Walnut Concert

Hi All

Here's some photos of my new construction.....a walnut concert size. It really sounds great so far. I used the Martin style concert plans from Elderly Instruments.
Walnut top, back, sides
Mahogany neck with rosewood headstock veneer
Ivoroid binding, wipe-on poly finish
This is my first time using the wipe-on poly and I thought it was great!! So quick and easy. I did have a problem on the rosewood though...it just stayed soft after several days. I ended up putting shellac on those parts

Nice work!

Looks really good.
Would you compare the walnut sound board to koa?

wow, that's beautiful. Had to go back and look at it again. Love the rosette(s).

Wow, I never see me getting to that point.

I'm not sure....I haven't played a koa concert like this before. It has good volume and sustain with a sweet mellow tone. It doesn't bark like a mahogany uke but it will be heard!!
The best part was the walnut was given to me by a friend. One nice board he had left over that was JUST enough for the body. I put the purfling on there to hide that the top was a hair short lol. Maybe someone will give me some koa and I'll build a twin to compare

It's gorgeous! I'm going to concentrate some more on construction before I get into the bling. Yours looks great. That's a heck of a tall saddle you've got in there--is the action a little high as a result?

That looks fantastic! I just bent some walnut sides this afternoon. I could only hope mine turns out that nice. Great looking build

i absolutely love walnut...gorgeous wood. great job on that uke

Very nice, I like the rosette and bound fretboard.

Sweet! I have got to get some walnut.

Beautiful job on the purfling. That is my next step on the uke I'm working on now. Do you have a favorite on-line lesson to share about cutting that channel and bending the purfling? I tried to order some of that "ivoroid binding" and they slapped a $25 hazardous materials fee on my order. We thought it was a mistake, but a call to LMI confirmed that that material can be used for building bombs or something. Anyway, it is now a "hazardous material". If you find it where you can carry it out of the store maybe you can get a deal on it, otherwise you'd have really buy a LOT to make the extra fee worth paying!

By the way, is that black walnut on the back and sides and a different walnut on the front? The color seems quite different. It makes a beautiful instrument.

Beautiful uke !

very nice, I've always loved the dark tones of walnut.

Thanks for the compliments everyone!!

Curlykoa....Its the back side is the same. Its all from the same walnut board my friend gave me. Just my poor photo skills that make it look different lol.
I don't know if I have any big tips for the binding. I got an edge guide from Stew Mac and mounted it on a base for my laminate trimmer. Only the neck area of the back is a problem spot....just takes alot of fussing around with files and chisels to get it right.
I bent the purfling using my clothes iron. No steam and low heat seems to be best. I might try a heat gun next time. I bent the purfling right on the ukulele taping in place as I went. Then hit it with superglue once you're happy with the fit. For the rosette I cut a circle channel into a scrap of wood and formed it in that and let it cool. It took me 3 tries to get it.....too much heat or steam and that stuff just falls apart.
The $25 hazmat charge is a drag. (so is waiting for LMI to ship stuff) But I really like the look of ivoroid binding on dark woods. I bought a bunch of it for future projects. I'm sure that a couple years from now I won't remember the $25 hassle when I play this thing.