New Uke Day (NUD) Rin Hayasa Custom Concert

[Ad-LowG]

Thank you to hands_on_lanzon, I am the newest owner of this customer concert ukulele from luthier Rin Hayasa! When I was first approached about trading for this, I hadn't heard of the luthier, but was reassured to know that this uke was sold to the former owner through the Ukulele Friend website. Then I watched a video of Rin Hayasa at work, and was blown away. While I think most all custom luthiers put a bit of themselves into their work, it was amazing to see his attention to detail, and the level of his craft and artistry. If you are curious, you can find the video at:


The uke itself is just elegant. There is great detail in the rosette, but even little things, like the way the headstock is shaped and beveled, and the way rosewood is used as an accent, are great touches. I had never heard of the Japanese Kuwa Wood used for this instrument before either, and it is rare in instruments. But the tone of the wood is lovely, clear and warm. The wood itself started as a cream color, and has an almost cedar-like look now (6 years after it was made). It is supposed to turn more reddish in hue as it ages.

I can't wait to play it, and to watch the look of the instrument change over the years to come.

 

[Patty]

What a little beauty! Congratulations. I remember when this uke was on the Ukulele Friend website; I looked up Rin Hayase out of curiosity. He seemed like an intriguing luthier, very devoted to his art.

 

[hands_on_lanzon]

I really love the vibe of his workspace... just super peaceful, out in the Japanese countryside, hanging with the family, listening to birds and cicadas while you sand and carve away at some wood.

Speaking of wood! I was curious about the rosewoods, so I reached out to Rin on Instagram directly.
The response I got is pasted below... I think it's super cool and unique!


To be completely honest, I had a minor surge of buyer's remorse on the drive home, letting go of such a unique and special uke... but it passed!!.. Especially when I got home and played a ton on my new Pohaku. I really love the warm, rich tone! I'm glad it worked out for both of us and these ukes found the right homes, hopefully for a good while at least.

I'm still interested to see how the kuwa ages!! I tried to play with it out in the sun, to try and expedite the process Lucky for me, it's gone to another active UU member who lives not too far away*! It'd be cool to see it some pics or maybe even in person at some random uke event up here.

*I guess the bad part of that is, the sun can be a bit scarce up here in the PNW!

It was a pleasure to meet, chat a bit, and trade beauties!!

 

[badhabits]

Nice, congrats!

But his name is "Hayase". There are a couple on these forums, likely no relation, although you never know!

 

[Patty]

Nice, congrats!

But his name is "Hayase". There are a couple on these forums, likely no relation, although you never know!

Thanks for the correction (I fixed my post).

 

[Ad-LowG]

What a little beauty! Congratulations. I remember when this uke was on the Ukulele Friend website; I looked up Rin Hayase out of curiosity. He seemed like an intriguing luthier, very devoted to his art.

Thanks Patty! And agreed!

 

[Ad-LowG]

I really love the vibe of his workspace... just super peaceful, out in the Japanese countryside, hanging with the family, listening to birds and cicadas while you sand and carve away at some wood.

Speaking of wood! I was curious about the rosewoods, so I reached out to Rin on Instagram directly.
The response I got is pasted below... I think it's super cool and unique!
View attachment 161975

To be completely honest, I had a minor surge of buyer's remorse on the drive home, letting go of such a unique and special uke... but it passed!!.. Especially when I got home and played a ton on my new Pohaku. I really love the warm, rich tone! I'm glad it worked out for both of us and these ukes found the right homes, hopefully for a good while at least.

I'm still interested to see how the kuwa ages!! I tried to play with it out in the sun, to try and expedite the process Lucky for me, it's gone to another active UU member who lives not too far away*! It'd be cool to see it some pics or maybe even in person at some random uke event up here.

*I guess the bad part of that is, the sun can be a bit scarce up here in the PNW!

It was a pleasure to meet, chat a bit, and trade beauties!!

Thanks so much for sharing this Chris, and for the opportunity to play it. We’ll certainly keep in touch.

 

[Ad-LowG]

An update for anyone interested (and maybe a tip about how to deal with string buzzing and/or twisted necks) ...

I restrung this uke with Fremont Black fluorocarbons, as I wasn't happy with the feel of the strings it had on it. It immediately picked up a buzz on the C-string that I couldn't resolve. Took it to a luthier, and had a set-up done. In the process, found the neck has a slight twist.

He leveled and re-crowned the frets, and that helped a lot (the 12th fret was also high). We ended up back with nylon strings, as the C is thicker, and less susceptible to buzzing under low tension. I kept the Fremont Black for the Low G, so it has a mixed set of strings on it, but the buzz is gone.

I'm into it for a couple hundred dollars now, but it is a solid playing uke since the fret leveling compensated for the neck issues. He was really impressed with the build of this uke BTW (neck issues aside, which is likely just from the Kuwa wood that was used). The quality of the build, truss work, and the detailing are exceptionally well done. I may keep playing with string combinations, but for now, it plays and sounds really good.

 

[badhabits]

Dan E/stewmac did a YT video on fixing twisted guitar necks...might be of interest.

 

[Ad-LowG]

Dan E/stewmac did a YT video on fixing twisted guitar necks...might be of interest.

Found it. It was interesting to watch, thanks. The twist in this one is pretty minor, and the fretwork that was done corrected it from a playabiity standpoint. If it gets worse, I will definitely refer back to this.

 

[richntacoma]

Looking forward to seeing this one at our next uke jam, and hearing about your experience with the luthier. I have a couple of things I need done.

 

[Ad-LowG]

Looking forward to seeing this one at our next uke jam, and hearing about your experience with the luthier. I have a couple of things I need done.

Absolutely! And I can talk to you about him when I see you next (pros and cons)

 

[hands_on_lanzon]

it's a bummer that your preferred strings caused a buzz, but perhaps it was a good to catch the neck issues earlier! If i kept with higher tension strings, perhaps I wouldn't have noticed the buzz and the twisting might have gotten worse. I'm still learning so much about ukes and haven't really learned to sight down a neck or pay enough attention to string height at the 12th. @rainbow21 showed me his sting action ruler when we met up and went to Gryphon Strings last week and I actually started to notice a bit more differences in string spacing and nut width, which I hadn't really paid attention to before.

I recall you noticing the string spacing with the Pohaku making it a bit more difficult to play. I'm glad the Hayase is sounding and feeling good, but bummed it took a luthier trip to get it there for you.

I love trying different strings!! I'm on my third set with my Ko'olau that I just got in mid Dec. I put some Worth Brown's on my nephew's Waterman and it makes a huge difference... but they're a bit too thin and i'll likely switch to a D'Addario set soon.

It's so interesting what our ears like, too. My Ko'olau came with a wound C that I wasn't used to, but I am looking forward to getting back to it someday.

I'm traveling at the moment and miss my Pohakus! I've realized that his tenors and concerts have a deep, warm bass.

I'm rambling. Maybe too much coffee. Did you mention that the Hayase has a truss rod!? That's pretty nuts, but also amazingly helpful!!

 

[revdocjim]

Kuwa is mulberry wood. I haven't heard of other luthiers using it so that definitely piques my interest.

 

[TerryM]

Kuwa is mulberry wood. I haven't heard of other luthiers using it so that definitely piques my interest.

My Rin Hayase is also made of mulberry, and the guitar in the video was mulberry. Seems to be his chosen material.

 

[hands_on_lanzon]

My Rin Hayase is also made of mulberry, and the guitar in the video was mulberry. Seems to be his chosen material.

In my correspondence with him, he mentioned that he got the wood from his brother-in-law who is a woodcutter... and I believe they got it from their own land. Pretty cool!

 

[Ad-LowG]

it's a bummer that your preferred strings caused a buzz, but perhaps it was a good to catch the neck issues earlier! If i kept with higher tension strings, perhaps I wouldn't have noticed the buzz and the twisting might have gotten worse. I'm still learning so much about ukes and haven't really learned to sight down a neck or pay enough attention to string height at the 12th. @rainbow21 showed me his sting action ruler when we met up and went to Gryphon Strings last week and I actually started to notice a bit more differences in string spacing and nut width, which I hadn't really paid attention to before.

I recall you noticing the string spacing with the Pohaku making it a bit more difficult to play. I'm glad the Hayase is sounding and feeling good, but bummed it took a luthier trip to get it there for you.

I love trying different strings!! I'm on my third set with my Ko'olau that I just got in mid Dec. I put some Worth Brown's on my nephew's Waterman and it makes a huge difference... but they're a bit too thin and i'll likely switch to a D'Addario set soon.

It's so interesting what our ears like, too. My Ko'olau came with a wound C that I wasn't used to, but I am looking forward to getting back to it someday.

I'm traveling at the moment and miss my Pohakus! I've realized that his tenors and concerts have a deep, warm bass.

I'm rambling. Maybe too much coffee. Did you mention that the Hayase has a truss rod!? That's pretty nuts, but also amazingly helpful!!

All good Chris. No truss rod though Travel safe, and be well.