Question for uke builders

How did you get in to making ukuleles? I wouldn't know where to start!

Did you walk in to a Luthier shop and ask to be an apprentice? It doesn't look too easy to make one to be honest.

I was a luthier for about 40 years and built or participated in the building of about 3,200 guitars and basses and repaired well over 1,000 instruments before getting into ukes. Uke building has it's own quirks...the most interesting (to me) being that I can build, and especially make tops with woods I'd never consider for acoustic guitar tops. There are some different rules going on in the uke pitch range and with nylon (or gut) strings. Why did I get into it? I like uke people, and as a musician, I've been more able to advance as a jazz player than with guitar.

"Four strings; four fingers; you do the math."

Everyone will have a different story. As a kid I never stopped making things or taking things apart. In my early twenties I started to play guitar, soon I decided I'd make one: it was a classical guitar. I found a book 'The classical guitar' by McLeod and Welford-its still available. I heard of a couple of guys making acoustic guitars, visited them and bought some mahogany and spruce for the soundbox. Over the next couple of years I made 5 guitars. It took me 120 hrs each instrument and I was frustrated by my lack of musical ability, so making fizzled out.

Fast forward almost 40 years. I was trekking in NZ and met a guy with a uke. Later I decided to buy one. I found it was easy to play compared with a guitar. If I can make a guitar, I can make a uke went my thoughts.

So I made a mould, made a tenor and 10 months on I've made 6 more tenors, 2 sopranos, 2 small guitars and a few repairs-all for the fun of it. Its addictive.

How to get started? Its so easy these days-youtube is packed with info on tools, techniques, jigs etc etc, there are many more books available and this forum helps enormously. We all start at different points in terms of experience/skill with hand tools: you dont need many power tools as a beginner. Give it a go, start simple.

Took a class. edit: the class was a gift to me, so it wasn't something I was looking to do or would've paid for myself.
Returned to the class on occasion to help teach, but there's a solid contingent now of helpers; read: former students.

That was the start.

A little off topic, but I'll mention that building is one thing; selling is a whole different story.

Hello
I watched a lot of youtube and then found the fantastic videos from Waverly Street (http://www.wsukes.com/plans.html). I watched these a couple of times, got some cheap rubbish wood and had a go. Made a few mistakes along the way (still do) but ended up with something recognisable as a uke. You need to make some jigs and suchlike on the way, so the second one is easier. Give it a go I say, what have you got to lose?
Max

I was teaching guitar making and a student also wanted to make a ukulele, so we did.

I built some guitars and mandolins many years ago and when my wife, who never played in her life, started playing ukes one of our friends ask me why didn't I build her one. So I did and it has been hook, line and sinker ever since. I really love building them! I think I'm in the neighborhood of having built 37 or so now.
terry

I started out wanting to build a mandolin, which I've played for a while. I figured I'd start simple with a Stew-Mac soprano uke kit. Finished the kit, and decided I could do better. So I built another. And another. 35 ukes and one guitar later, I still haven't gotten to that mandolin.

I was asked by Collier Thelan to make 6 & 8 string tenors for him 20 years ago. The rest is history...

I'm cheap!
I was playing a plastic Flute uke for a few years and wanted to upgrade to something nicer. I had been a woodworker for a number of years, so I already had most of the equipment I needed, so I thought, "how hard could it be?"
HA!!! I was very naïve.
Now I'm on #26 and I can't stop!

Serendipity

When I had begun learning to play I found Pete's "How to play Hot Tamales" video and learned the song. Then I looked for other PH videos, hoping to be taught more songs... What I found, instead, of course, were build videos. Serendipity! I have had a love of and (maybe) talent for woodworking since I was a child... That, coupled with my (then) new interest in ukulele and my "discovery" of Pete's videos (and others, of course) sort of converged in a perfect storm. I guess I should thank Robert Johnson, Pete Howlett, and an amazingly patient wife.

I started building acoustic guitars and then was asked to attend a luthiers conference that was focused on the ukulele. Was told if I was to attend I had to bring along a uke I built. A fellow saw it there and had to own it. That was the easy part.

I had made a couple of guitars from kits. My sister visited with a 6 string tenor ukulele. After rolling around the floor laughing, she played it. Wow. Bought a tenor of my own. Decided it was better to be a reasonable uke player than a bad guitar player and converted. It's also more sensible for me to build ukes as the size of my workshop machines are better suited to the smaller instruments.
Miguel

Almost 30 years ago, (back when I was a guitarist), my wife bought me a top of line guitar kit from LMI for Christmas. I was so excited when I got it. Then I opened it up and spread out the materials. There was a three foot long 4 inch by 4 piece of wood which puzzled me. A note attached cheerfully told me I could probably get 3 necks out of the piece. I expected, you know, a neck and at first couldn't figure out what the pretty 4x4 was for. The top and back were 2 non-thicknessed, unjointed plates as well as assorted mysterious blocks of wood. At that point I was very discouraged and knew I was way out of my depth.

So I started out building dulcimers which I figured would be easier (they were) and then I would build the guitar. Later I started on ukes and have been hooked ever since. The kit by the way still sits in my closet where I occasionally eye the plates as uke material. You might want to try starting out on a dulcimer which is very forgiving since there really is no tension and then go to an uke kit. Or go right to the uke. You will need a few specialized hand tools (which Stew-Mac and LMI will be only too happy to sell you), but the things can be built almost totally using hand tools (if you have the patience) and a little carpentry skill... Now if Santa would just give me a drum-sander for Christmas I might start on the guitar... Naw, I got ukes to build.