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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
 Posted - 09/04/2002 : 1:13:03 PM
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While chatting via email with Charles Vega, a Baltimore luthier who makes excellent classical guitars and other stringed instruments, I idly mentioned that I'd like to get a better 'uke some day. He made an offer I couldn't refuse, once I got back up from the floor - I'd fallen off my chair, I was so astounded.
He rattled off a variety of wood combinations, absolutely nixed my timid suggestion of a blue stain (cheesy, but I have a thing for blue), and when he mentioned Spanish cypress for b/s I had to have it. That's the wood used for flamenco guitars and it has a lasting fragrance. My nose picked it. European spruce top, Spanish cedar neck, and I'm not sure what he has in mind for headstock, fretboard, or binding, but I'm confident it will be beautiful. Beyond cypress, I've left the choices up to his greater experience (and what he has in his extensive wood stash). El Jefe is "consulting" on this, CV & he email a lot, so maybe El Jefe knows more details than I do!
It's a tenor.
I don't think any sawdust has been created yet, I'm not sure the plans are even final, but he made a fret cutting template already.
I'm so excited!
Pauline
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2002 : 1:26:01 PM
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pauline,
i can't wait for the next installment of your uke story!
aloha,
keith
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2002 : 7:11:40 PM
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Andy, no web site. He did get a digital camera, so maybe he has plans. That's his multi-string guitar. He has an entry in the Acoustic Guitar Mag's website list of manufacturers. I think the pic is the same.
Keith, you made a comment on another post about tuning choices and nut slots. Thanks!
I'm thinking of low G tuning on this tenor. Comments? Comments on wound strings, anyone?
Pauline |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2002 : 11:49:23 PM
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During Herb Ohta's `uke workshop in NYC, he briefly spoke about the low G (which is how his `uke is strung). In his opinion, you should string your `uke with the low G because it gives you more flexibility in tone and when playing lead. He mentioned the limitation of the `uke because it has four strings versus a guitar's six. Everyone will have their personal opinions, of course.
Andy |
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El Jefe
Aloha
14 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2002 : 12:54:35 AM
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El Senior Bega one fine kine bilder...
I been hammerin him for some time about ukes...musta sunk in..
I have fotos of a few of his guitars in front of me,...excellent stuff
He is particularly known for his Flamencos so I understand his suggestion to go for the cypress...should make a fine Uke particularly with the Low G tuning....
And of course a second one with standard tuning would be in order..
The basic idea as I understand it at this point is to follow traditional classic guitar principals and design and cosmetics down to a Mini rosette and slot head....
My project is similar but is a hybrid concert/tenor/cavaquinho..
more on that another time...most of my projects have been on hold since July..
Ms. P ... when you get this one you can find a proper use for the leopard fluke.....
El Jefe
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2002 : 12:45:14 PM
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Yes, I hope this is 1/10 as lovely as his flamenca negra, a gorgeous guitar. I feel so lucky and so honored.
Here's an update on the Flamenco 'Uke, excerpts from Charles Vega's emails. He is a man who loves wood. Does it show? Note that the 'uke will even have a Spanish foot, authentico!
quote:
With a little luck I`ll have the top and back halves joined up and they and the sides thicknessed this weekend. I have to be running the thicknessing sander anyway for the wood for a classical I`m starting so I might just as well run these through as well. I use the machine to get them in the ballpark and go by hand from there.
Might even get the rosette in.
The cypress I`m using is a little on the dark side.... for cypress. It`s usually very light in color with a yellowish cast before its finished. Even a water clear finish gives it a nice light honey color. It`s "Spanish" cypress, or more properly Mediterranean cypress. This stuff is probably either from Italy, Turkey or across the pond in Tunisia. There`s very little left in Spain that can be cut legally. You see it in cemeteries, lining the long driveways into the wine bodegas and big farms, etc. Lots of it on the grounds of the Alhambra but the authorities might frown on someone cutting it.
The top is European spruce, probably Italian. I got it from Rivolta [an Italian fine wood supplier] so I guess that`s what it is. This top has been seasoning a good 12-15 years. It`s really nice but would have some squirrley grain on the outer edges of the lower bout if I used it on a guitar. The cypress has been hanging around for a good while as well. I`ll use Sitka spruce for top braces. Light and strong.
Spanish cedar for the neck, back braces, linings, tail block and center reinforcement strip for the back. Also good smelling stuff. Not from Spain but from Central and South America. I think I`m going to do a Spanish foot neck. A lot of people think they`re time consuming but I can do one faster than I can a dovetail or a bolt on.
I`ll make the bridge and head veneer from either Brazilian rosewood or cocobolo. Both are gorgeous. I was going to use ebony for the fingerboard but I can go with Brazilian if you want. I have a whole bunch of oddball Brazilian pieces that would work. Same for the ebony. Personally, I think the ebony would look better.
Some sort of rosewoody stuff for bindings.....or maybe jatoba, aka Brazilian cherry. Pretty stuff.
Maybe I should make some more of these to whittle down my miscellaneous wood stash. Wouldn`t matter, I`d just get more.
I think with the mosaic rosette, which has a bit of red in it, the uke will look like a miniature flamenco guitar. The rosette is subtle, not garish. I think I`ll do a scaled down version of my new headstock crest also.
El Jefe, a slothead? He hadn't mentioned that; the headstock veneer makes more sense now.
Pauline
Edited by - Pauline Leland on 09/06/2002 12:50:49 |
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2002 : 8:56:30 PM
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Progress report!
Let’s see, the back halves are joined, same with the top, they’ve been thicknessed, the foot and heel are carved, the neck is roughed out, the headstock is veneered. The back and top braces must be glued in by now.
I told CV that he shouldn’t call a uke a little booger if he wanted to sell more of these. Of course, he immediately named it Little B. So, email excerpts -
quote:
Little B`s top, neck and tailblock are now a unit. Just finished clamping it up. Sides get bent tomorrow, maybe even assembled to the rest. Lookin` good so far...
I was planning on putting in some very fine b/w/b/w purfling around the top. None on the sides or around the back. Cocobolo bindings front and back,center strip(narrow) and butt inlay. Cocobolo heel cap to keep it all matched up. Should be purdy. [Fancy treatment for a uke!]...
Making progress. Sides bent and assembled to the rest. [Top linings and the top, I think.] They still have to be trimmed/tapered. I probably won`t get too much more done before the weekend, but you never know.
Big Mike stopped in to check the progress of the "git-tar for midgets". His comment..."Dang, `ats lookin` real good......what`s `at smell? Smells kinda like Vicks Vap-O-Rub". Guess he meant the cypress...
Big Mike says it’s lookin’ real good! Glee!
BTW, it will have Schaller tuning pegs, non-geared, so the peghead will not be slotted. I think.
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Pauline |
Edited by - Pauline Leland on 09/23/2002 8:58:57 PM |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 09/25/2002 : 1:40:08 PM
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hi pauline,
perhaps someone can tell you how to say "little booger" in hawaiian, it's bound to sound much more melodic.
schaller tuning pegs are nice, i have 'em on my maui music tenor uke.
it sounds like it is going to be wonderful...
aloha,
keith
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Keith |
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 09/26/2002 : 02:12:57 AM
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What was the phrase, it's boxed up now... The sides are bent, glued to the top/neck/block, and the back glued on. A uke with a mosaic rosette and purfling, it's gonna be gorgeous, and I think it's gonna sound gorgeous! Smell good, too.
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2002 : 11:15:27 AM
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It's here at last! I took the case out from cardboard, peanuts, and blister wrap immediately after sending off "It's Here" emails. Then I waited an antsy hour for it to warm up a bit before unzipping the case. The plan was to open it just a little and let the temperature slowly equalize, but somehow the zipper was unzipped, the lid fully open, and the lovely uke in my hands. No harm.
C. Vega made an exquisite little gem that truly looks like a small flamenco guitar. It even has all the touches you would expect on a fine guitar - wood binding, purfling, a back stripe, the works. It's visually beautiful. The darker binding, neck, and rosette contrast delightfully with the pale body woods. It's far too nice to take to the beach, but it will sound sweet in a backyard. And the tone is far, far sweeter than the Fluke. It's well intonated. I love it!
I'm still waiting for the order of Nylgut strings, so C.V. used D'Addario high tension classical guitar strings 1-4 on it which sounded better than a lower tension he tried.
It's a feather-weight and startling to pick up. The scale-length is an inch or two longer than the Fluke's, the body is larger than the Fluke's, and it weighs less than the Fluke.
The body fits very nicely in the Pro Tek case which is also very nice. There is an abundance of room at the headstock. The case would fit an instrument with a much longer neck, maybe a mando?
The personalized, ahem, label says "'Uke #1" and a customer/friend who had a chance to play it before he shipped it may be getting 'uke #2 she says. |
Pauline |
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wdf
Ha`aha`a
USA
1153 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2002 : 11:50:20 AM
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Congratulations Pauline! Now post some pictures and make some music.
Enjoy. |
Dusty |
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slackkey
Lokahi
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2002 : 2:20:33 PM
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Good Maui Morning Pauline! Congratulations! Can I try it? :O) Have fun with your gem of an Uke! A Hui Hou!
Imua! slackkey Bill |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2002 : 7:45:58 PM
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aloha e pauline,
wonderful! post some pictures! and the best part is - this comes with beautiful instruments - you're going to love it even more a year from now.
aloha nui loa,
keith
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2002 : 11:15:59 PM
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| Congrats Pauline! The description is wonderful. Hope to see some photos soon. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! |
Andy |
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2002 : 03:08:33 AM
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Thanks all.
I really would like to post pictures. First I need to get cracking and take some! I don't have a digital camera, so I'll need to find a developer that will put them on-line. |
Pauline |
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