Hi All,
I'm a relative newbie here, having recently been bitten by the ukulele bug. We have a boutique shop making carbon fiber violins and I spent some pre retirement (early) years developing our instrument. We've become pretty good at working in carbon fiber and wood (our fiddles have epoxy permeated CF reinforced wooden necks).
For sometime now I've been wanting to make a CF ukulele. It's such a flexible and fun instrument that one really ought to be able to take it anywhere. I'm a huge fan of traditional wooden instruments, but I wouldn't want to take anything I currently own to the beach or other hostile environments. We've got violins in places like Africa, Alaska, Bali and other challenging environments.
So, I'm asking for some help regarding what to make as our initial instrument. I've talked to some folks and I've about become convinced that a tenor size would make sense. I'm also considering making it a long-neck tenor for additional flexibility. On the other hand, if the intent is a quality instrument with great sound that you can take anywhere, there are advantages to the smaller size of a concert. What do you think?
I'm designing this thing to be attractive, offer plenty of volume and resonance. I'm also designing it to be attractive while not being overly difficult to make, as my target pricing is around $800 - $900. The first offering will be all CF (aside from wooden accents) with a hollow neck. As we have CNC capability I'm also considering the option of adding some optional inlay work in wood or perhaps MOP. Like our violins they will be primarily bench made entirely in our shop here in California.
Please feel free to toss out any ideas, wants, etc.
Thanks,
Robert
I'm a relative newbie here, having recently been bitten by the ukulele bug. We have a boutique shop making carbon fiber violins and I spent some pre retirement (early) years developing our instrument. We've become pretty good at working in carbon fiber and wood (our fiddles have epoxy permeated CF reinforced wooden necks).
For sometime now I've been wanting to make a CF ukulele. It's such a flexible and fun instrument that one really ought to be able to take it anywhere. I'm a huge fan of traditional wooden instruments, but I wouldn't want to take anything I currently own to the beach or other hostile environments. We've got violins in places like Africa, Alaska, Bali and other challenging environments.
So, I'm asking for some help regarding what to make as our initial instrument. I've talked to some folks and I've about become convinced that a tenor size would make sense. I'm also considering making it a long-neck tenor for additional flexibility. On the other hand, if the intent is a quality instrument with great sound that you can take anywhere, there are advantages to the smaller size of a concert. What do you think?
I'm designing this thing to be attractive, offer plenty of volume and resonance. I'm also designing it to be attractive while not being overly difficult to make, as my target pricing is around $800 - $900. The first offering will be all CF (aside from wooden accents) with a hollow neck. As we have CNC capability I'm also considering the option of adding some optional inlay work in wood or perhaps MOP. Like our violins they will be primarily bench made entirely in our shop here in California.
Please feel free to toss out any ideas, wants, etc.
Thanks,
Robert