Aero Uke Amateur Build Complete

BruceCrook

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It seemed like the perfect retirement gift for a co-worker that is also a private pilot and ukulele player. This was my 4th build; a copy of the 1930’s vintage uke originally made by either Harmony or Stromberg-Voisenet. I could not find any size info so I designed it around the images available on-line. I can post dimension drawings if anyone is interested. It has quarter sawn Sitka spruce top (also an old airplane wood) with mahogany bent back and sides. With a very limited build time I used the concert neck kit from Mainland Ukulele in Nashville Indiana not far from my home. These necks are great for hobby or cigar box builders and are available from their on-line store. I glued a short 3 bar fan brace with bridge patch under the top. The sides are not bent; just glued up frame shaped with a belt sander. It has 5 coats of Tru-Oil, the 2nd coat wet sanded with Tru Oil for filling. The sound is better than expected with more low end response likely due the larger than standard volume concert size body and is not difficult to hold while playing.

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Wow. What a special gift this will be for them for.

Thanks for sharing these pictures.
 
Its always interesting to see something different: it looks great!

Glad to hear it sounds OK, and I'll also say that I hope its well received.
 
Beautiful original work! I assume that the undercarriage is for display purposes only?

Bob
 
Yes, the undercarriage is a stand for parking and display. The base is 1 inch Plexiglas with an engraved brass plate on the front (not shown in the photo).

Thank you for the nice comments. Much of my building knowledge comes from this site and I’m glad I can contribute. This encouragement will help drive me to build again. I have a few more gift recipients in mind that can really use some ukulele in their life.

Bruce Crook
Mooresville, Indiana USA
 
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