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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
 Posted - 12/29/2003 : 12:39:12 AM
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Mahalo Pauline! I think every first-time luthier looks at the first project with both triumph, because it's done, and disgust because of too many mistakes.
My next uke will have many additions and many changes, but I'll stick to mahogahy because it's cheap and easy to work. If I ever get good at it, I'll buy some AAA koa and build my dream machine.
Jesse Tinsley |
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 12/29/2003 : 3:45:33 PM
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Speaking of building `ukuleles  , Ken Potts has/will shortly have a video on building an `ukulele that he put together with Rudy Aquion. It will have a description of building plus a lot of ukulele music. Proceeds will go to the children of Dennis Pavao, great falsetto singer and an icon of Hawaiian music says Andy.
Here's a link to his ad on FleaMarketMusic. It's near the top of the page. I hope he'll be putting something on this site and maybe even joining the discussion. http://www.fleamarketmusic.com/marketplace/default.asp |
Pauline |
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konacat
Aloha
36 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2004 : 01:12:30 AM
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Jessie,
Thank you for sharing your work and time with us. I am sure many people have enjoyed reading about this endeavor. The Ukulele looks very good so take pride in what you accomplished. If I can ever find any room to work in I would like to give it a try. Quite a handicap: no room, no tools and a wife.
I was playing my uke while waiting for my truck to have its oil changed. The manager says he is from Hawaii and has made some ukuleles. He soon returned with a six-string uke and let me see it while he went back to work. Yours looks much better and I would guess yours plays a lot better then this one. This uke could be used as an outrigger paddle. Thick but maybe no bracing since the top had sunken in from the string tension. I of course told the man that he did a good job and that it must be difficult to build ukuleles.
Did you have difficulty with the fretting? How is the intonation?
Best of luck on your next ukulele.
Thanks again
Philip
P.S. I'm thinking about getting the DVD version of ukulele building video from KP Ukulele. Sounds interesting and its for a good cause. The price is $40.00 for VHF or DVD which includes shipping. |
Philip The only thing worse than my playing is my singing. |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2004 : 01:33:34 AM
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Aloha e Phil,
My "just do it" admonition to other ukulele lovers probably sounds hollow to those who work hard already to keep house and family together. I'm married, my wife and I both work, and we have two boys, 5 and 2. They demand a lot of time (and deserve it) and my wife needs every break I can give her. That means I don't get much jam time with my island buddies, though we jammed from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. New Years Day.
Most of my building was done between 9:30 and 11:30 at night in the basement, after the kids were in bed. The only major new tool I bought was a tiny benchtop bandsaw, which I bought used in a pawn shop for $75 (should've bought it new for $99). It sits in the corner of the garage, and when I need it, I brave 20-degree temps to make a few cuts and run back inside to thaw out my fingers! You can really do it, though, with a coping saw and other hand tools. Sometimes hand tools are better because you have to take your time with them. A few other tools I bought are a rasp, a coping saw and a long handled Stanley chisel.
As far as the playability, intonation and setup go, my uke works pretty well. I play mostly in C and G, just simple island tunes, and it sounds like it should, only quieter.
I followed the fretting measurements from Denis Gilbert's uke book right down to the 1/64th measurements. I've found one note on the second string that sounds a little flat and that might be a string anomaly. I've had a Martin, a Kamaka, a Harmony and various other ukes and even the best ones have some lone fret, some octave, some single string, some chord or some strum characteristic that sounds flat/sharp or sickly. So I wouldn't let fear of a small defect stop you from trying.
I think every uke has some weakness whether you pay $50 or $1000 for it. And I don't have the money to be a snob about the name of the luthier who built my ukulele. I inherited an old Kamaka, but I can't afford another tenor, even a cheap one. Now I have one I designed, plus it has a pickup for jamming through a PA system.
I've just ordered two more kits from Hanalima.com and I'll try to sell a couple. My brand will be "Kainui Ukulele". If they don't sell, it's still a blast.
Jamming with my buddies last night, the new uke blended well with the guitar and stayed in tune pretty well. And every once in a while, I thought I sounded like Troy Fernandez.
That's why we play 'ukulele, isn't it?
Hau'oli Makahiki Hou everybody,
Jesse Tinsley
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David
Akahai
92 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2004 : 12:24:33 PM
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| Hapa kid, sounds like the project gave you the building bug, and is pushing you onward to the extent that Troy Fernandez must be a bit worried. I enjoyed reading about this adventure. It's very common in guitar and banjo building to purchase a pre-cut fretboard, often with fancy inlay, and just apply this to the neck. I like that you accomplished this on your own. |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2004 : 10:59:03 PM
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Aloha David,
I definitely have the building bug! I have completed four and am well into my fifth one.
Since this thread is fairly old, here's a quick update on my projects:
1. http://www.imbris.net/~jessehj/ukulele/finishuke.jpg
2. http://www.imbris.net/~jessehj/ukulele/finishkoauke.jpg
3. http://www.imbris.net/~jessehj/ukulele/finishcutaway.jpg
4. http://www.imbris.net/~jessehj/ukulele/finishdolphinuke.jpg
All four were built from Hanalima.com kits and plans, but I've recently tried to find local sources for wood to cut down on my overall costs per uke, especially since I'm still learning. I gave away my first three to friends and family, but hope to sell a few someday. It's hard to part with something you've worked so hard on. Using basic kits from Hanalima, my cost was about $100 per uke, plus extras like a pickup or added ornamentation.
My newest uke is made of curly Northwest maple with northwest-grown spruce top.
For all the joy they bring, the world can't have enough ukes! I was recently requested to build a uke with a peace sign soundhole for a guy who loved the late George Harrison and his music.
I'm planning to build a Weissenborn guitar and a parlor guitar next.
Jesse Tinsley
Kainui Ukulele |
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David
Akahai
92 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2004 : 09:53:13 AM
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Hey Jesse,
It might be an old thread but it certainly is a fascinating one. Your progress is remarkable. I could see you entering your first project with the spirit of apprenticeship, band didn't expect for you to start ripping so quickly. Most impressive is your generosity, which must be the Hawaiian in you. What a perfect gift, with so much of you in the product.
If you don't mind, I do have some questions. Your first ukulele had a thick top and heavier bracing. What have you learned about tonewood, top thickness and bracing? Your finish look nice. I'm assuming you applied some kind of lacquer What kind and how did you apply? How did you achieve the proper angle at the neck heel? Did you build an alignment jig, and if so at what angle?
Love those dolphin sound-hole cutouts, imagining you carefully coping this. Looks like you routed out a binding for this one, and perhaps the standard shaped spruce top one as well. I hope you keep on posting your progress, as well as that weisenborn.
Aloha |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2004 : 1:40:29 PM
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Hi Kawika,
Thanks for the kind words. As a do-it-yourselfer and Hawaiian music lover, there's no better hobby. Most of us like to pick up a new guitar and see if it sounds good. But the thrill of stringing up a new uke you made is beyond cool. Even if they look a little crude.
To answer your questions, the finish on these are simple and rustic, just Formby's Tung Oil Finish. It's a rub-on finish that leaves the grain exposed. I just put on several coats, leaving it to dry overnight between coats. Most high-end instruments have sprayed lacquer on them because it's the thinnest coating available and that is supposed to allow the wood to move freely and be shiny. My finish is thicker and durable and it sounds fine. Plus I don't need a spray booth.
The neck angle is a non-problem if you build with a "spanish heel", an integral neck/heel block that locks the sides and top into the block from the beginning. You assemble it all face down on a flat surface so the soundboard and the neck face (without fretboard) is absolutely level. You adjust action with the height of the bridge. Ukes are much less critical than guitars in that respect.
If you're thinking of building, check out hanalima.com's website and go through the slide shows. The book "Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology" is $25 well spent.
You mentioned binding, but mine have all been crude and uneven. For ease, I use only wood bindings-easy to glue and sand. I have a Dremel Moto-tool set into a simple router table to make the channel.
The dolphin cutouts were made with a spiral cutter spinning on the little router table.
My goal is a uke that sounds "Hawaiian", as opposed to jazzy or old-timey. I just want it to sound good with someone singing along.
I know I can't make museum quality boutique instruments, so I'm concentrating on designs that interest me.
Coincidentally, you'll probably see the dolphin uke and the new maple uke on Ebay soon because I need to raise money to go to the June music camp in Maui!
Jesse Tinsley |
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huiohana
Lokahi
115 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2004 : 4:25:41 PM
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Aloha brada Jesse,
Just wanted to comment on your ukulele's. They look really good. I think, especially it seems with your undying love to build, you should seriously think about growing this side of you and maybe make it more of a business besides Ebay. I don't know a lick about building instruments, but I like the look of the finish products and reading your aloha for your craft, I believe you could give Kamaka Ukulele's a run for their money. Good luck, brah...A hui hou, Keali'i Kahumoku. |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 04/22/2004 : 02:11:32 AM
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Mahalo Keali'i!
I can't afford anything from Kawika Hurd's shop, but I can make something that sounds like it!
My day job is as a photographer for a newspaper, part of my other passion. That pays the bills AND it's fun. I'd like to grow the uke biz, but I bet as soon as I became known and got an order backlog of two or three years of building, I'd get bored already!
Better to build one, sit on the porch swing with it for a few hours, then sell it or give it to a friend and start again. The three people who received the first three ukes are very happy people these days. Can't buy that in a store.
Jesse Tinsley |
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David
Akahai
92 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2004 : 10:56:53 AM
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Hapa Kid,
Here's a link you might not have seen about a weissenborn project.
http://www.rahul.net/gaa/Weiss/
I've also seen a site dedicated to dobro type squareneck resonator guitar building, but a weissenborn effort seems more exciting. I know stew-mac has plans which look like they are probably good ..... having been created by an avid collector.
Hui Ohana ... I also believe this could develop into a nice little business, as long as the effort is rewarding. And who's to say what will be museum quality 100 years from now. Perhaps collectors will be franticly rummaging through attics looking for that rare and much sought after Tinsley ... rather than the common and mass produced instruments. Perhaps they will research the Ancient and cobwebby Taropatch.net archives and read this very thread in an effort to learn more of this legendary craftsman!!!!! |
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huiohana
Lokahi
115 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2004 : 7:08:07 PM
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Brada David,
DITTO TO THAT!
A hui hou, Keali'i. |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 04/25/2004 : 01:31:01 AM
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I've looked at that Weissenborn project page on the internet many times, and I keep going back there to get inspiration. I'm sorting through my wood to find the right combination of panels for that guitar.
I just strung up my fifth uke. Here's a link:
http://www.imbris.net/~jessehj/ukulele/finishdoublepukauke.jpg
It plays okay, but the sound is a little sharp, not as mellow as my koa and mahogany ukes. It's my first uke out of local woods, in this case big leaf maple. It's nice and curly, but doesn't resonate like the softer woods.
But it looks good and the sound is a little old-timey, kind of like a banjo.
The neck is mahogany, fretboard is rosewood bound with maple and the soundholes are bound with koa. Once I get the set-up right, I'll probably Ebay it cheap and start again with warmer woods.
Jesse Tinsley
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2004 : 03:02:06 AM
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I got my new maple uke set up and playing, but it just didn't sound Hawaiian. So it's on Ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3721459105
Sorry about the shameless plug, but I was so honest in my description of why I didn't like it, no one may bid on it!
Jesse Tinsley
Kainui Ukulele |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2004 : 2:20:15 PM
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Aloha kakou,
Here's a peak at another one of my ukes, a brainstorm I just had to try.
http://www.imbris.net/~jessehj/ukulele/finishyewk.jpg
I call it my "redneck yewk".
It has yew back/sides and a spruce top. The neck is mahogany. It's a little plinky, which is probably because I overbraced the top thinking it would be too bassy and muddy if I didn't. So I'm making another and carving the braces way back. We'll see what happens.
Jesse Tinsley |
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