Gwynedd ukulele maker faces race against time to make 1000th instrument after Parkinson's Disease diagnosis

• 14 MAR 2016
• BY ERYL CRUMP
• 
  
• Pete Howlett, who has made 725 ukuleles in his career, still wants to reach his goal despite being struck down by the debilitating disease

A ukulele maker is in a race against time to achieve his goal of making 1,000 and passing on the craft before he’s struck down by a debilitating disease.

Pete Howlett has made more than 725 ukuleles since he started making instruments, almost by chance, 22 years ago.

He was well on track to complete his goal of 1,000 by the age of 70 when he would retire.

But last year Pete, 60, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease which will cause him to do things much slower and creates physical symptoms such as tremors.

'Faith in God helps me face the challenge'

Ukelele maker Pete Howlett

Refusing to be beaten however Pete set himself the two challenges.

Speaking at his workshop in Talysarn near Penygroes Pete said: “The rate the illness progresses varies from person to person and although there is no cure, there are treatments available to slow it down. 

“These range from drugs to physical therapy, from a strict diet to creative therapies and the power of positive thought. As a Christian my faith in God puts this new challenge into perspective for me and helps me face it.

“My years of ukulele-building personally are limited, but I have set myself two challenges. Firstly to complete 1000 ukuleles. At present, I am up to about 725.

“Secondly, to pass on my knowledge and experience to those who want to learn how to build high quality luthier instruments.

Tommy Ziegenspeck is learning how to make ukelele's with Pete Howlett in Talysarn near Penygroes

“To help with both goals, I have a graduate luthier working with me, Tommy Ziegenspeck who worked as an intern with me for four months in 2014.

“He has a specific skill set and attitude that are a perfect fit for my business. I will continue to be be hands-on for as long as I can, and will be running my famous International Ukulele Building School for even longer.”

Pete's ukuleles are popular in Hawaii

Since making his first ukulele in 1994, Pete has become revered on the Hawaiian islands where it is the national instrument.

“I ran a furniture-making design business for eight years, sold insurance for five years. It wasn’t until 1994 when I lost a business and a local guitar maker said ‘Come and make yourself a guitar’,” he said.

He made one and then more and set up in business with a friend at a workshop in Newtown. Marketing support allowed them to visit Texas to try and drum up business. Their instruments caught the eye of a Hawaiian ukulele dealer.

R“He asked me if I could make a ukulele? Well I said, I’ve never seen one. When we met again he brought me one. He wouldn’t let me have it but I was able to take measurements and photographs. I made one and sent it to him and he was delighted and it’s grown from there,” he said.

And each one of Pete’s ukuleles carry a silhouette of Snowdon on the headstock to remind its users where it was made.

Developed in the 1880s, the ukulele is based on several small guitar-like instruments of Portuguese origin and was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira and Cape Verde.

Although a regular visitor to the USA, Pete has never visited Hawaii.

But he will achieve that ambition later this year after being awarded a Winston Churchill Travel Fellowships.

“I will be travelling in North America and Hawaii meeting builders to discuss techniques I don’t use,” he added. “And I’ll be asking a few thorny questions: Where did you train? How does guitar making inform your ukulele building?”

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gwynedd-ukulele-maker-faces-race-11036371