Bardo

Bardo is a trusty travel companion and I see it like the culmination of my quest for simplicity: it’s  designed to be strong, portable and affordable.
All this thanks to a careful and out-of-the-box choice of alternative materials and construction methods, the result of years of experience in experimenting, optimizing and seeking a minimalist essence.

Bardo is designed to deliver the richest sound possible that the most minimal form can give. Crafted with precision-cut beech plywood components using CNC technology, each part is assembled by hand with care and attention to detail.

At the heart of Bardo is a finely crafted soundboard—built with the same luthier-level expertise as all my ukulele models. It’s the true engine of the instrument, and where the tonal magic happens. Everything around it is intentionally simplified and minimized to reduce cost without compromising performance.

SPECIFICATIONS

Body: beech plywood
Soundboard (standard): birch laminate or black walnut
Soundboard (alternative): cherry, chestnut, cypress
Soundboard (custom): spruce, yew, figured walnut, figured maple
Neck: beech plywood
Fretboard and bridge: beech plywood
Available sizes: soprano, tenor and Octave

Bardo is the latest addition to the Antica Ukuleleria models, but it is the culmination of a project that I have dreamed of since the beginning of my journey as a luthier: building an instrument that can accompany its owner on all his adventures without too many worries.

Often artisanal instruments are characterized by a certain fragility, moreover their price is rightly high due to the huge amount of hours required to build them following traditional methods. These 2 factors often discourage their owners from carrying them around too much, so it is not uncommon for them to be sadly used mainly at home or in protected situations.

I have always dreamed of being able to build an instrument free from these worries, which can be a trusty travel companion and can be fearlessly used at festivals, crowded pubs, on a picnic, on the stage or to sing happy birthday to a family party. In short, that he can be part of those situations that will become a beautiful memory.

Bardo ukulele is therefore based on these 2 concepts:

• Robustness – the particular design and material makes it much less delicate than my other models. The beech plywood of body and neck is extremely stable and tough, and it is hard enough to be used for the fingerboard too, making it virtually non-deformable by humidity, and so immune to typical problems such as fret sprout (sharp fret ends).
• Lower price – I focused my work for years on studying and implementing alternative construction methods, looking for a minimalistic essence of the instrument by harmoniously optimizing its look to the construction needs. I decided to pour all this experience in designing Bardo and take it to the limit. This model was intentionally created with the idea of combining the greatest ease of construction with the best possible sound. Every smallest part of this instrument, every curve, shape and choice, are carefully studied to follow this quest for simplicity.

OPTIONS

Standard Bardo

The standard woods used for the Bardo’s soundboard are Birch laminate or Black walnut.The instrument can be customized by choosing from a selection of other possible woods for the soundboard.

Birch Laminate ensures maximum strength and simplicity while perfectly aligning with the instrument’s minimalist design.
Although laminated tops usually sound less resonant than solid wood, I have worked carefully to make this variant sound remarkably good — slightly more “boxy,” as many ukulele players love, yet full of character.

Black Walnut gives the instrument a fuller, rounder sound compared to birch laminate. Its dark, deep color creates a very nice contrast with the light beech used for the rest of the instrument.

Alternative woods

Bardo’s soundboard can also be made from cherry, chestnut, or cypress. Each of these woods gives the instrument a slightly different tonal shade. These changes are quite subtle on the soprano size but become more noticeable on the larger sizes.
A thin black veneer is added between the top and the body, to give more contrast with the color. A little vanity 🙂

European Cherry

Local Chestnut

Cypress

Custom woods

From time to time, I build small batches of Bardos using special woods that aren’t always in stock. These custom woods vary depending on availability and inspiration, giving each instrument a truly unique character.
They can be requested on demand, though I can’t always guarantee they’ll be available. These woods can also be also slightly more expensive, especially depending on the quality and figure of the wood grain.

Yew

Figured Balkan Maple

Figured European Walnut

Size

Bardo is available in 3 sizes: Soprano, Tenor and Octave ukulele.
Octave ukulele is a particual size I designed to be tuned GCEA but one octave lower.
Do we really need a big bassy ukulele? Yes, I think we do!

Total lenght: 510 mm
Weight: 550 g

Total lenght: 615 mm
Weight: 660 g

Total lenght: 815 mm
Weight: 950 g

Gallery

A gallery of Standard, Alternative and Custom woods.

Tuning Machines

• Friction Pegs (Standard): The standard model comes with friction pegs, chosen for the elegant contrast between their vintage look and the minimalist design of the instrument. Simple, lightweight, and true to tradition.
• Planetary Tuners (Upgrade): You can upgrade to planetary tuners, which preserve the clean look of the headstock while offering greater tuning precision and ease of use .

Fritcion Pegs

Planetary Tuners

Something about the material

Bardo is built using high-quality European beech plywood, a material I chose for its exceptional strength and durability. This wood allowed me to make bold design choices that wouldn’t have been possible with more delicate materials — resulting in an instrument that’s both solid and responsive.

All the wood comes from sustainably managed sources, which means no endangered species are involved. This makes me particularly happy from an ethical and environmental standpoint, as it aligns perfectly with the values that guide my work.

Like all plywood, it naturally releases a minimal amount of formaldehyde, but I carefully researched a supplier that gives me a material compliant with the most modern health and environmental certifications (CARB / TSCA) ensuring the material is safe, reliable, and respectful of both players and the planet: I’m particularly attentive (almost obsessed) with these things, so I’ve dedicated a lot of time to researching the best material from this point of view.

Please note that while the beech plywood is high quality, minor imperfections can occasionally appear in the inner layers, as with any plywood. I carefully avoid major issues like voids or large knots, but some small flaws—such as minor knots or internal overlaps—may only become visible after carving. I discard pieces that don’t meet my standards and keep only those with aesthetic imperfections that do not compromise the structure.