NukeDOC
Retired Mod
some may remember that when i first started posting on this board, that i was looking for a uke that had very particular features, that i wasnt really willing to compromise on... other than price, maybe, considering the quality of the materials:
1. tenor size and scale
2. slotted aka classical style headstock and tuners
3. cutaway body design
4. electronics
5. 4 string
6. <$400 preferably
well it just dawned on me... that with a little do-it-yourself work, i could take one of my current ukes and make it everything i wanted.
i have two 6 string ukes currently... so i am going to keep the lanikai spruce top as a 6 string, but i will be modifying the more expensive kala "koa" ka-k6e 6 string that i have.
after some research and searching for the availability of parts needed for this mod, im going to take the kala uke (which has 5 out of the 6 "requirements"), and change out the nut and saddle.
1. the nut will need to be measured, shaped, slotted for 4 strings, and installed in place of the current one, which is slotted for 6 strings.
2. the current saddle will need to be replaced with a slightly higher profile one, to allow for 4 slots to be made. this is necessary because of the offset of the holes in the bridge to allow for the doubled C and A strings
3. two tuners and posts (one on each side) will need to be removed from the headstock to clean up the look so there are no unused tuning machines.
doing this will basically still keep everything under the $400 mark, and it will give me that custom "feel", i guess, since im doing some fairly major modification. and i get to set the action on her too. i will attempt to take some video footage of this process in case someone wants to attempt it also. wish me luck... im just a few steps away from having my ultimate ukulele setup!
1. tenor size and scale
2. slotted aka classical style headstock and tuners
3. cutaway body design
4. electronics
5. 4 string
6. <$400 preferably
well it just dawned on me... that with a little do-it-yourself work, i could take one of my current ukes and make it everything i wanted.
i have two 6 string ukes currently... so i am going to keep the lanikai spruce top as a 6 string, but i will be modifying the more expensive kala "koa" ka-k6e 6 string that i have.
after some research and searching for the availability of parts needed for this mod, im going to take the kala uke (which has 5 out of the 6 "requirements"), and change out the nut and saddle.
1. the nut will need to be measured, shaped, slotted for 4 strings, and installed in place of the current one, which is slotted for 6 strings.
2. the current saddle will need to be replaced with a slightly higher profile one, to allow for 4 slots to be made. this is necessary because of the offset of the holes in the bridge to allow for the doubled C and A strings
3. two tuners and posts (one on each side) will need to be removed from the headstock to clean up the look so there are no unused tuning machines.
doing this will basically still keep everything under the $400 mark, and it will give me that custom "feel", i guess, since im doing some fairly major modification. and i get to set the action on her too. i will attempt to take some video footage of this process in case someone wants to attempt it also. wish me luck... im just a few steps away from having my ultimate ukulele setup!