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Yard Sale find! (Now what?)

Posted by Jill McCarley on August 15, 2013 at 5:29pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

Long time listener...first time caller here, folks.

I happened upon this little beauty at a yard sale and plopped down my $20 just because I like the look of it.  I figure I can glue the bridge back on pretty readily, but wondered what you kind people here might suggest for strings/tuning.  I've perused the community here a bit, but have come away more confused, especially since I really don't know what to term this little gem.  Is it a CBG? A strumstick? A dulcimer? What?!

About me: I've (sorta) played acoustic guitar in the past.  Meaning that I can do basic chords and some noodling, but no real background in theory of any kind.  But I'm willing to learn.  I've never, ever done any kind of work on a musical instrument, but am capable of basic woodworking stuff.

Any advice appreciated!

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Replies

  • Reeds Taylor August 16, 2013 at 11:01am

    Jawbone, I used regular nylon uke stings on the grand kids builds and they sound just fine.

    • jawbone > Reeds Taylor August 16, 2013 at 12:27pm

      Thanx Reed - I'm going to get some - after hearing Picks sound sample - I'm sold.

      • the anonymous pick > jawbone August 16, 2013 at 12:42pm

        yeah     ,  should  work  great  with  a rod  piezo   ..  or  a piezo    in  bridge.       you  won't     get the same   "oil can echo"   i  got  on  the tin  ..  but  it  should sound    fine   .  

        • jawbone > the anonymous pick August 16, 2013 at 4:08pm

          Funny that you should mention the "echo" - I just finished a reso that consists of a drain cover over a parts tray. I ground off the legs so that they sit in the tray. When I play the strings open the "chatter" sounds sort of like "overdriven acoustic" - it's the darndest thing.

  • Jill McCarley August 16, 2013 at 7:16am
    Okay, so you have officially diagnosed it as a ukulele...does that preclude my putting steel strings on it so I can play it with a slide? Or is that just another one of my dumb ideas?
    • Jill McCarley > Jill McCarley August 16, 2013 at 7:32am
      You guys have gotten me excited about this thing...not that I wasn't already! It is 8.5 inches from nut to 12th fret and again to bridge. I'd also noticed that many of the frets were crooked, which just added to the love and need to own it. I just felt like it was a sad little thing that needed TLC.
      • the anonymous pick > Jill McCarley August 16, 2013 at 7:47am

        let  it also  be  said   (although many  can't  wrap  their  head around  the idea  )  you  can slide  on  nylon strings  too .  and  it  sounds  pretty  good  .  even creates  less   slide rattle  . 

        and  if  your  bridge  is also   a string anchor , with no   support  under it  inside the  body   . 

         steel  strings    would most likely  rip  it  right  back off,  after   only being  glued  on  .

        i would   go  with a tail piece    if  you plan on  steel  strings  .

         

        • Ron "Oily" Sprague > the anonymous pick August 16, 2013 at 8:33am
          Ditto pick's suggestion for a tailpiece if using steel strings (which I personally wouldn't). At 17" scale, that's a tenor uke. Steel strings would put a lot of tension on that neck, and also risk snapping the bridge off once it was glued back on. Nylons would be better, and as pick sez, you can still play slide on it, get some neat tones.

          Tenor ukes are typically tuned high G : G (above middle C ) C E A, from 4th to 1st string from a right hand player's perspective, with A being 1st. You could tune it low G ( below middle C), but need a special low G string. Aquila and Worth make both high G and low G sets. One of the sites I looked at also said the D string from a classical guitar set works well as a low G string.

          Yeah, now I see some of the frets are crooked...think of them as fanned frets for "unusual" intonation ;-). For $20, you can't beat it. Enjoy loving this little beast...
          • jawbone > Ron "Oily" Sprague August 16, 2013 at 9:48am

            I would only need the first 4 frets to be right - the rest of them are just for speculation!!! :-)

            You guys have mentioned nylon uke strings - would that be the best bet for my grandsons 17" CBG?? I haven't got a decent sound out of it yet.

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