two neck bolts.
Body- The body consists of the soundboard, back and sides. Different wood types will offer different sounds, as discussed more thoroughly under "Soundboard".
Sides- Sometimes referred to as rims. The wood type of the sides matches the wood type of the ukulele back.
Back- Usually the same wood type as the sides, as above.
Soundboard- Up to 90-95% of the sound quality comes from the soundboard. Different woods have different tonal properties. Spruce tends to be quite full-toned, with clear highs. Mahogany has a warm tone with slightly more midrange. Cedar generally has slightly less volume but has a great tone and is well balanced from highs to lows. (Most classical guitars have cedar tops). Many alternative soundboard woods can be used with great satisfaction. Koa, redwood, maple, Douglas fir and others are good choices. I can also influence the sound during the build by using different soundboard thicknesses and different bracing patterns.
Soundhole- The soundhole is usually round, except on the gypsy ukulele and the KeVita uke, which both have a D-shaped soundhole. The thinline hollowbody Comet can have double pukas, multi-soundhole epaulets, or the D-shape soundhole. The Ukebox usually receives multi-soundhole epaulets.
Binding- I use both wood and plastic binding. Wood binding can be maple, rosewood, cocobolo or other, while plastic can be tortoise-shell, black, white, creme, ivoroid, and others. Combinations of colors and even combinations of wood and plastic binding can achieve an almost limitless choice of single color or layered looks. I generally bind the top and back of the ukulele unless you ask me to bind only the top. The headstock and/or fingerboard can also be bound on request.
Soundhole Trim- Instead of a soundhole rosette, I like to use a ring of binding inside the soundhole that matches or contrasts the body binding. This style is borrowed from the old Regal and Harmony ukuleles, and I think it makes ukuleles look much less guitar-like.
Tailpiece Trim- This type of trim is not present on all ukuleles. It can be requested on any uke and or left off any uke. The material used for the tailpiece trim usually matches the binding, but often may be a complimentary color or material.
Bracing- The bracing is one of the most beautiful parts of the ukulele, yet we rarely get to see it again after the uke is fully built. The internal braces, under the soundboard and visible on the the inside back of the uke, help to stiffen the top and back plate. The top and back plates on a quality ukulele are generally pretty thin and would collapse under the tension of the strings if not for the reinforcement of the bracing. Kepasa Ukuleles have a brace just above and below the soundhole, and a bridgeplate. Larger body ukuleles like the Gypsy Rose concert, and all of the tenors, employ additional support braces for the soundboard. I alternate between using three fan braces or one ladder brace, depending on other building factors of the specific ukulele. Kepasa ukes have either two or three braces on the back, depending on the size of the ukulele.
Bridge- My bridge shapes vary from model to model. Most of my soprano and concert ukuleles have a bridge that is rectangular with the bottom ends tapering inward. The wood type will match the fingerboard, usually ebony or rosewood. Tenor ukes may also have the same bridge, or they may have a bridge shaped like the Gypsy Rose tenor ukulele. I'm also partial to the bridge shape of the vintage Lyon & Healy ukulele, and have used that on tenor and baritone ukuleles, although it could go on any size or any model.
Bridgeplate- The bridgeplate is another component that you should never need to see, at least not without a mirror inside the ukulele. The purpose of the bridgeplate is to reinforce the area of the soundboard that the bridge is glued onto. Materials used for the bridgeplate can be rosewood, mahogany or maple. I select the bridgeplate material based on the stiffness and thickness of the soundboard.
String Attachment - I use a "string-through" style of bridge. The string end is inserted through its hole in the bridge, easily fished through the body and out the soundhole, at which point you tie 2-3 knots in the bridge end of the string, and pull it back up so that the string knot nestles inside the body just underneath the bridge. It's a very clean look, and I feel that it triggers the soundboard more efficiently, by pulling upwards on the soundboard instead of just pulling on the bridge.
Strings - There is a good selection of great ukulele strings out there today. I'm happy to install and setup your ukulele with any brand that you prefer. I personally prefer flourocarbon strings on most of my ukuleles, although I will sometimes use a nylgut type of string on sopranos. I also like nylgut strings on the Kepasa Grande Baritone, as they feel much like classical guitar strings.
Pickups- When I install a pickup in a ukulele, it's usually a K+K Aloha Twin or the L.R. Baggs Five-O.
Bling- I'm not much into excessive ornamentation on ukuleles. I can outsource inlay artwork for your needs.
Tone- It's all about the tone! I work with wood types and body styles to produce the best voice possible for each ukulele that I build. The combination of wood types, plate thicknessing, bridgeplate, bracing type, and body size is a little different with each instrument. The process is quite similar from uke to uke but the exact recipe varies slightly with each build.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups- As you can see, Kepasa Ukuleles all start with one of my standard models as outlined on this site and can be personalized to your own choice of woods and details. I have had a number of requests over the years that I've passed on, due to requests of combining features that I don't feel go together well. This may include combinations of woods, body size and neck scale length, headstock shape, bridge shape, soundhole style etc. My feeling is that just because certain things are great individually, they may not be great together. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups... those were a great idea.