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#1
08-01-2010, 03:15 PM
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Covey Tenor Ukulele (lefty)
I have been remiss in writing a review of my new Tenor ukulele built by Nehemiah Covey, so here it is. Nehemiah and I started discussing this ukulele build some time ago, my commission of this build stemming from my frustration with my hand built ukulele that does not play in tune. My luthier has made 2 different saddles for it, and got it as close as he can (this is a bridge location issue, mainly). So, after many phone conversations and emails, it was clear to me that Nehemiah understands how vital precision is as far as fret/bridge placement on a 17 inch scale instrument.
The particulars (I know, I know...get to the geek part) 1. Body is Goncola Alves, a tree that grows in Brazil. It is also known as Tigerwood or Zebrawood, for obvious reasons. 2. Neck is Spanish Cedar with curly maple center stripe. The kurfing is also Spanish Cedar. The aroma that springs from the case when you open it is worth the price of admission! 3. Fingerboard and bridge are ebony. Note the cool curly maple inlay on the bridge that lines up with the saddle. NO dots on the fingerboard. 4. Body/fingerboard binding and Rosette are curly Maple. Body purfling is faux tortoise. Neck heel cap is also curly maple with tortoise purfling. End block inlay is curly maple. 5. Peghead overlay is satin finished ebony with the "uke guy" who is made of maple, inlayed. Please note that Nehemiah made him left handed. Since the ukulele has come to it's permanent home in Charlotte, "uke guy" has been christened "Bob Uker". 6. Tuners are Gotoh UK700. These are gold, open gear tuners with ivoroid buttons, they are pricy but 100% superior to any ukulele tuners I have tried. 7. Pickup is a K&K Big Shot internal. 8. Finish is Tru-Oil varnish. Tonally, the ukulele is quite good. It's first few days here, it was very bright, as it has gotten used to being under tension, it has warmed considerably, and is, in 2 short weeks, getting close to the richness of my 6 year old Kanilea Super Concert (all koa). Volume wise, it is quite loud and very crisp. It is very balanced string to string, which is hard to pull off when you are using low G tuning (low to high GCEA). That wound low G often sticks out like a sore thumb but not on this ukulele. I used it last Wednesday at a 3 hour gig and it was so nice to play an ukulele that was in TUNE. In closing, I would strongly recommend Nehemiah for those of you looking to take the ukulele plunge. His service was impeccable, the built quality is great (as the photos show), and his pricing is incredibly reasonable. It bogles the mind that you can buy a hand built ukulele for what many higher end far-east factory ukuleles cost. Nothing against the Pono/Kala/etcs of the world but.... Jimmy     
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Avian Skylark Pono 0000-30 Gardiner Parlor Kremona Kiano Ramsay Hauser Cordoba C10 Chris Walsh Archtop Gardiner Concert Taylor Leo Kottke Gretsch 6120 Pavan TP30 Aria A19c Hsienmo MJ Ukuleles: Cocobolo 5 string Tenor Kanilea K3 Koa Kanilea K1 Walnut Tenor Kala Super Tenor Rebel Super Concert Nehemiah Covey Tenor Mainland Mahogany Tenor Mainland Cedar/Rosewood Tenor Last edited by jimmy bookout; 08-01-2010 at 03:30 PM. 
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#2
08-01-2010, 04:26 PM
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Congrats Jimmy! That is a beautiful looking Uke! (It seems all of Nehemiah's work is) I'm glad to hear your impressions of the Uke. If you didn't know, I am very impressed with the intonation (not to mention the tone) on my Covey GC guitar. It is impeccable.
I for one, would like to see more pics!
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Guitars; Esteban -"Tribute to Paula Abdul L.E." Arturo Fuente- Cigar Box"Hand Made" First Act-"Diamond Bling" Main Street- "Flaming Acoustic" Silvertone-"Paul Stanley Dark Star" Daisy Rock- "Purple Daze"
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#4
08-03-2010, 11:54 AM
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Ditto
I am very fortunate to be in the possession of not one but two Covey ukuleles and my opinion of them mirrors Jimmy's spot on comments. You don't really own a Covey ukulele, they are like children; you have the opportunity to work with them, raise them and co-play with them but they have an essence of their own. If you take care of them, they will be a companion for life. I'm currently saving my pennies to talk Nehimiah into building another one; they are that good. He's a great guy and I can't say enough good things about him.
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#5
08-04-2010, 07:49 AM
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Nehemiah follows his own muse, design-wise. Sometimes I really like the result and sometimes it's not quite to my own taste (and no insult intended, taste is taste). I've got to say your uke is one that totally works for my taste.
I think ukuleles can easily get overly busy, especially when built with such spectacular wood. For instance, most of the Pono/Kala/etc. ukes I've seen are either so simple as to look plain or so overdone as to look tacky. But everything on this Covey totally complements the wood and the sum is more than the parts. I suspect that's not easy to do on something as small as a uke!
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Grabbed his jacket Put on his walking shoes Last seen, six feet under Singing the I've Wasted My Whole Life Blues ---Warren Malone "Whole Life Blues"
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#6
08-06-2010, 01:21 PM
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Quote:
I admit I spent the early years and builds trying to map out bracing and wood thickness according to books, photos, and literature I read, but here in the past two to three years I threw it all out and listened to my work. This was a milestone for me, in that I have found my own method of voicing and tonal emphasis in my fabrication. As for Ukes, and the commonly accepted rule that ukuleles just don't play in tune, ...well, I think they can. They are a little more difficult to intonate over a guitars larger scale and fret spacing, but taking your time and fine tuning each part will produce a properly intonated ukulele, same as a guitar,... the tolerances for error are less, but the reward for getting them really close is what I shoot for.. I have settled down a bit in my aesthetics too, staying more main stream, traditional I suppose..thanks for noticing. -N.C.
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