Williams 'Hihi' Ancient Kauri Tenor Ukulele #5 '09 - Gloss Lacquer

This is a very early Laurie Williams 'Hihi' Tenor Ukulele. It's made primarily from Modern Kauri (top), and Ancient Kauri (solid back and sides). According to Mr. Williams, this is the 5th Tenor he ever built. It is an amazing early effort. He is over 40 deep building these now, and they are quite expensive, and made from a variety of woods.

I acquired the instrument during the pandemic, and I believe that I am the second to own this. The tone is outstanding! If you are a Uke 'jazzer', or just a fan of extremely rare stuff, this is definitely your jam. A picture tells a story, and if you are looking at these pics, you can see that it is in exceptional condition. It did however come with an obvious glueline in the neck pocket,which is likely the result of a neck reset- and is so insignificant that it was hard to capture on my camera. This is the ONLY reason I post it as VG. This was present when I purchased it, and there is nothing unstable occurring. Other features include EVO frets(absolutely indestructible), fossil ivory bridge and nut, Blue Lip Abalone purfling ring, and a tiny pearl Hihi (native Kiwi bird)at the 12th fret, and Grover gold plated tuners. The back and sides are carbon dated to TENS OF THOUSANDS of years old, and the tone produced from this is unreal.

The tone is full with broad 'eq', and outstanding! There are a full array of gorgeous overtones, and a generous bass response. 'Balance' is the way to think. Mr. Williams builds exceptional guitars and ukulele. He is known for the procurement of rare fossil woods, and using materials native to his home in New Zealand.

As with everything I post here, all sales are final, and every effort has been made to accurately and adequately describe the condition and tone. This will be shipped in a hardshell case.

I ship with Reverb Safe Shipping, and I ship promptly following payment. This is a wonderful ukulele, and I am actually selling at my COST, including shipping, so the price really isn't up for negotiation. Thanks for looking!

Cheers!