Very successful extreme build...

Pete Howlett

Pete Howlett

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Over the last two days I've been doing a one-to-one extreme build in my workshop. Luke, the student, was a great learner. He came to the build with hand skills and as a result made excelent and surefooted progress. The final piece, a concert ukulele in Cherry was phenominal in both appearance and sound. What struck me was the very simple headstock design he chose - I'm tempted to ditch mine and use his design! Take a look at the video and see what you think. This build is portable and as long as I have a workshop big enough to conduct it in and at least 6 students I can do it anywhere in the world. The costs is on my website and as you will see from the video, the result is a professionally mentored and finished uke that I would be happy to put my name to.


 
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Personally, I like your headstock design better. It looks great and sounds great...very loud.

When I'm done with school I would love to set up a workshop wherever I'm at in the US.
 
i would love to do one of those classes. how often are they offered?
 
I reckon he did a great job , Nice bright sound......How many "Bollockings" did he get "Pete"? along the way..You know like we used to get as "Apprentices" ..You didn't send him to the storekeeper for a "Long Stand", or a "Sky Hook" did you ?.
 
The lad was great - no mis-steps, very polite, intent on doing a great job. Which of course he managed. I've got to do more experiments with this Englsih cherry - it seems to turn up trumps every time!
 
I use a rasp on all my necks.. it's the fastest way to go and it's just like carving... but fast. That uke is nice and loud...
Just one question though... why are you putting a file to the fret slots? I'm not sure you could convince me to do that- but
I could be wrong.

I have to say, I don't like the sound of cherry... there... I said it. Maybe it will open up but it screeches in my ear.
 
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Using a draw knife is the fastest way - ask anyone of the 5 people who do this at the Martin factory.
The bottom of the fret tang is rounded where the tang meets the fret - this is a product of the manufacturing process. Laburnum and rosewood are 'soft' so to get a good seat for the fret you simply reliecve the top of the fret slot and stop those edges being crushed.
You don't like the tone - I do. The fidelity on my recordings as you have pointed out the past (I think) is very poor and the workshop acoustics are nasty. This instrument is phenominal. And besides, it's not yours is it Vic?
 
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I found this video very inspiring. What a wonderful sense of achievement young Luke must have.
I love the sound of that uke and cannot get over the fact this young man managed to get this done in two days.
Pete is to be congratulated for fostering these wonderful skills and its a nice way to spend a couple of days, just focusing on working with your hands to produce something of such beauty that will also give you so much pleasure.
Congratulations Pete, and of course, Luke.
 
Taking a couple of passes with a triangular file on the top of the fret slots is a good practice. It greatly reduces the amount of chipping if you have to replace any frets, especially on an ebony fingerboard. Pete made a nice video showing this.

Brad
 
I forgot when you said you are bringing your class to western Minnesota, USA?
 
Might actually be able to do that more practically with a group from Minneapolis / St. Paul. I will start talking to people.
 
It's not for me though. I respect your methods and I'm greatly in debt for all that Pete has given to the building community, but my thought is that fret wire is manufactured to seat into a fret slot in a solid fashion and filing a groove into the fret slot creates a void., and I don't like voids. Chipouts when doing a fret job are part of the job, you save the chips and put it back together. The frets should seat snug and stay there, the more they have to sit into the better.
To each his own...

I could be wrong... Gibson tossed two of my applications in the trash.
 
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It doesn't create a void. Read what Pete said. Look at this diagram. There isn't a sharp right angle between the fret top and the tang. It is curved.

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And it has to be because of the production process. That is the reason Vic this is my full-time job. I have researched thoroughly my methods and although they may look idiosyncratic they are a synthesis of over 30 years reading, study and application. And it's why, on some occassions I get quite techy when they are challenged. Apart from posting here, I spend about an hour each evening doing some sort of technical reading, whether it is catalogues, products, vids of other builders or reading through forum threads for that piece of knowledge that is missing. I have the great fortune of learning from masters and stuff like this, the 'tricks' of the trade are neither superficial or fatuous. Thanks Ian for the image - it said what I couldn't :)
 
I drew plats for 10 years after coming in from the field... I have my own north arrow ( you can find it on many documents in courthouse records ) ... your diagram doesn't cut it for me.. cutting grooves into the slots leaves voids that are not needed.
The bottom of the fret is flat! The tang needs all the grasp it can get! It needs to go against a flat surface! jebus! It's just... obvious.
 
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It's lazy. Adding a void so you might not have to repair a chipout later.... I won't do it. The tang has less above it to allow it to release... I don't understand why you don't see that. Fret wire is manufactured to go into a slot and stay there. I'm pretty sure they have the design down. Can you give me a reference to a fret wire manufacturer that tells us to cut a groove into the tops of the fret slots?

We want to build the best instrument we can build. And I'm just trying to understand your reasoning.
 
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