D.S.Gill « Ukeeku – A place to reflect on ukuleles and ukulele reviews

David Gill Concert Cedar Fluke Full Review

May 22, 2011 at 9:08 pm | Posted in Concert, D.S.Gill, Reviews | 5 Comments
Tags: fluke, Full review, review, Solid, uke, ukulele

In full disclosure I must tell you that I have been to David’s house/workshop a few times and consider him a friend, but when I purchased my Concert Pineapple he did not give me any kind of deal or discount. I paid the normal $350 (that was what he charged at the time, I think he might of raised his prices a little, like $10-$20 since then) and I may in the future ask him to build me a fluke tenor, but I will pay the normal price like everyone else, so on with the review!!

I think around Christmas David sent me a picture of this uke and asked me to review it and tell him what I thought. I was like “Hells yeah!!” I love my pineapple and figured that this would also be just as nice if not better. When I got it, my mind socks were completely blown off. Partly because of the smell when I opened the box. It smelled like cedar, not just a little bit either, with a hint of smoke (Yes, David gill smokes around the ukes, so they smell like smoke for a little bit if you get them from him directly, just so you know) The smoke smell went away in a week but the cedar is here to stay. When I show it to people I say “Smell my hole!!” most think I am crazy, but once they do it they light up and say “That is so awesome”.

NOTE: this uke is sold. After the Mighty MO, one of the people contacted David and bought it. I will send it out Monday morning. I hope it likes Kansas City Missouri.

Specs:
Concert : 18 Fret
Tuners: Open Geared
Nut & saddle: Bone
Top: Solid Aromatic Cedar
Sides: Solid Aromatic Cedar
Back: Solid Aromatic Cedar
Neck: Mahogany and Walnut with a Rosewood fretboard
String Attachment: Knot in a slit
Finish: Matte
Case: None
Full Specs:
He has No Webpage

Looks

First look: (5) When David sent me the picture of this, it had a mahogany version in it too, I was blown away. I thought the cedar one was the prettier of the two by far. When I got it I was just in awe of how it is just striking to look at. It is so different with the white lines of the cedar in the middle and the other two little lines. The back is equally as nice, he even left the little knots in. Most people would never use that part, but he did and it makes it so much cooler. I love the way he book matched the top, back, and headstock veneer. Also if you look the fretboard it is also really nice with its super tight grain and diamond shaped fret markers. I think the fact he leaves all his ukes plain, with minimal decoration is really his signature style, but never seem boring.

Cloudy finish with some scratches

Fit and Finish: (4) Yes, I love this uke, but it is not perfect. I see two issues with it. The first is the finish is a little spotty in parts. Near the fretboard on the body it is kind of dull and easily scratched and dented. I play all the review ukes like I own them, and sometimes that is a little hard, and my Concert Pineapple has the same issue, the finish is a little too thin and scratches easily. The other issue is that the top is not perfectly flat. I think the minimal H-bracing lets the bridge come up a little, making the top not perfectly flat. By no means will this effect anything with sound, intonation, or the setup. He sets up his ukes so low it is unbelievable, and there are no buzzes or issues. I have had my pineapple for years now and it has the same issue but has stayed super stable.

Cloudy Finish

Beyond that this is how an engineer would build a ukulele, because that was what David was before he retired. Everything has a purpose and is all centered around playability and sound. Notice how the perfiling is backwards, that is so the top can vibrate more. The bracing is the way it is and is not attached to the side so it can vibrate freely. Also the neck is attached with a dovetail joint to make it super strong and it also adds to the sound and feel of the instrument. The most amazing thing is the neck. Notice the dark walnut stripe? that is not for looks, it is sandwiched in the middle with the grain going the opposite direction of the mahogany to add a ton of strength to the neck without having a truss rod. The sum of these things, and many others I did not mention, make this one hell of a uke.

NOTE: Most, if not all of David’s ukes fit in regular cases. I have a Fremont Concert case for my concert pineapple and the cedar fluke fits perfectly.

Sound:

Sound Type: Mellow with a punch. Sounds weird but this is a mellow sound, and I figure through time it will change a little.

Intonation: (5) This is where he shines. I have never played a $350 uke that is as perfectly on as all of his ukes are. it can actually be annoying. If it is not in tune, you know it. When I play this one I kept the tuner on as I played. Every chord and note was spot on. When I play a G, both in the normal way and the barred at the 2nd fret, the tuner says G with the needle dead center.

Volume: (5) Loud and it projects. with the giant sound board it just sings. I had no issues hearing my uke when I played with others at the Mighty MO uke fest, so when I screwed up it could be heard J.

Sustain: (5) Long and nice.

Feel:

String Height: (Low) Do I dare say too low? This is so low that it is like butter to play, and that is one of the many reasons I love mine and this one is no exception.

Neck Radius Depth: (5/8″) Basic C shaped neck but skinnier than “Normal” ukes,

Frets: (5) Not a bound fret board, but you will never feel a fret on the side. Also the frets are not super low, making every note super crisp.

Tuning: (5) I always wish for peg tuners, and if you ask David he can do that, if he has not already put the geared ones on. The open geared tuners that he uses are super light and do not make the uke head heavy at all.

Comfort: (5) When people pick up this uke they are amazed how light it is. it looks like a tank. The nice rounded edges and the shape of this makes it super easy to hold an play without a strap. The neck attached at the 15th fret gives you tons of room to play all the way down the neck.

Sound Hole Smell: Cedar Chest. Its aromatic cedar, what did you expect?.

Final Thoughts

I thought long and hard about buying this uke myself. I am glad someone bought it. I want a tenor version anyways, at least that is what I tell myself when I cry myself to sleep at night thinking about it leaving me soon. In reality, David makes awesome ukes and I think he is part of a small group of garage builders who have great ukes, that they make, well…in their garage in their spare time, or as a way to stay busy. Usually they are inexpensive and super well made. Basically they cover their costs of tools and wood, and a little more to buy more tools and wood to keep going and growing as ukulele builders. I have found a few other garage builders, Brad Donaldson is one I just started talking with, and he is sending me one of his this week. I think that some feel it is a risk to buy a uke from these types of builders, but really you get so much more for your money and they usually will go way beyond what other higher priced people would do. This is fun for them, not all about business and making a living. Please do not think I am knocking people like Chuck of Moore Bettah, or Jerry Boat Paddle, it is their profession and they make ukes that are works of art and you know you are getting the best uke. All I am saying is that some of these guys that may put out 50 ukes a year tops are worth a try. I recommend David to anyone who is looking for a great uke below $400. He does not do massive inlays or use AAAAAA woods, but it is amazing how they sound for the price.

All Rating on a scale of 1-5
Click here for an explanation of reviews

First Look	5
Fit and Finish	4
Sound Type	Mellow and Punchy
Intonation	5
Volume	5
Sustain	5
String Height	Low
Neck Radius Depth	5/8″
Frets	5
Tuning	5
Comfort	5
Sound Hole Smell	Cedar Chest

Places to buy on the web:

Weed Patch Music in Nashville, IN usually has them on hand

Contact David Gill to see what he has or to ask if he will make a specific one
Gill-David@sbcglobal.net

HD Audio Sample:

Gallery:

: Cloudy finish with some scratches

: Cloudy Finish

: Backward Lining

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David S. Gill Ukuleles

July 19, 2010 at 8:05 pm | Posted in Brands, Concert, D.S.Gill | 4 Comments
Tags: cheap, Concert, D.S.Gill, Divid Gill, fest, festival, Gill, Pineapple, Play, posts, Solid, Spalted, uke, ukulele

Accounting System

Every so often you find something that seems too good to be true. You may find $20 on the ground or you get something for half off and you feel lucky. When I found D.S.Gill ukes at Weed Patch Music in Nashville, IN I could not believe that there was a guy making ukuleles in his garage out of solid wood for only $350, and they sound awesome.

Please don’t get me wrong, they are not made of super high grade lumber that is purchased from a high end luthier woodshop, but they still look, sound, and play like most any high end ukulele that you will find. At $350 I am hard pressed to find anything in the $1200 range that has the quality and sound that his ukes have. I will get into more about the wood, but first a little about David S. Gill.

David holding my baby

I first met David during the Ukulele World Congress (UWC). It was kind of by chance that I was able to meet him. The Saturday morning of the UWC is left open so people can explore Nashville and buy ukes from Mike at Mainland. I decided to go into town to eat breakfast and to find Weed Patch Music; I was told that there were these great ukuleles that they had that are made in Columbus Indiana. So after some searching I found the place and was absolutely amazed. I played a soprano and then picked up a mahogany concert pineapple; I said to myself “this would be great if it had a spruce top”. Also at the time I did not have $350 to spend on a new ukulele (that and my wife would kill me, 15 ukes is her limit). I went back to UWC and ran into a few friends that also played a few of the Gill ukes and told them that I love the concert pineapple but would love it with a spruce top. By chance one of my friends had called David Gill to see if he made tenors (He does not……Yet) and said I should call and ask, so I did, and he did have a concert pineapple with a spruce top at his shop. Now I did not have $350 to buy it and I figured that he would not have one, but I had to at least see it. I asked if my two friends and I could come and see it and also his shop, he said “Yes, I love when people come by and talk uke” and away we went on our 45 minute drive. We get there and we see a sign that says Handmade Ukuleles and an electric car out front.

"router"

We had heard that David is very unique. When we got there we did not know what to expect. We heard that he had not purchased gas in several years and he drove a golf cart everywhere, and both are true. David has not purchased gas in 3 years. He has geothermal heating and cooling and his “car” runs on electric, and this works for him just fine. He does not need to go very far for anything. Mostly people come to visit him, like us. David is a retired injection engineer which makes sense why his ukuleles are so spot on in every way. Every piece is precisely measured and he has jigs for every part to make sure that it is made just right, down to the micro-meter. His 2 car garage is filled wood working equipment, jigs, and wood. One of the tools he uses to make the dovetail joint for the necks and cut the body pieces is this weird looking router thing that he used to own the patent on that he invented in the 80’s. How it works is still a mystery to me, I could have asked but figured that I had too many other things I wanted to ask.

Davids Car

One thing that many do not know about Gill ukes is that they use to be sold by Bushman under the name of Bluebird and a few other models. They were new wood ukes unlike the ones he makes currently. I actually played a bluebird and loved it, but I could not afford a $400 ukulele at the time and had to pass. But it was very nice. In the end John Hall did not want to sell them anymore and stopped.

Lineup

My Spruce Top Concert Pineapple

That brings me to my ukulele. Yes I did buy it; it just was another trip a few weeks later. But we went to his basement that he has the ukuleles that he has finished. I picked up the spruce top concert pineapple (They are rareish, you can find them from a few makes like Mele and Oscar Schmidt, but you will not see many concert pineapples) It was love at first play. It is light as a feather even though it has geared tuners and it sings. Basically I love it. I am hard pressed to find anything wrong with it. What you will notice is that it is not super decorated with nice purfling or binding; this is because David feels that it weakens the joint. He also does a few other things that most builders do not do. The lining is put in backwards to add stability and he also has thinned out the bracing so that it will vibrate more with the top. Also he makes a 3 piece neck. Not in the way that most do, but it is one continues neck out of one piece but he cuts it in half and puts a strip of walnut between to reinforce the neck. He builds like an engineer and less like an artist like Geoff Davis of Hoosier ukes and the Bluestone Folk School (BSFS). Geoff will make a Ukulele and fine tune as he goes, always adjusting and trying to work with the wood. David knows every aspect of what the size will be and how each part fits and can guarantee it is made exactly to spec.

As I mentioned earlier, the wood that David uses for his ukuleles is a little bit different than most ukulele builders. For the most part David does not buy wood for his ukes, it is all recycled or reclaimed in one way or another. The mahogany that my uke was made with comes from old patterns. (A pattern is a large piece of

Aromatic Cedar Uke

wood that is carved to make molds for casting things. Mahogany was popular since it is so stable) the spruce is from some furniture, I think, and the walnut stripe in the neck if from another pattern. Some of the other woods I saw were the aromatic cedar (That uke smells awesome) that he gets from a place that makes veneers and he gets the pieces that cannot be sawn any thinner due to limitations of the machine, and they come about 1/8 of an inch thick, so perfect start for any instrument. Another place he gets wood is from is friends who happen to find really neat pieces like the spalted maple that he is looking at making into the sides and back of a pineapple.

One of the funny things about David is that there are no models per say. Yes he makes sopranos, concerts, and concert pineapples but the woods that he uses are on a whim. He loves to experiment with woods, like the spalted maple, to see how it will sound. Good or bad that is how it is. For the most part you will find he works in African mahogany and is currently on an aromatic cedar kick.

Spated Maple

In the end if you are looking for an awesome one of a kind ukulele that is made in the USA, then this is the one I would recommend. Visit Weed Patch in Nashville, IN ASAP to experience a true gem for very little money.
HD Sound Sample: