Cedar, mahogany, or spruce blank to repair top of tenor ukulele, (UK)

No clue mate, I tried sourcing intstrument wood and supplies first locally, which failed spectaculary. I then tried Europe with little success. In the end I gave in and ordered from the states, seems they have a LOT more stuff there. I can really recommend adirondacktonewood.com, they have a lot of stuff and they were super helpful and nice in my communications with them =).
But maybe the shipping will be too much if you're only ordering one top...
 
Maybe one of the two very highly esteemed UK luthiers, Ken Timms (Timbuck) or Pete Howlett would be willing to share any sources that they know of?

They are both active in this section of the forum, but maybe they have not seen this thread yet...
 
Michael N. said:
Serious? You couldn't have tried very hard. Europe is full of tonewood suppliers. I have plenty of Spruce but not the other two, at least not in soundboards.
Click to expand...
Yes seriously! I might not have put hours into it, but the ones I found with a decent website where you can see what you buy either didn't ship outside the UK or had very high prices. But I'll gladly admit I probably missed a lot of great places, I was tired and did this at 1am...
 
cml said:
Yes seriously! I might not have put hours into it, but the ones I found with a decent website where you can see what you buy either didn't ship outside the UK or had very high prices. But I'll gladly admit I probably missed a lot of great places, I was tired and did this at 1am...
Click to expand...

Not many will photograph what they actually have i.e. each individual piece. They don't do that for more expensive guitar wood. I guess it's probably not worth their time taking a picture and then putting it on a website. The smaller ones like David Dyke in the UK are very good at providing what you ask for though.
 
cml said:
No clue mate, I tried sourcing intstrument wood and supplies first locally, which failed spectaculary. I then tried Europe with little success. In the end I gave in and ordered from the states, seems they have a LOT more stuff there. I can really recommend adirondacktonewood.com, they have a lot of stuff and they were super helpful and nice in my communications with them =).
But maybe the shipping will be too much if you're only ordering one top...
Click to expand...

I have asked about shipping, but their ukulele boards are .150" thick, how do you get them to 0.100"?
 
Michael N. said:
Not many will photograph what they actually have i.e. each individual piece. They don't do that for more expensive guitar wood. I guess it's probably not worth their time taking a picture and then putting it on a website. The smaller ones like David Dyke in the UK are very good at providing what you ask for though.
Click to expand...

I'll definitely ask David Dyke if he can supply what I think I need.

And then comes the post asking how I go about replacing the soundboard of a tenor ukulele.
 
Steve in Kent said:
I have asked about shipping, but their ukulele boards are .150" thick, how do you get them to 0.100"?
Click to expand...
Since I dont have a huge drumsander like many here do, I called around to local fine carpenters and cabinet makers. 3rd try found me a fellow who will help me sand down all my sets and tops. :)
 
I see that most are in 2 pieces, is this the way to go, or can I ask for 1 piece?

I also see that it needs to be 1.5mm to 1.75mm so that is going to be interesting.

I might as well go for AAA grade as it's only the difference between £15 and £30, and the amount of time I'm going to spend repair it the cost of the wood pales into insignificance.
 
Last edited:
Steve in Kent said:
I see that most are in 2 pieces, is this the way to go, or can I ask for 1 piece?

I also see that it needs to be 1.5mm to 1.75mm so that is going to be interesting.

I might as well go for AAA grade as it's only the difference between £15 and £30, and the amount of time I'm going to spend repair it the cost of the wood pales into insignificance.
Click to expand...

For a Tenor 2 pieces ..joint them before sanding down.
 
Why can't you be bothered to contact luthiers in the UK? Without being too impolite, do your homework mate and you may be surprised how easy it is to engage the services of a helpful luthier! Sadly I am closing the workshop for 3 months soon. Had you contacted me earlier as suggested at the front of this thread I may have been able to help you.....
 
Pete Howlett said:
Why can't you be bothered to contact luthiers in the UK? Without being too impolite, do your homework mate and you may be surprised how easy it is to engage the services of a helpful luthier! Sadly I am closing the workshop for 3 months soon. Had you contacted me earlier as suggested at the front of this thread I may have been able to help you.....
Click to expand...

Well, for one I assumed that it would be too expensive compared to the value of the ukulele, if it was a Kanile'a, or indeed one of your own, I would not have hesitated.

And two, as it's not my primary ukulele I thought it would be an experience to have a go myself.

It's only after having enquired and received the various responses that it's beginning to dawn on me that it is not as simple as it seems, although it would still be very interesting to try.

I can wait 3 months or more, it's probably been over 3 months since I played it last.

I have sent you a message using your contact page.

Steve
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

N
Spruce/Mahogany or Cedar/Rosewood tenor
Replies
8
Views
448
Luke Plays Uke
Luke Plays Uke
E
Your Favorite Ukulele Woods Not Koa, Mahogany, Spruce or Cedar?
2 3
Replies
42
Views
3K
Neil_O
Neil_O
N
All Solid Mahogany or Solid Top Spruce/Cedar?
Replies
8
Views
1K
KohanMike
KohanMike
13down
Mainland Cedar Bari vs. Mainland Mahogany Bari vs. Kala Spruce-Maple Bari
Replies
5
Views
1K
coolkayaker1
coolkayaker1
Uke Whisperer
Spruce, Tacote or Red Cedar tops with Mahogany, Cedar or Walnut backs and sides ...
Replies
2
Views
1K
Uke Whisperer
Uke Whisperer
Top Bottom