13 - Ukulele Builders, Luthiers and Manufactures: R

Rat Ukes are constructed to make the best use of old, distinctive, sometimes broken, ukuleles. Wooden cigar boxes are employed to become uke bodies as they are generally well constructed of fine solid woods.

Mark Roberts has maintained a lifelong passion about creativity and understanding the nature, patterns, and systems of the world around us. An extensive background in all disciplines of fine art, furniture design, and product design have uniquely crafted his approach to design and craft fine instruments.

Red Sands Ukuleles are hand made by Heidi Litke. Always by her side is shop production manager and loving husband Rob Litke. On the island of Prince Edward Canada, we hand pick island woods to make these beautiful instruments of Soprano, Concert and Tenor sizes. Woods include maple, birch and spruce. We finish our Red Sands Ukuleles with a non toxic, hand rubbed “French Polish” finish. We will display ukuleles as they become available on our “Gallery” page. We will also have a sound clip for you to listen too. So come and join us on this wonderful adventure of ukulele playing!

Rick Turner started out as a music-lover and amateur East Coast musician, a self-described “espresso drinking, beret wearing, poetry reading, bongo playing” pre-hippie. He decided that the band wasn’t going anywhere and moved out west, where he started work building electric guitars. Six months after the move, Rolling Stone printed a rave review on his now-defunct band. Rick, however, was already on to bigger and better things: winding pickups by hand.

Les Rietfors Age 53, called to God February 17, 2005. A life-long resident of Kailua, he was born there on October 3, 1951. Les passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, after a short illness. A loving and devoted husband and father, he is survived by Cheryl, his wife of 25 years, and daughters Amanda Rietfors and Ashley (Ken) Casazza of Fresno, California. He is also survived by his father Fritz (Lois) Rietfors, jr. of Kamuela and brothers Ron nieces. His mother, Esther Hodde Rietfors, preceded him in death.

RISA Musical Instruments is a young innovative company. They design, produce and distribute small stringed instruments. Niche products with volume potential are our main focus.

Road Toad Music produces quality handcrafted ukulele and bass instruments. Among the ukulele that Owen makes are a line of "bass" ukes. I played a few at the 2006 New York Ukulele Festival and they are amazing. You can't believe the sound that comes from these. Owen also designed the Kala UBass.

I craft my guitars using only the finest materials and use the best of traditional and modern construction techniques. The results are instruments that have extraordinary tone, playability, and artistry for the discriminating guitarist.

The Jazz Uke™ represents the first evolutionary refinement of the ukulele since the Baritone was created. In an attempt to provide serious ukulele players with an instrument which compensates for some of the technical limitations of most standard ukuleles, the Jazz Uke (TM) was designed with a neck that joins the body at the 14th fret, a 17 7/8in scale, cutaway, and arched top.

Russ Morin often finds himself caught between the future and the past. The 49-year-old woodworker has an aversion to power tools, but he is an avid user of YouTube. A handmade wooden high-wheel bicycle, current project, sits to one side of his workshop while a mini replica of a steam engine sits on another.

Pepe Romero Jr. was born into a family that lives the Spanish guitar. From his childhood Pepe loved the guitar. He grew up playing some of the world’s greatest guitars from the incredible collection of his father. Growing up surrounded by guitars made by Torres, Esteso, Santos Hernandez, Hauser, and Miguel Rodriguez set the standard for how a guitar should be made.

The Rebel is a small team of designers and experienced luthiers working collaboratively to create only high quality custom guitars and ukuleles. Started in 2011, with the desire to make only finely handcrafted instruments that express unique designs, well-seasoned materials, outstandingly responsive tones and playing characteristics, we have been handcrafting instruments for not only discerning musicians but also collectors who love one-off masterpiece instruments.

Ryan picked up a ukulele a few years ago and hasn't looked back.Ryan is a music minister in a church and has found it to be a new avenue of music ministry. After playing a bit, Ryan looked around for a more advanced instrument. There were many choices available, but not "exactly" what he was looking for. In his my internet search, he came across a wonderful guitar and ukulele builder, Jay Lichty.