Big mistake Indi !

Posted by Bluesheart on April 2, 2011 at 1:24pm

Well, I'l let that be a lesson to me! At least I caught it before it was too late. So, I based my first Uke design on the measurements I copied from a commercially made Uke I have but have never really played. While double checking my bridge placement I noticed that the intonation is off on that thing by almost an INCH!! OUCH! So the octave on it is about where the 13th fret would be if it had one! ON the bright side, the actual fret spacing, which I also copied seems to be ok. I will NOT fall into that trap again!!! I know, I know, go ahead and say it "measure twice, saw once".

IF I had decided to use string pins and a floating bridge I may have been able to save it but I've chosen to use a more traditional glued on bridge /saddle. Had I glued it down, I would have to be the new president of the Wall of Shame group!

Disaster averted, at least till I get back out to the shed!

You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!

Join Cigar Box Nation

Tags: avoid, mistakes, to
Email me when people reply –
Follow

Replies

  • Bluesheart April 3, 2011 at 7:25am

    Glad to see I'm in good company! I thought it was really odd that it was that far off too, but it is. The other instruments I have copied scales from were at least good quality instruments in the first place but those printable fret position programs are looking better all the time. Not that there aren't mistakes to be made there as well. This build has confirmed that smaller is harder. Working with that narrow/low fret wire was a pain.

    Thanks for the responses.

  • Mickey Sadler April 2, 2011 at 6:34pm

    Diane, since I have not seen a picture of your neck you can take this with a grain of salt. I think I would find a way to glue material to the heel, maybe in a contrasting wood to make it look intentional, and see if I could save it. There's gotta be a way! I would hate to see a good neck go to waste.

     

    Mickey

  • herb Berwald WWW.CigarGuitar.com April 2, 2011 at 6:31pm
    yep, have a neck on my wall that I can't use also...really nice walnut.
  • Don Thompson April 2, 2011 at 5:29pm

    The single most reason I never agree with copying a fret layout from another instrument. It does strike me as odd it would be THAT far off though. Glad it worked out for you.

    Don

  • Diane in Chicago April 2, 2011 at 1:40pm

    I have a beautiful finished neck with the wrong fret measurements.  Maple, bloodwood fingerboard, blue MOP position markers -- and absolutely no way to mount it on a box because the bridge would have to be really close to the fingerboard, and there is no extra heel material to use to fudge it and the neck is rounded, so no way to glue new wood on the back, and well, it is basically really pretty, expensive firewood.

     

    Wish I had a way out like you do!

This reply was deleted.