This is interesting to me. I hear such mixed reviews and realize that some may be the result of who built the instrument that ends up with the label that has Bruce's name on it.
I have seen video of string instruments being made in Viet Nam with hand tools and people sitting on a bare floor, in conditions with open windows and in some cases open walls and all the workers have matching t-shirts and shorts. I have also seen pictures of factories in Asia that look to me as neat and tidy as hair salons with people wearing masks and gloves. Neither example has anything to do with Bruce Wei however, it has been mentioned that he does not and even could not be producing all of the instruments that he lists on his e-bay store.
That said I am also wonder (meaning I don't know) if the type of wood has anything to do with this cracking. Does wood that originally comes from a region have anything to do with how well it holds up in the climates of other regions ? Are tropical woods more likely to crack than say maple or spruce when an instrument is brought into a climate where all of the humidity is frozen out of the air and drops to the ground, and heaters warm the homes ? Or does exposure to the humid environment at the time the instrument was built "seal the deal" ? Tom, Kala, and most other ukuleles are built in Asia (and Asia is a huge area with more than one environment) but don't seem to have the same reputation of cracking.
I would hate to discriminate against and entire economy or an entire group because I made a foolish wood choice. To me it is rather offensive to say things like "You get what you pay for" when "what you pay for" feeds someones family for a week. The video of people working in the open with less equipment, appear to be working harder than those who only claim that their instruments are "hand made" when power tools and in some cases electricity is (or isn't) used.
Back to Bruce Wei, Bruce is obviously using computers to design his custom builds which I have heard no complaints about. If he is also supporting other builders in his region as part of his business his reputation is naturally affected by the products he puts his name on. I don't know what a builder in Asia should or could to to predict the future of cracking of an instrument. But, it would be nice to know how to better judge or predict what type of instrument is going to crack.
