23 - Ukulele Builders, Luthiers and Manufactures: M

Mario Maccaferri (1900-1993) and his custom molding company Mastro Plastics Corporation, founded by Maccaferr i in association with his French American Reeds Manufacturing Company, introduced the first Maccaferri plastic guitar, made of Dow Styron (polystyrene) in 1953. Production continued until 1964.

Providing expert services in guitar repair and vintage restoration on brands including: Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Fender, Guild, Collings, Santa Cruz, Gretsch, Larrivee, Dobro, National, Ovation, Tacoma, and many others.

The "Magic Fluke Co." was started by Dale and Phyllis Webb in 1999 in the basement of our home in New Hartford Connecticut. Dale was inspired and encouraged by Phyllis’s brother Jim Beloff, an accomplished musician and guitarist who discovered the uke a few years earlier.

We select materials. We carry strict inspection at every procedure of production by our own people. We listen to every quality comment from any of our customers and try our best to make improvements. We are proud to say that Even the Cheapest Ukulele Gets Every Care and Passion Needed for Serious Instruments.

We are a home grown family business dedicated to providing quality performance ukuleles at a great price. Our small company started because we love the ukulele and always enjoy meeting others who feel the same way. If you choose to buy from us, you will be buying from people who play ukulele for fun on a daily basis We take time setting up each uke to make sure you will be satisfied with your purchase.

When I was a boy, if I wasn’t playing baseball or hanging out with my friends I was usually in my uncle’s guitar shop. I used to pick up leftover tonewood pieces from garbage bins and make something out of them. My uncle owns a world-renowned guitar building company in Gifu, Japan. My father was the chief guitar builder there until 2002. He built exclusive custom-made guitars for musicians around the world for forty-two years. He often worked on weekends, so I used to accompany him to his workshop. I still remember looking up at all the acoustic guitars - which were taller than myself - and also trying my hand at Japanese saws and hammers.

A “small shop” instrument builder and currently building acoustic and electric mandolin family instruments, electric ukuleles and other random custom instruments. A while back a customer emailed me and wanted to talk to me about building an electric steel string Uke…this worked out quite well since the electric mandolins I build are very similar in size, scale to the Ukulele.

Martin's steadfast adherence to high standards of musical excellence, mixed with experienced management, has largely accounted for the company's remarkable longevity. Marketing methods and product mix have changed at Martin over the years, but the company attitude towards guitar building has never varied. In the preface to the 1904 catalog, Frank Henry Martin explained to potential customers, “How to build a guitar to give this tone is not a secret. It takes care and patience. Care in selecting the materials, laying out the proportions, and attending to the details which add to the player's comfort. Patience in giving the necessary time to finish every part. A good guitar cannot be built for the price of a poor one, but who regrets the extra cost for a good guitar?” Almost eighty years have passed since Frank Henry Martin authored this statement of policy, but it still is an accurate expression of Martin's ongoing commitment to quality.

Kevin Mason began making guitars after having played guitars, lutes, and other stringed instruments professionally for over 20 years.

Since 2002 he has made a variety of instruments including resonator, classical, and jazz guitars and ukuleles, but he focuses on making the kind of guitars he likes to play the most–flat-top acoustic styles suitable for finger-style playing and for flat picking.

Because he was a player first, Kevin is sensitive to the playability and tone of the instruments he makes and does not settle for anything less than the best musical instrument possible.

The "Maton" name is a derivative of the words "May" and "Tone". Until the mid 1930s an Australian guitar manufacturing industry was virtually nonexistent. Good quality guitars were hard to find and at this time the best guitars came from the U.S.A. Bill May, a Melbourne-born jazz musician, woodwork teacher and luthier decided to change all that.

Maui Music ukuleles are hand crafted from the finest Hawaiian Koa woods. The craftsmanship, and attention to detail, make these instruments look and sound exceptional. Each Maui Music ukulele is personally made by luthier Peter Lieberman, who has been crafting fine ukuleles for over 25 years.

John Mayes started his lutherie career in 1996 when he built his first instrument, a walnut/cedar parlor guitar. In 2000 he accepted a position, working under the guidance of luthier Dana Bourgeois at Pantheon Guitars in Lewiston, Maine. While in Maine, John had a hand in building hundreds of guitars, refining his skills along the way. Some time later, John moved back to his home state of Oklahoma to start his own lutherie, Mayes Guitars.

Killer-Instruments, or for short Ki, is the name for my very special line of steel string ukuleles. These ukuleles are extraordinary in every aspect, their sound is unique, their looks are outstanding and their playability is on a professional level. Plus they really rock.

Again a luthier, builder that most likely lives in the USA and their web site does not even have the city they operate out of. If anyone knows the location of this luthier let me know and the luthier know that at a minimum the city and state a good idea.

"Mele Ukulele" builds and sells fine ENTIRELY HAND MADE ukuleles and guitars at incredibly low prices. Our ukuleles feature great tone and playability, top quality Hawaiian koa and other fine SOLID tonewoods, and detailed inlay work. For nearly 20 years, Mele Ukulele continues to offer what can be considered among the best value in instruments today

The Hawaiian word "Moku" means Island, which was the original inspiration for these beautiful Ukuleles. There is just something so simple and beautiful about the Ukulele - just like the Polynesian Islands they originated from. Play one yourself and bring your self back to the Islands.

Custom made koa ukuleles built on the Big Island of Hawaii by Chuck Moore

MP Ukuleles are handcrafted instruments built on the California Central Coast by Mike Pereira.

Chinese musical instrument production and trading company.

My journey in ukulele building started with classes from a local Kona luthier, the late, much respected, Andy Berard. The original class was to build only a single ukulele for myself, but I found I enjoyed building them so much I kept going and soon needed to start selling them or buy a bigger house. Over the years I have evolved my own techniques but the emphasis on quality and willingness to experiment is directly descended from Andy’s philosophy of building.

Unusual and hard to find stringed musical instruments from all over the world All hand made in Sicily

2018 Update: Cary Kelly, is the new owner & builder of Mya-Moe Ukuleles.

We are tradition and modernity, art and experience. We are exotic woods, the smell of sawdust and varnishes. We live with passion the development of our guitars, where generation after generation we have managed to perfect a century-old manufacturing technique.