Da Silva Ukulele

Very knowledgeable and friendly, I took in my cavaquinho to be inspected. Unfortunately the instrument itself had some issues which could not be fixed but it was a good experience and I would come back if I had another issue.

Working on my older Hawaiian ukulele he did exactly what was needed, no more and no less. His service is fast, friendly, and professional. I won't hesitate to use him again.

This guy is totes awesome! Not only did he do the work at the last minute, at the end of his day, but he agreed to work on my super cheapie uke when the other shop I went to wouldn't. I had done some of my own work on the instrument in an effort to improve the intonation and tone and had inadvertently caused some serious, but fixable problems. The new bone nut and saddle that I ordered were seriously larger and higher in profile than the original plastic ones.

That created a host of problems that I attempted to solve without the proper tools. When I brought the ukulele in, it was playing 20 to 50 cents off across the neck, creating much discordance when I tried to chord. Also, I could tell that, even after the first shop claimed to have set up my instrument professionally, that the action was still super high.

The other shop said it wasn't worth it to fix the problems that had developed when I changed to the better quality nut and saddle, and tried to sell me a newer and much more expensive instrument. But DaSilva told me that my uke just needed some TLC and that even very expensive ukes were not without their problems, potentially. Well, he started fiddling with it, and eventually we decided that 1) the strings were still very new and needed more breaking in 2) the first fret needed to be moved up - a lot - about 2mm from the looks of things. 3) the nut needed all the grooves to be filed smooth and two grooves needed to be made a little deeper and all of them needed some graphite so that the strings wouldn't grab as they passed through, which can cause detuning 4) my very reliable, high quality electronic tuner wasn't calibrated correctly and was causing tuning issues 5) the winders needed to be screwed tighter to prevent slippage issues 6) I needed a quick tutorial on how to properly fret so that I wasn't inadvertently grabbing and pulling on the strings as I fretted them.

All of these issues I had already learned about from watching several excellent videos and reading some blogs and I recognized as being issues with my uke, but the first guy simply dismissed all of these potential problems out of hand and refused to help me. DeSilva made me realize I wasn't cray and that there are no bad ukes, just ukes that need some love.

I love DeSilva and he only charged me $25 to put in the new fret and perform all of the diagnostics. I was there for nearly an hour! Above and beyond service and my uke sounds loud and plays sweet now and the action is perfect.

DO NOT pay a deposit to place an order to Mike. If you see a completed instrument for sale in his workshop, buy it if it is good. But no deposit. This is what happened to me. I used to trust him, and put down $1800 in October 2016 for a custom Tenor uke. It's January 30, 2018 today, 1 year and 3 months later. No uke, no news, nothing. I called, emailed, messaged.

I wish there was a ukulele forum that I could warn others about Mike's scam. I have a feeling I am not the only one out there. Now I see through his antics like giving free lesson, educational chats, etc. It's all to make you part with the deposit. Even if his instruments are suppose to be good, it feels really bad owning an instrument from such an unscrupulous person. And how can students go to learn from such a dishonest person, who is only interested in your money? If you give him a deposit, you are just giving away charity money.

I have to say, I used to think Mike was a respectable person through connecting with him as a fellow artist and business partner through a customized ukulele built by Mike himself for my dad. Recently, he has been extremely irresponsible with his communication and updates with another recent order my dad requested. We came into his studio to speak with him about commissioning two other ukuleles. Knowing that ukulele takes time and care and professional skills, we asked what is a reasonable time frame to complete. Mike said 1 month is required to complete the first one, which we were impressed by.

After 1 month, no updates, no phone calls, so I called in to check, and ok, he needed another month or so to complete the project. Delays are expected for these kinds of project. But things got way out of hand when it happened not only once, but 4 times, and HALF A YEAR LATER, I just called him today and guess what, he needs another week to complete THE FIRST ukulele, and my parents SPECIFICALLY TRAVELED HERE FROM TAIWAN for the ukulele, when Mike PROMISED to be done by today. NEVER ONCE Mike made a phone call or sent an email.

He may be a great teacher and ukulele maker, but his lack of professionalism and responsibility is essentially robbing our time, money and trust. Please, I strongly discourage anyone for commissioning him. His work ethics is appalling.

Mike is a fantastic teacher! Took the beginner class tonight and I learned a ton of techniques that I wouldn't have learned from youtube videos. He focuses a lot on building a good foundation and good habits so you can have a better practice as you learn and start playing songs. The class flow was fun and I barely felt the 2 hours pass. I would definitely recommend attending a few classes. There's so much to learn and absorb from the simplest techniques.

Mike DaSilva is a great guy with extensive knowledge about ukulele craftsmanship and history. He is very generous with his time and insights. My wife and I have taken his group classes several times and always enjoy ourselves.

I've been playing the uke for almost 2 years. I wouldn't go as far too say I'm a pro, but definitely not a beginner anymore. I was self taught through youtube b4 i found this group. I'm so Glad i found this place! I've been to another uke club which was cool too, but this one was AWESOME! I've been to both beginner and advance beginner classes, but what is most fun is uke club nights.

It happens every other wednesday (the club) and every time i go, i have a BLAST! Mike (teacher/uke maker) makes everything really easy to understand. I always learn something new (even in the beginner class). He makes it challenging for me at times, but that's exactly what i need to step my game up. If he's going to fast, he'll slow it down just enough to keep you going. I'll definitely be coming back for more.

When i'm leaving, i feel like I can't wait till the next class/meeting! So much fun! Oh. not to mention, the ukes he makes are the best I've seen and played yet! I Don't have one yet, but hopefully down the road, I'll be graced by owning one of his masterpieces. From beginner to pro, i think everyone who has interest in ukes should come check this place out atleast once.

It was my intention to go atleast once just to see how it was and now I'm hooked! All the other ukers are awesome too. I've learned plenty from them as well. Everyone is super nice and welcoming and willing to help with any advice you need. Im probably the newest face there, but I'm sure i won't be the last! Hope to see you there! Happy slappin' everyone!

Not a store, but a builder of high quality ukuleles! Very friendly very helpful. Gave me a lesson to improve my playing style. I didn't ask for the lesson, but was glad for it. Nothing finished many instruments in process. Internet is his friend!

Have been to this place several times now and find it quite enjoyable. It's basically a large loft/work shop area with a stage. The Berkeley Ukulele Club meets twice a month and there is always a large turnout. Things are quite relaxed so don't expect a nicely organized practice session. Players of all levels and ages meet and that's what you get.

Some awesome performances by the more advanced folks should they decide to get up on stage and play or the sometimes rather dissonant strumming of the many less advanced players which can be just as much fun. They just started giving beginner lessons also on Wednesdays. The quarterly potlucks are not to be missed. Also have been to a couple of the concerts/workshops which was great.

Great acoustics in there. You get folks like James Hill play in front of 40 people and even get a chance to chat after. Quite ohana style. DaSilva is obviously passionate about what he is doing and the place has a great community feel.