I've built a few Ubasses using the Aquila Thundergut poly strings and I just got a query about whether I would be interested in making a similar short scale upright capable of being bowed. Has anyone done something similar and if so what strings and
Read more…Just posted an instructable on how to make a band sawn bowl ukulele. https://www.instructables.com/id/Band-Sawn-Bowl-Ukulele/"
Read more…I recently bought some precision carbide bits on eBay and saw they could match my string diameters quite accurately. I still establish my slots first using my junior hack saw which has a 0.6mm kerf but I finess the slots to the right width and round
Read more…Just posting a quick tip on how I have added logos printed on to paper
Here I have printed a logo on plain paper and tracing paper.
The plain paper is glued to a piece of scrap and the tracing paper is glued to the headstock of a Darth Vader star
Read more…Watched a video by a pro builder pressing grommets into a headstock using a purpose built press. I was fiddling with a few things to see if I could replicate something similar with stuff I had in my shed when I noticed my many Phillips head screwdriv
Read more…So I decided to go a bit fancy and knocked up a psaltery and did up an instructable for it. I even made my own zither pins.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Lap-Harp-Psaltery/
I have been playing around with mandolin tuners. The advantage is that you get 4 in a nice neat line 25mm apart (about an inch) and the knobs can be flipped left to right without much trouble while most single tuners ned 1 1/4 inch spacing. So how to
Read more…So my plan called for a curve in the headstock, the trunk of a ukulelephant has to curve after all and mandolin tuners have a straight backing plate. How to make a straight flat backing plate bend seems impossible. Metal is malleable. If you squash
Read more…After Christmas I finished up with a whole bunch of chocolate and cookie tins covered in pictures of Santa Claus, Snow men and Christmas messages. The local goodwill stores are also filling up with a few. Now I got no beef with Santa (he and I go ba
Read more…This Dodds and Claus guitar made in 1790 shows how innovative the American music scene has been for a very long time.
Unfortunately I think the piano action is missing.or at least I can't see it
The strings are single single paired paired paired an
Heard this on the radio today. About how the first bues recordings were made in texas
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/the-bluesprint/8361054
Read more…Knocked up a banjo uke from an 8 inch hand drum and have noticed that the calfskin head is prone to reacting to changes in the weather.
Any ideas how to stabilise it?
Saw this almost perfect set of drill bits for installing a variety of tuners and general cigar box use at Bunnings yesterday.
The step drill has a 6 to 8 step for perfectly centered grommets on 6mm shaft tuners. It does this in one go on a uke thic
Read more…I have an order for a uke bass. The guy is a big McCartney fan and has a full size Hofner but wants to fill out his collection with a nylon stringed Titchenbacker mock Rickenbacker 4001.
I build a lot of ukes and I had a good look at a Kala UBass an
Read more…The common natural fret positions are at a sixth, a quarter, a third and half of the scale length, or on a 24 inch scale 4 6 8 and 12 inches. Does anyone know a simple way to get other natural fret poitions?
On my 24 inch one fret per inch vs Stewma
Read more…Every now and then people get to complaining about things not being quite right and never again will they use anything but the right tool for the job
Here then is a list of things which work as fret saws and some that don't and the width of the kerf
Read more…Acting on a tip given on the ukulele underground in an old thread I got onto ebay and looked up how much a Diamond coated core drill bit would set me back
Saw a set described as "3mm ( 1/8" ) to 12mm ( 1/2" ) Diamond coated drill bit hole saw core dr
Just added to my arsenal of fret dot making. I did these with whipper snipper line. It comes in a variety of diameters, colours and even cross section.
Past efforts have included:
