Showstoppers
Explore the range
The Laurie Williams range contains five distinct models – Tui, Kiwi, Karakia, Hihi, and Awa. Each sharing a gorgeous resonance his avid collectors love, Laurie Williams guitars are so intricately voiced and crafted that they elevate their owners, invigorating them with the excitement of new subtleties of tone and musicality, providing inspiration to play, practice, create, and perform.
While Laurie builds a wide range of custom instruments, his primary lineup consists of: two acoustic guitar models, the Tui and Kiwi; the classical guitar model, the Karakia; the tenor ukulele model, the Hihi; and an electric guitar model, the Awa.
Acoustic
Crafted for fingerstylists, the Tui and Kiwi models are expressive and nuanced, offering impeccable tonality and aesthetics.
Classical
The true companion of accomplished soloists, the Karakia model has exceptional sustain and balance, with plenty of power in reserve.
Ukulele
With excellent dynamic range and sustain, the expression of the Hihi model is highly sort after by the modern virtuoso ukulele player.
Electric
The Awa model embodies all the precision and tonality as his acoustics, and have clear, bell-like harmonics and a fast, easily played neck.
Tui
Acoustic guitar
From $9,800 USD
Tui overview
Designed for the fingerstylist, the Tui model has superb balance and clarity of tone. It has a wide dynamic range making it more expressive and nuanced for the virtuoso player. Whether you play in the world’s grandest concert halls or in the privacy of your home, the Tui is built to inspire.
The lower bout is 15 3/4″ and has a depth at the tailblock of 4 3/8″. The cutaway option features an elegantly sculpted, low profile, heel-to-cutaway body transition allowing comfortable access to the higher frets.
Standard Tui features
All solid tonewoods
River totara neck
Ebony fingerboard and bridge
All solid wood binding
A choice of rosettes from one of Laurie’s own designs
Water buffalo bone nut and saddle
Gotoh 510 series machine heads
Stainless Steel or Evo gold frets
25.5″ scale length
High quality full gloss hand rubbed finish
ABS hardshell case (upgradable to custom Hoffee carbon fibre case)
Common Tui options
Your choice of a range of soundboards
Your choice of back and sides including ancient kauri, matai, rimu, and more
Signature Series upgrade
NZ paua (abalone) purfling on top, headstock and fingerboard
Custom designed rosettes
Burl veneer top purfling
Custom made tuner buttons, bridge pins, strap buttons
Bevels
Custom designed inlays
Pickups of your choice installed
Kiwi
Acoustic guitar
From $9,500 USD
Kiwi overview
Sharing many of the characteristics of the Tui model, the Kiwi is smaller (similar size to OM) emphasizing more of the mid-range, while maintaining all the finesse and expressiveness of its larger cousin.
The Kiwi comes in two different configurations: a 12 fret-to-body set up as well as the 14 fret-to-body version. The normal scale length for the Kiwi is 25″ but can come in a longer 25.5″ scale, so it is very adaptable to a wide range of styles and players.
The lower bout is 14 7/8″ and has a depth at the tailblock of 3 7/8″.
Standard Kiwi features
All solid tonewoods
River totara neck
Ebony fingerboard and bridge
All solid wood binding
A choice of rosettes from one of Laurie’s own designs
Water buffalo bone nut and saddle
Gotoh 510 series machine heads
Stainless Steel or Evo gold frets
25.5″ scale length
High quality full gloss hand rubbed finish
ABS hardshell case (upgradable to custom Hoffee carbon fibre case)
Common Kiwi options
Your choice of a range of soundboards
Your choice of back and sides including ancient kauri, matai, rimu, and more
Signature Series upgrade
NZ paua (abalone) purfling on top, headstock and fingerboard
Custom designed rosettes
Burl veneer top purfling
Custom made tuner buttons, bridge pins, strap buttons
Bevels
Custom designed inlays
Pickups of your choice installed
Karakia
Classical guitar
From $9,600 USD
Karakia overview
Designed with the utmost musical expressiveness and nuance in mind, the Karakia model is the true companion of the virtuoso soloist. Exceptional sustain and plenty of power in reserve allow the performer to impart great sensitivity and voice to their performance, whether their repertoire is classical or contemporary in style. The instrument’s tone is clear and well balanced and is rounded out with Laurie’s proprietary fingerboard relief profile, enabling a low and even action all along the fingerboard. The Karakia is built for the professional and the serious amateur musician ready to take their performance to an inspirational new level.
The Karakia comes with a choice of two scale lengths, 660mm and 650mm, and can be configured for standard or high tension string sets.
The lower bout is 14 9/16”and has a depth at the tailblock of 4 1/16”
Standard Karakia features
All solid tonewoods
River totara neck
Ebony fingerboard and bridge
All solid wood binding
A choice of rosettes from one of Laurie’s own designs
Water buffalo bone nut and saddle
Gotoh 510 series machine heads
Stainless Steel or Evo gold frets
25.5″ scale length
High quality full gloss hand rubbed finish
ABS hardshell case (upgradable to custom Hoffee carbon fibre case)
Common Karakia options
Your choice of a range of soundboards
Your choice of back and sides including ancient kauri, matai, rimu, and more
Signature Series
Radius fingerboard (20”)
NZ paua (abalone) purfling on top, headstock and fingerboard
Custom designed rosettes
Custom made tuner buttons
Bevel
Custom designed inlays
Pickups of your choice installed
Hihi
Tenor ukelele
From $3,600 USD
Hihi overview
The Hihi (pronounced “hee hee”) tenor ukulele has been developed to complement Laurie’s larger models with the highest quality of workmanship and tone. This is a concert quality instrument with excellent dynamic range and sustain, resulting in the ability to achieve the nuance of expression highly sort after in the modern virtuoso ukulele player of today.
With some of Laurie’s exquisite pieces of timber in stock being too small for larger instruments, these are often available for the tenor ukulele. As a result, Hihi models can often be custom built with some of the most unique, exciting, and stunning timbers of all Laurie Williams instruments. They also make a beautiful companion to any of Laurie’s larger models.
The Hihi has a slotted headstock with high quality Waverly tuners and is embellished with NZ paua (abalone) purfling. They are priced on an individual basis depending on the woods and other appointments selected.
Standard Hihi features
All solid tonewoods
River totara neck
A selection of natural burl rosettes
Ebony fingerboard and bridge
All solid wood binding
Mammoth tusk, or Buffalo horn nut and saddle
Waverly machine heads
Stainless Steel or Evo gold frets
Hihi motif on the twelfth fret on fingerboard
High quality full gloss hand rubbed finish
Hardshell case
Common Hihi options
Your choice of a range of soundboards
Your choice of back and sides including ancient kauri, matai, rimu, and more
Radius fingerboard (20”)
NZ paua (abalone) purfling on top, headstock and fingerboard
Custom designed rosettes
Custom made tuner buttons
Custom designed inlays
Pickups of your choice installed