This ukulele is for Mike, who is a hobby luthier and appreciates domestic woods. We chose Dogwood for the back and sides to line up with his preferences and experiences as a woodworker. The Dogwood comes from the Carpenter Ant Stash in Portland, where Ken milled the family dogwood tree many years ago. It is well suited to backs, sides and fretboards in my opinion. We paired it with a salvaged Cedar top (from old wall boards) for a loud sound with good sustain. The neck is some Fir salvaged from old floorboards, which has a nice texture in the hand. The fretboard/headplate/bridge are also Dogwood. It is light, easy to play and expressive. Thanks Mike!