THIS IS WHERE I HAVE A LOT OF FUN. :)
I fiddle away in a very sawdust filled corner of my garage making whatever comes into my mind. Just to set the standard I am going to start with my biggest flop.
MY SIX STRING, ADJUSTABLE NECK, UKULELE.
Before I show you the pictures I need to tell you that I love to experiment with my designs. I see something on the web which I like and then try and build it into my ukulele creation. This time it was an adjustable neck, which after a lot of fiddling worked very well indeed. ( I do have some successes!)
The next idea that I saw was a sound hole around the bottom of the sound board, and the ring for the string fixing. I went off to the plumber and found a suitable pipe and then proceeded to fashion it for its new function. It worked well, so i strung it up and the whole of the sound box collapsed on me! :(
I went back to where I saw the idea and saw that I needed to put in a "solid structure" at the tail piece for the string fixture to attach to. I did this and thought that i had made a good job of it... BUT... just a few days ago I picked up the uke to play and it had collapsed again. So now I am afraid I will cannibalise it for what might be re-useable, but the rest will go into the bin.
Here are the pictures of my almighty flop.
I fiddle away in a very sawdust filled corner of my garage making whatever comes into my mind. Just to set the standard I am going to start with my biggest flop.
MY SIX STRING, ADJUSTABLE NECK, UKULELE.
Before I show you the pictures I need to tell you that I love to experiment with my designs. I see something on the web which I like and then try and build it into my ukulele creation. This time it was an adjustable neck, which after a lot of fiddling worked very well indeed. ( I do have some successes!)
The next idea that I saw was a sound hole around the bottom of the sound board, and the ring for the string fixing. I went off to the plumber and found a suitable pipe and then proceeded to fashion it for its new function. It worked well, so i strung it up and the whole of the sound box collapsed on me! :(
I went back to where I saw the idea and saw that I needed to put in a "solid structure" at the tail piece for the string fixture to attach to. I did this and thought that i had made a good job of it... BUT... just a few days ago I picked up the uke to play and it had collapsed again. So now I am afraid I will cannibalise it for what might be re-useable, but the rest will go into the bin.
Here are the pictures of my almighty flop.
The thing is that before it all fell in a heap, it played quite well. Oh well... back to the drawing board!
THE UKULELE BASS
This too has a bit of a story attached to it. I designed it and made it to accommodate a 19.5 inch string length using the Ashbory silicon strings. I did have to modify the tailpiece string fixation but it all worked very well. I love the sound of those silicon strings, but cant have them keep on breaking.
I fixed an under bridge piezo and I was away with my uke bass which I did not have clue how to play.
I read on the various web pages that the 1st string on the Ashbory basses often broke for no reason at all. Sometimes it was said that the second string broke for no reason at all. Well, both of those things happened to me, so I have oredered some Kuala strings and I await them anxiously.
However here are few pictures for you to look at and when the new strings come I will post the update.
THE UKULELE BASS
This too has a bit of a story attached to it. I designed it and made it to accommodate a 19.5 inch string length using the Ashbory silicon strings. I did have to modify the tailpiece string fixation but it all worked very well. I love the sound of those silicon strings, but cant have them keep on breaking.
I fixed an under bridge piezo and I was away with my uke bass which I did not have clue how to play.
I read on the various web pages that the 1st string on the Ashbory basses often broke for no reason at all. Sometimes it was said that the second string broke for no reason at all. Well, both of those things happened to me, so I have oredered some Kuala strings and I await them anxiously.
However here are few pictures for you to look at and when the new strings come I will post the update.
MY JAZZ UKE.
This one is based on a picture I saaw of a carbon fibre guitar. I actually played a similar model and loved the sound it gave so I sat down and designed my own version made from ordinary 3 ply wood and odd wood around the garage. It is lovely. It gives a good punchy sound, very quick decay and excellent volume. This was a good build and is my main non amplified uke and used daily ("If" I practice)
This one is based on a picture I saaw of a carbon fibre guitar. I actually played a similar model and loved the sound it gave so I sat down and designed my own version made from ordinary 3 ply wood and odd wood around the garage. It is lovely. It gives a good punchy sound, very quick decay and excellent volume. This was a good build and is my main non amplified uke and used daily ("If" I practice)
MY ELECTRIC UKULELE STICKS.
I never thought that I would go for an amplified ukulele (well, bass excepted) however I am hooked on these great little things for jazz. I got the idea from the Risa Elctric Ukulele and then I saw a You Tube version done by a young man. So from them both I created my own versions.
They both have a tenor string length but one is tuned as a baritone and the other as a regular tenor. I just swap them around rather like a key change as I play the exact same frets as the music chord requires on the tenor! A little bit of a different tone, but most pleasant.
I have created a trapezoidal neck on one of them as it suits my three finger style and extra use of my thumb.
The under bridge piezo pick works well and as yet I have not found room to put in a pre amp, but I am not sure it is really required. I have battery amp and also a 10 watt amp from the mains. The mains is best but the battery amp does very well in the front room.
I have made two so far, the first one I had to modify for the amp plug which I had forgotten to design for. The second one does not have a "hole right through the tuning area", it also has a bone turn around instead of the aluminium tube. The bone looks best but I think the aluminium works better.
I am sure to make another version having used these for a while.
I think this suits jazz ukulele brilliantly and a few others who have heard it and played are delighted at this little beauty. It is really a poor mans Risa but different enough to not really be a rip off.
I never thought that I would go for an amplified ukulele (well, bass excepted) however I am hooked on these great little things for jazz. I got the idea from the Risa Elctric Ukulele and then I saw a You Tube version done by a young man. So from them both I created my own versions.
They both have a tenor string length but one is tuned as a baritone and the other as a regular tenor. I just swap them around rather like a key change as I play the exact same frets as the music chord requires on the tenor! A little bit of a different tone, but most pleasant.
I have created a trapezoidal neck on one of them as it suits my three finger style and extra use of my thumb.
The under bridge piezo pick works well and as yet I have not found room to put in a pre amp, but I am not sure it is really required. I have battery amp and also a 10 watt amp from the mains. The mains is best but the battery amp does very well in the front room.
I have made two so far, the first one I had to modify for the amp plug which I had forgotten to design for. The second one does not have a "hole right through the tuning area", it also has a bone turn around instead of the aluminium tube. The bone looks best but I think the aluminium works better.
I am sure to make another version having used these for a while.
I think this suits jazz ukulele brilliantly and a few others who have heard it and played are delighted at this little beauty. It is really a poor mans Risa but different enough to not really be a rip off.
MY STICK UKULELE BASS.
I have taken a series of pictures of this construction process, but at this time it is not yet ready to publish. However here is a picture of the Bass Stick Ukulele in its finished state.
Why call it a Uke? Well for two reasons the solid body has a "uke like" appearance (!) and secondly it has a 19.5 inch string length with relates to the ukulele bass instruments that are being sold commercially. It has an on board pre amp, but is clearly an electric only instrument.
I have taken a series of pictures of this construction process, but at this time it is not yet ready to publish. However here is a picture of the Bass Stick Ukulele in its finished state.
Why call it a Uke? Well for two reasons the solid body has a "uke like" appearance (!) and secondly it has a 19.5 inch string length with relates to the ukulele bass instruments that are being sold commercially. It has an on board pre amp, but is clearly an electric only instrument.
making_a_stick_uke.pdf | |
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making_an_electric_ukulele_bass_v1_opt.pdf | |
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