My New Cigar Box Ukuleles

Posted by Nate D on February 17, 2010 at 3:09pm
Hey everybody,

I am in the process of building two cigar box ukes and I am still uneasy about a couple of design points.

First, would mahogany work as a nut and saddle material? Would it be bad for the sound? Second, what bracing pattern should I use for the top? Would dowel poplar wood work as a brace wood? Should I stick with spruce? What about a bridgeplate?

Should I stick with the maple bridge or should I make it poplar?

Thank you very much,

Nate

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Replies

  • John Hopper February 17, 2010 at 5:42pm
    Hi Nate, I am now finishing my first. Take a look at my page. I should have some new pics tomorrow. What does everyone think about the threaded rod nut? It seams to be very popular among some builders. john
  • Shelley February 17, 2010 at 4:34pm
    I think Mahogany would be fine for a nut and saddle.
  • Vince Stark February 17, 2010 at 4:33pm
    The harder substance, the better! Go maple! The harder, the brighter the tone. The same with the bridge plate. You shouldn't need much bracing, if any at all. The handy thing about cgbu', is that it's easy to go back and do bracing if needed.
  • John Nagy February 17, 2010 at 3:34pm
    I just finished my first uke. The bridge and nut were plastic or bone.
    It seems to me a wood with notches might tend to split. :-/
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