More ukulele

So here is an update on my lutherie progress. I have an almost-working ukulele, but I have discovered it is fatally flawed. The plank I used for the neck was warped (I have since learned that an important rule in carpentry is to never just assume that something is straight!) and so the first three frets are unplayable. Other than that, it plays just like one would expect. It keeps its tune quite well and there are no intonation problems that I'm aware of.

Here are some pics:


This is a pic of the bridge being attached. The masking tape outlines the position of the bridge. I made a slight mistake when attaching it and so the strings are slightly off-centre, though still playable.


I neglected to take pictures of the process of attaching the neck. I didn't have the tools or the expertise for a traditional mortise and tenon joint, so I went with a bolt-on solution. However, I didn't find much free information about this online, so I kind of made it up as I went along. I sunk some threaded brass inserts into the base of the neck and then bolted it to the cigar box body, through a length of mahogany that I used for purposes of reinforcement. The shape and size of this reinforcement will be the subject of future research as I am unsure how it affects the sound.


This picture shows the attachment of the bridge-plate. I'm still not sure that I needed one, but the cigar box was starting to split slightly around the sound-hole, so I wanted to add as much reinforcement as possible. I subsequently added a thin strip of mahogany near the sound-hole for further reinforcement.




These two pics show the final version of the uke. As I mentioned it is somewhat unplayable on the first three frets. I altered the height of the bridge to compensate to a certain extent, but it just resulted in very high action and only a slight improvement.

As a result of all this, I won't bother finishing it (fine sanding, varnishing, etc.). I will just move onto the next one. I have a stack of cigar boxes and mahogany. I just need to find a straight piece for the neck! I also plan to purchase the Left Brain Lutherie book and do a little reading to better understand the way the ukulele works.