Tenor Ukulele APC TS103 Portuguese Boca de Raia

The APC TS103 is a tenor ukulele that looks like a traditional Portuguese ukulele but sounds like tropical islands in the Pacific. 

The ukulele is manufactured in Portugal by APC artisans who used the traditional design of the Portuguese instrument, in a demonstration of the family connection between these two instruments, up to the shape of the mouth, with a streak cutout.

The top is divided into two halves, one in solid spruce and the other in African black wood, also solid. The bottom and sides are in solid koa, a species of acacia native to Hawaii, which gives it an identity and sound very close to the native instruments of the American island.

The neck is on board and the scale is in beautiful African black wood. The 18 frets provide a broader melodic range for musicians to be able to exercise their virtuosity and musicality.

The tenor ukulele is the largest of the ukulele models, with a box of dimensions larger than the concert ukulele and, traditionally, with a larger scale. It is widely used by more advanced musicians who want an instrument with greater volume and projection.

The ukulele is a direct descendant of the Portuguese cavaquinho, which was taken by Portuguese sailors to the American Pacific islands to cheer the crew on their long voyages.

Later on, it became a very popular instrument in the early decades of the 20th century, when Hawaiian-inspired music filled the early days of radio in the United States, and it accompanied American soldiers in World War II. Nowadays, it is one of the instruments of fashion for being easy to learn and very fun to play, in addition to being able to take it everywhere.

APC was founded in 1976 by António Pinto Carvalho, who descended from a century-old school of luthiers in Porto. The company has about 45 artisans who build different types of traditional Portuguese and other origins of cordophones. APC is the largest national company in this field, producing and selling instruments to more than twenty countries.

The APC TS103 is a ukulele disguised as a Portuguese cavaquinho but made to be heard like a true tropical instrument.

Specifications: 

• Top: half-tops, solid spruce and solid african blackwood

• Back and sides: solid koa

• Neck: maple

• Fingerboard: african blackwood

• Tuning machines: nickel-plated

Traditional instruments made in Portugal can present differences
to the picture shown in the website due to it's artisanal manufacturing,
specially in it's decoration.