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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
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    Strathalbyn South Australia
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    1,141

    Default In need of a quick ukulele!

    So I decided to book in to an 8 week ukulele course last week, great I thought to myself now I can finally start to learn how to play. Oh wait, I don’t own a ukulele! I got into the shed after work Wednesday and Thursday and again today, this is the result [emoji16]





    There is a bit of everything in this one, usual Claret Ash for the neck and body and back, King Billy pine for the soundboard, bit of scrappy vic Ash for the fretboard and bridge, Blackwood for the sides of the headstock and Myrtle for the tailpiece. Even sounds like a ukulele!

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Mornington Peninsula
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    2,741

    Default

    Not a bad effort for 3 days work.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    blue mountains
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    4,882

    Default

    I agree. Pretty good for 3 days work.
    Looks like you have tuned it low G too going by the wound string. I tend to prefer that these days for concert and tenor size. Sort of mellows things a bit.
    Enjoy the course.
    Regards
    John

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
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    Strathalbyn South Australia
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    Default

    Thanks John, tuned gCEA but they were the only strings I had in the shed. Will hopefully have some proper strings by Wednesday for the course. After that I may change the tuning.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
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    Strathalbyn South Australia
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    Default

    A short clip of my mate playing it, in the clip there is a bit of buzz from the bridge. I changed out the original bridge due to buzz and had to fit a bone saddle and then slot the saddle a bit further again. Still waiting on my strings to turn up, I did a 2 hour return trip to get some on Sunday only to find that they gave me two single low g strings instead of two sets. They said that they would post them out, see what happens [emoji848]
    https://youtu.be/HHCnWTsQ7kc

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Gold Coast
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    1,050

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by orraloon View Post
    I agree. Pretty good for 3 days work.
    Looks like you have tuned it low G too going by the wound string. I tend to prefer that these days for concert and tenor size. Sort of mellows things a bit.
    Enjoy the course.
    Regards
    John
    Because I am a complete novice, could I be so bold to ask how you could tell from those photos that it has been tuned to a low G and also that it is a wounded string.

    I have a lot to learn.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Minbun, FNQ, Australia
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    66
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    12,881

    Default

    The wound string is a different colour, it is usually used for low G, not many sting makers use solid nylon for low G.
    Cliff.
    If you find a post of mine that is missing a pic that you'd like to see, let me know & I'll see if I can find a copy.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    blue mountains
    Posts
    4,882

    Default

    This will explain wound strings better than I can.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_(music)
    Regards
    John

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Newcastle
    Age
    69
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    1,071

    Default

    Wow! That is a nice instrument. Take a whole week for the next one and see what you come up with. So much better than going to the music shop and buying a forty dollar Kala. The playing should be a breeze for you.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Gold Coast
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    Quote Originally Posted by orraloon View Post
    This will explain wound strings better than I can.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_(music)
    Regards
    John
    Thanks John. I am sorry I asked. Ignorance is bliss. I now feel I know even less than I did when I asked the question. The person in the Ukulele adv. saying " You too can play the Ukulele. I can have you playing within five minutes of starting. " needs to be taken out the back and shot.

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Minbun, FNQ, Australia
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    Read my post, that is the simple answer, you don't need to know all that Wiki stuff to play a Uke.
    Cliff.
    If you find a post of mine that is missing a pic that you'd like to see, let me know & I'll see if I can find a copy.

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Strathalbyn South Australia
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    Default

    A standard ukulele tuning is all in the same octave, G4 C4 E4 A4, they are not in alphabetical order. A low G tuned string is an octave lower than the rest “g3”or a bass note if you like. The g string shown on my ukulele is not a solid string like all the others are it has a solid core and a fine winding around the core. This wound string has less tension put on it via the tuning head compared to the tension on a G4 string thus giving a lower octave. I haven’t tried it but I don’t think you could go up an octave without breaking the wound string. On the other hand if you were to use a G4 (standard string) and backed it off to the lower octave G it would not ring out the same as the wound string would. Pete, for your ukulele build, just keep it simple and use a standard set of strings for it.
    I have just today strung this ukulele up in standard tuning, I got it done by 5pm and the course started at 6pm. The strings needed retuning through the evening as they are still bedding in. Hopefully they will settle in ok over the next couple of days (I know I will still need to tune it each time I play besides this)
    It was a really great evening and I now have some homework to do before next week, the instructor is a very nice chap and he was very interested in my ukulele and my little story of how I come to making it.

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
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    Strathalbyn South Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by Toymaker Len View Post
    Wow! That is a nice instrument. Take a whole week for the next one and see what you come up with. So much better than going to the music shop and buying a forty dollar Kala. The playing should be a breeze for you.
    Thank you Len, I don’t know if you saw my baritone ukulele build here? It took six months and looks and sounds a whole lot better than this one. I have another two of them to make, one for me and one for another daughter. I think I will make a few more of this one too, I have already seen changes that will be made. The main change will be routing a rebate either side of the solid stock that makes up the sides of the body to drop the soundboard down. If you are unsure what I am talking about, the neck and sides of the body are made from one piece, the sides are cut with a bandsaw and the centre of the billet is removed. The sides are then bent out from the neck with a steam iron and shaped to form the body. The top on this one is stuck onto the sides that sit at the same height as the top of the neck prior to the fretboard going on. In doing this, I had to cut the fretboard underside where it goes over the soundboard. If I rebate the top of the billet first the soundboard will sit flush with the top of the neck allowing for a solid fretboard all the way. I did think about all this prior to making the cuts with the bandsaw and somehow forgot to do it in all my haste to get it done. Anyway onwards and sidewards [emoji16]

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Chifley, ACT Australia
    Posts
    313

    Default

    Jealous... I started a couple of Ukeleles like 3 years ago... Using the "proper" luthiery techniques, but not sure it will be worth the effort, either musically or aesthetically. Of course I am both an amateur Luthier AND Woodworker. I own mostly hand tools... still.

    Yours looks like a beauty... what does it sound like?

    J

  16. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Chifley, ACT Australia
    Posts
    313

    Default

    Sorry should have taken care to have read the other posts...

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