April 15 , 2006

TOP OF THE LINE

Mike Longworth’s strength and spirit of character, while contributing to excellence in his various endeavors, maintained good humor and a sense of fun in his life.  This was certainly true of some of the ukuleles he created.

The realization that some contemporary guitars were being fashioned from materials other than wood, and perhaps as a respectful nod to plastic ukuleles from the 1950’s, Mike decided he would  make a ukulele from Formica.  His choice was guided by his long association with top of the line musical instruments.  The modern product who’s most used roll was to top counters and tables was clearly the obvious choice.

The ukulele that Mike built had the strength of our nations mighty mountains.

The name of the product he used to build his uke confirmed his creative impulse.

Using a design from the 1920’s, that had been created, originally in ebony, by a C.F. Martin employee, Charlie Schaffer, for his own ukulele,  Mike crafted the pyramid tie bridge from some modern technology material,  adding his signature of Pearl.

As a tribute to some of the little people in the history of our Great Nation, Mike fastened, inside the uke’s body, a current United State of America gold colored one dollar piece.  The coin’s obverse displays the likeness of Sacagawea, The native American woman who was so important in guiding  the Lewis and Clark’s exploration of the territory acquired by the Louisiana Purchase, an important element in the expansion of our Nation from sea to shinning sea.

Mike’s choice of this gold color coin,  may have been done to give homage to a long tradition.  Short Woman Who leads Men.  It maybe that “Sacagawea” is actually the Shoshone word for that phrase.  It also maybe that the U.S. dollar coin is not really gold, thus bringing to question the value of our monetary system.

Be that as it may, like the United States dollar, which can be used for many things, Mike’s uke can have different uses.  For example, in addition to the traditional use of a ukulele at a picnic, one can use the uke to hold one’s picnic accessories.

This ukulele, crafted by Mike Longworth, is clearly, and by far, the very best ukulele that the founder has ever played.  Made of Formica.

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