Learn to Build a Ukulele...

dakine2009

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does anyone know a place on oahu where i can actually learn to make an ukulele...
i'm a junior in high school and my goal in life is to make ukuleles and hopefully open up a ukulele shop in vegas...
i'll love you forever if you could help make my dream come true.
=D
 
Whoa.....I never would of expected the class to cost $500. wow. But I guess when you are done you have something that you made, but whoa....$500. Go for it dakine. Your young. Fullfill your dreams!
 
thanks guys...
now i just have to figure out a way to come up with the money before the classes are filled...
i was wondering if anyone ever took the class?
was it good?
how was the quality of the ukulele?
would you recommend it?
 
Everything I've ever read from anyone who's taken the class says it's simply fabulous.

And for that $500 you get the knowledge and the high-quality materials and at the end you walk away with a tenor ukulele you built with your own hands. That's not a lot of money for some big-time mojo.

Go for it!
 
thanks guys...
now i just have to figure out a way to come up with the money before the classes are filled...
i was wondering if anyone ever took the class?
was it good?
how was the quality of the ukulele?
would you recommend it?

$500 is a drop in the bucket for the experience you will take part in and chances are your ukulele is going to sound great. Many of the hobbiest luthiers as well as some that have went on to start their own bussiness have taken this class. I have not taken the class personally but I am a member of the Ukulele Guild of Hawaii (UGH) and Mike Chock, the teacher, is one of the founding members. Each year the UGH has a Exhibition and Conference where all the builders get together and display their ukes and take part in workshops and concerts etc. Lot's of those people have taken the class and are building killer ukuleles as a result.

Yes, I highly recommend it.
 
I'm kind of intrested in building my own too, but I live in Texas and there are no shops around where I live. Does anybody know of a website or something that could help me out?
 
dominator, dont you build ukes? How about some pics of your babies?
 
I'm kind of intrested in building my own too, but I live in Texas and there are no shops around where I live. Does anybody know of a website or something that could help me out?

I don't know of any websites that would offer sufficient step-by-step information on building an ukulele. I wouldn't build one just from info I gleaned off the web, though.

I'd look for a book, at least.

But here are some links I've found that were quite useful.

15 Steps to Build/Make an Ukulele

Making a Mosaic Rosette

Making Your Own Rope Binding

UkeTalk is a luthier-centric site with a helpful forum.

Tiki King Lutherie Dictionary

The workshop page at Glyph Custom Ukuleles has some great photos.

To Build a Ukulele is a blog written by a man who took the Hana Lima course. Start at the first post.

Beyond that stuff, I don't know any other good sites. Anyone got anymore?

Building my own ukuleles is something I plan to do in the future. Maybe not tomorrow or next month, or even next year, but it's definitely in my future.

I plan on taking that Hana Lima class in the next year or two. I'd love to build ukuleles for a living, or at least as a retirement endeavor.
 
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Beyond that stuff, I don't know any other good sites. Anyone got anymore?

this might be a sight better suited for a noobie luthier, just to get your hands dirty. I wonder if you need less sophisticated tools to make a cigar box since there is less shaping of the wood pieces?

Hope it helps...

http://www.papasboxes.com
 
I am going to Hana Lima Ia this fall, totally stoked about it.

In the mean time, I got the Ukulele construction manual from Hana Lima, and I am currently building my first Ukulele here at home in Texas.

Once it is finished, I will post up pics so you guys can see.
I'm about half way through right now.

Aloha
Acabo'oe:cool:
 
I am going to Hana Lima Ia this fall, totally stoked about it.

In the mean time, I got the Ukulele construction manual from Hana Lima, and I am currently building my first Ukulele here at home in Texas.

Once it is finished, I will post up pics so you guys can see.
I'm about half way through right now.

Aloha
Acabo'oe:cool:

Dang, dude. You're going to Hana Lima. I'm jealous. How about posting some pics of your uke in construction?

Here's a few pics of some of the ukes I've built for friends/customers.

Those are awesome, Dom!! Let me see if I can guess the woods:

sop1.JPG

Cedar top, curly maple sides and back, mahogany neck?

PB251815.jpg

I can't tell what those sides are made out of, but I'll guess rosewood? Spruce top, and from what little I can see of the headstock, I'll guess mahogany neck.

tenor_6_front.JPG

This one's koa, but is that flamed or curly?
 
PB251815.jpg

I can't tell what those sides are made out of, but I'll guess rosewood?

My guess is its Zebra wood sides, hehehe...


tenor_6_front.JPG

This one's koa, but is that flamed or curly?

My guess is flamed, looks likes its bottled fire!!!

Awesome DOM, I think you can fly.
 
Seeso, you are very close. The soprano is also a spruce top but the lighting is bad in that pic. The maple was sold as "tiger" maple. The tenor with the spruce top is claro walnut back and sides. The koa tenor wood was sold as grade AAAA curly koa. Didn't refer to the flame but it definately has lots of fire in it for sure. That one sounds killer too. The guy who owns it lives on Kauai and drops me a note every now and then telling me how in love he is with it. So that's a good thing.

That little soprano is a "monster". It is actually louder than my Glyph tenor. In a noisy bar situation at So Cal Uke Fest last year it was hard to hear some of the other ukes in the house but that spruce top just cut right through. I've tried to buy it back but it ain't happening.

Oh, BTW, they are all mahogany necks.
 
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