Comment

Comment by Julian Perry on March 31, 2010 at 9:35pm

Hi everyone, I'm very new to ukes as I've been meaning to build one for ages and finally found one in a charity shop for £4.99 which I couldn't pass up! It's an 'Ozark-model uk-51' which doesn't mean a lot to me and I can't find any info about Ozark ukes online. I fitted some Aquila strings and it sounds nice, although it seems to go out of tune very quickly. I assume this is down to the new strings settling down...? If nothing else, it will make a good pattern for a cigar box uke that I'm still planning.

Comment by Alan Roberts on March 28, 2010 at 9:25am

I might be the first member of the Nation to build a cigar box crwth.
Seriously.
There's an SCA re-inactor who's been pestering me to build her a Welsh crwth for 2 years now, after seeing my Anglo-Saxon lyres.

Comment by David West on March 28, 2010 at 5:36am

Listening to the discussion on what is a guitar and what is a ukulele is interesting. Lookin around my living room I can see a mandolin...8 strings, but tuned in 4 courses of double strings...so esentially a 4 string instrument...GDAE. A Balalaika, 3 sting instrument with tuning of EEA or AAD, a baritone ukulele...DGBE, a soprano ukulele...GCEA, a acoustic guitar tuned EADGBE, another tuned DBEFAD, and a banjo tuned GDGBD. I don't see a tenor guitar, but would like to...lol. CGDA. You can make many of these instruments based on a cigar box. You can use any other tuning or number of strings you choose, the advantage of going with one that already exist is available music and chord charts. It is a cigar box, do what you want...make yourself happy.

Comment by Yellowbelly Flatt on March 28, 2010 at 12:04am

Hello everyone,

I've just completed my latest build, a fretless 'bass' ukulele. Pictures &tc found on my page

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/albums/bass-instruments

I hope that it meets with your approval.

Comment by Shelley on February 12, 2010 at 9:46pm

Aquila's are great for some ukes. If you're not getting much sound out of a uke, Aquila will help that. Otherwise, i use Worths.

Comment by Yellowbelly Flatt on February 12, 2010 at 9:43pm

I realise that Aquita strings seem to be the string of choice, but I prefer Martin ululele strings. In my opinion they are easier to use, give a better, fuller sound and (if you are into such things) are easier to bend than other makes.

Comment by Mike Ptolomey on February 12, 2010 at 3:17pm

Hi. I agree, a ukulele should be four strings. If I can add a little bit about tuning, GCEA with the high G I think you will find is the popular modern tuning, however you can change the G string over and use a thicker one and tune a low G. I believe Israel Kamakawiwo'ole used this low G tuning on many of his songs on a tenor size uke. I have tried it on some of mine including my baritone and it sounds nice too. If you would like to find a bit more on ukes, have a look at hanalima.com I have been drawing great info from there for quite a while and have bought Aquila uke strings from there. If you hav'nt tried those strings, mate, do yourself a favour and put some on your uke.

Comment by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on February 12, 2010 at 2:36pm

Thanks, those are the answers I was looking for.

Comment by Yellowbelly Flatt on February 12, 2010 at 11:08am

I think that to be a ukulele you are going to need to have 4 strings in order to be able to play chords in the regular ukulele way. If not you will have a short scale 3 string cigar box guitar with the limits that are built into this type of instrument. No, I'm not knocking 3 string guitars, but a ukulele is a ukulele. As Niels has said the soprano is a very short scale. I have built a tenor ukulele and an electric baritone ukulele and find the larger size easier to build and play with the benefit of (in my opinion) a fuller and richer sound.

Comment by Niels Clyde on February 12, 2010 at 11:07am

A three string uke might be an interesting experiment in tuning options, I don't see it as too practical. I thought the same thing until I built one then I understood that 4 strings is the way to go with a CB uke.

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