Testimonials

Carol K.

“I had a dream. Rob, Scorpio Guitars and Ukeleles LLC, brought that dream to life. Buying a custom instrument on-line was a little scary for me, but Rob was excellent about communicating, and working together the result was even better than I could have wished.

The back story: I am not young, I am short and have small hands and short fingers. I have suffered with osteo arthritis for about thirty years – here and there and now mostly everywhere.

I am a student, not a performer, playing classical and classical style guitar. I take lessons from an award winning finger style guitarist who composes, performs, records and teaches. One of the instruments he plays is a harp guitar.

I was intrigued and considered the possibility that a “mini” harp guitar might be easy for me to play and help me improve my playing, but I couldn’t find one. I did find that a tenor harp ukelele was commercially available. What if I used baritone strings, tuned to the top four string of a guitar – it might work as a mini harp guitar.

Yes, it did work. About three months after getting it I mentioned during a lesson that I loved it (so did my teacher), but it was somewhat limiting the music I played. I wished that there were five strings on the neck. It didn’t seem such an instrument existed.

My guitar teacher suggested that I put an inquiry on the Harp Guitars group facebook page and I soon received a response from Rob, saying he could and would love to make a five string baritone harp ukelele for me. The rest is history. It is absolutely perfect and the sound is marvelous.”

-Carol K.

Sound Sample – Vincent

James D.

“It’s been nearly two months since Rob delivered my guitar. Since then, I’ve worked on getting to know it. While it’s still early days yet, I think I know enough to post a review of the instrument and the guy who created it.

Let’s start with the guitar. First, it’s breathtakingly beautiful. I get four percent of the credit for that, as I was the one who selected the materials for each component. This, btw, is one of the coolest parts about having Rob make your guitar. He has a candy store of gorgeous woods and you get to taste each with your eyes and then select the actual pieces that will become your instrument. After the woods (front, back, sides, headstock, neck (front and back) bridge, etc. are chosen, you have many other choices to make. Purfling, rosette, sound hole, armrest bevel (get this!), position markers, side dots…. And when you’re done, you’ll know that your guitar will be the only one like it in the world. That’s pretty cool.

Not only is it pretty, it sounds incredible. Rob “tunes” each guitar during construction. This is a complex process – have him explain it to you. The point is, he’s mighty picky about it. Factory-made guitars don’t get the kind of attention yours will. I wanted a guitar that sounded so good, it made me need to play it. I have one now.

Let’s talk about Rob. I’ve known him for quite some time. He’s a computer geek. High level. Me too, but at a much lower level. All us CG’s have one thing in common: we are OCD as all heck. Anything we do needs to be just right. Any project that requires painstaking efforts is bound to run up against a snag or two. Mine had a couple. Rob handled each one with brilliance and a workman’s determination. How do I know? Because Rob will keep you in the loop with progress emails and pictures. And when there’s a problem, he lets you know about it and how he’s going to deal with it. This is the guy you want to work with.”

-James D.

Sound Sample – Vincent

Robin R.

“I met Rob at a uke group in Spokane where he and a few others were playing these beautiful instruments that it turned out he’d built in his spare time. Once he started taking reservations for instruments I reached out right away. I love my custom narrow body tenor, which is a thing of beauty, sounds great and is exactly the size I wanted it.

I got to choose all my woods in person, but many of the other design choices were made over email with photos of the options. Rob was great to communicate with and kept me updated on every step of the construction.

I have five other entry to mid level ukuleles and none compare for finish and ease of play. I can’t wait for the pandemic to be over so I can show it off at a local ukulele meetup.”

-Robin R.

Sound Sample – Swingin’ on a Star

Leah W.

“Working with Rob (Scorpio Guitars & Ukuleles) was delightful. I enjoyed the entire process of selecting all the components of my custom ukulele. The craftsmanship of my super tenor was beyond my expectations; it’s truly a work of art. The bearclaw spruce top and koa sides/back make for a wonderful tone, and the instrument has great projection. If you are in the market for a custom instrument, I highly recommend working with Rob!”

-Leah W.

Sound Sample – Close to You – The Carpenters- YouTube