White pine tenor

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jcalkin

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This week I made a tenor body that was intended to be 100% white pine. But I got lazy and used mahogany lining and red spruce braces because they were already made up. The wood came from a book shelf I tore down, and about half the width of each board was 1/4 sawn. I just want to hear how it sounds, and one way or the other I intend to post a sound sample. If its decent I'll keep it, if not its dumpster fodder. Thought you might like to see some early photos. Note that it took a bend like no other wood I've used. I back lit 2 of the pix with a 100 watt lamp.
 

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I'm really interested in hearing how this sounds. I've read you Heretic's Guide many times.
 
Convention says it should be loud, brash, with little sustain. For two decades I played a white pine dulcimer that was just the opposite, sedate and warm. So one never knows what's what with wooden instruments. Curiosity is the only reason for this uke. If it sounds OK I'll be happy to keep it, though its going to be the Plainest Jane I can make it.
 
John, a couple of years back I made a pine soprano plain jane uke (although I did add a simple ring rosette). It sounded just fine and the owner was glad to get it. It was cheap wood but nicely quartered. I'm sure yours will sound great.

jcalkin said:
Convention says it should be loud, brash, with little sustain. For two decades I played a white pine dulcimer that was just the opposite, sedate and warm. So one never knows what's what with wooden instruments. Curiosity is the only reason for this uke. If it sounds OK I'll be happy to keep it, though its going to be the Plainest Jane I can make it.
Click to expand...
 
Built three small guitars with pine back and sides with cedar tops. Sounded fine. I have some quartered tight grained pine to make an all pine box but building from it will have to wait. Actually want to make a 19" baritone sized six string with some of it.

Bent fine,

BuildNo268_zps6436ce2c.jpg


Not quartered, dents easy enough but so far with no pampering for humidity no cracks.

BuildNo2-146_zpsfaf09276.jpg


Took it to a local luthier last year and he said it sounded fine, took another look at the back when I told him it was pine.
 
BlackBearUkes said:
John, a couple of years back I made a pine soprano plain jane uke (although I did add a simple ring rosette). It sounded just fine and the owner was glad to get it. It was cheap wood but nicely quartered. I'm sure yours will sound great.
Click to expand...

Duane, I'm betting that it does sound just fine, which makes it fit into my heretics view very nicely. I'm already thinking about using it for a finish technique that I've probably been sitting on for 15 years (I had to check that the finish was still in usable condition). Every now and then we have to prove to ourselves that we don't take ourselves too seriously. Thanks for the encouragement.
 
The Tenors I made from pallet wood (sort of a white pine i suppose) all sounded good :)
 
printer2 said:
Built three small guitars with pine back and sides with cedar tops. Sounded fine. I have some quartered tight grained pine to make an all pine box but building from it will have to wait. Actually want to make a 19" baritone sized six string with some of it.

Bent fine,

BuildNo268_zps6436ce2c.jpg


Not quartered, dents easy enough but so far with no pampering for humidity no cracks.

BuildNo2-146_zpsfaf09276.jpg


Took it to a local luthier last year and he said it sounded fine, took another look at the back when I told him it was pine.
Click to expand...

Very cool! Its important to me to show that anyone can go to Lowes (for example) and buy the wood for a decent instrument. The price of getting into lutherie doesn't have to be exorbitant. A friend of mine used the word zoftig, meaning an ultimate. We all want to work with zoftig wood, but the future of music may depend on available materials proving to be just as usable.
 
Timbuck said:
The Tenors I made from pallet wood (sort of a white pine i suppose) all sounded good :)
Click to expand...


That's wonderful to know, Ken. Thanks. I've made necks out of pallet wood, but never an instrument body. Its as I've long thought, the outcome depends on the luthier, not so much the materials.
 
jcalkin said:
Very cool! Its important to me to show that anyone can go to Lowes (for example) and buy the wood for a decent instrument.
Click to expand...

Agreed John. Here's a tenor made of all poplar from Lowes. About $10 worth of wood. A little bubinga and bloodwood for the necessary parts. :cool:

poplarT2_zpsengmalyb.jpg


Certainly not the typical piece found at Lowes, but I keep an eye out for a nice stick in the stack. Looking forward to seeing your pine uke!
 
RPA_Ukuleles said:
Agreed John. Here's a tenor made of all poplar from Lowes. About $10 worth of wood. A little bubinga and bloodwood for the necessary parts. :cool:

poplarT2_zpsengmalyb.jpg


Certainly not the typical piece found at Lowes, but I keep an eye out for a nice stick in the stack. Looking forward to seeing your pine uke!
Click to expand...

That's a sweet, clean looking build. Poplar is under-rated just because its cheap (and usually plain, I admit). I have some poplar from a tree that Thomas Jefferson planted and mentioned in his garden journal. Around Monticello they refer to it as Poplar1 (as opposed to Poplar2, planted at the same time on the opposite side of the house but not mentioned in his journal.) So far I'm just sitting on it. Your poplar looks prettier.
 
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RPA_Ukuleles said:
Here's a tenor made of all poplar from Lowes. About $10 worth of wood.
Click to expand...
jcalkin said:
I have some poplar from a tree that Thomas Jefferson planted and mentioned in his garden journal....Your poplar looks prettier.
Click to expand...
Still, I'm guessing wood from a tree that Jefferson planted would fetch more than $10! :p
Is that "authenticated" in some way? If so, I'd imagine that would fetch some kind of premium. Maybe if you used it for back/sides and blinged up the face with something prettier?
 
RPA_Ukuleles said:
Agreed John. Here's a tenor made of all poplar from Lowes. About $10 worth of wood. A little bubinga and bloodwood for the necessary parts. :cool:

poplarT2_zpsengmalyb.jpg


Certainly not the typical piece found at Lowes, but I keep an eye out for a nice stick in the stack. Looking forward to seeing your pine uke!
Click to expand...

Wow, that is drop dead gorgeous!

Bob

bOB
 
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