Progress on building my wife's Uke

rickmorgan2003 · Nov 17, 2010

Decided to build a Uke for my wife to learn on while recovering from some back surgery. The body /neck is Morado (bolivian rosewood) with a strip of Australian lace wood for contrast. Turtle sound hole is abalone. The fingerboard and bridge will be birds eye maple. Got all the pieces roughed out and ready for fine tuning for fit. Should be ready for assembly in a day or so. Then another couple weeks to get the thing tuned up and finished.

ADD · Nov 17, 2010

Thank is beautiful wood. Nice inlay. That is going to be a gorgeous uke. Wife should be very happy.

pahu · Nov 17, 2010

Great soundhole decoration..Is this something you created?

rickmorgan2003 · Nov 17, 2010

pahu said:
Great soundhole decoration..Is this something you created?

Took the design inspiration from a tattoo. My wife and I had just got back from a great diving vacation where we fell in love with the turtles.

mm stan · Nov 17, 2010

Aloha Rick,
Awesome Job man!! and the coolest turtle...just was wondering how it would have looked more intresting it the grain pattren would have gone the other way...but just as beautiful...thanks for sharing..MM Stan..

rickmorgan2003 · Nov 17, 2010

mm stan said:
Aloha Rick,
Awesome Job man!! and the coolest turtle...just was wondering how it would have looked more intresting it the grain pattren would have gone the other way...but just as beautiful...thanks for sharing..MM Stan..

Thanks. I did think about it. It was a tough choice but when I layed out the fingerboard with it the other way it interfered with the grain pattern. The way it is now, we lose the figure up where the fingerboard will be. You, ve got me second guessing now though

when it was the oherway, the figure flowed with turtles flippers. Oh well, guess I will have to knock out another one sometime in the opposite direction.

The_Oddness_of_It_All · Nov 17, 2010

That looks really cool! Man, I wish I could make ukuleles

rickmorgan2003 · Nov 19, 2010

If you have a little patience and basic idea of how how to use a saw and sand you can build one. It may not be a masterpiece but it will probably sound great. Stew Mac sells a kit which has done most of the hard stuff for you already. You can also take a workshop, build a uke in 1-4 days. Hana Lima has one in hawaii, and many luthiers have them all over the world. Pete Howett in the UK comes to mind.
In addition to having a new uke, you really get to know your instrument better. It also really impresses people when you tell them you built it. Luthiers have done a great job historically of making people think that there is something mystical about intsrument making.

ADD · Nov 19, 2010

rickmorgan2003 said:
If you have a little patience and basic idea of how how to use a saw and sand you can build one. It may not be a masterpiece but it will probably sound great. Stew Mac sells a kit which has done most of the hard stuff for you already. You can also take a workshop, build a uke in 1-4 days. Hana Lima has one in hawaii, and many luthiers have them all over the world. Pete Howett in the UK comes to mind.
In addition to having a new uke, you really get to know your instrument better. It also really impresses people when you tell them you built it. Luthiers have done a great job historically of making people think that there is something mystical about intsrument making.

I know about Pete Howlett and Hana Lima, but do you know if there are any workshops in mainland USA, preferably the midwest?

sukie · Nov 19, 2010

That's looking wonderful. Be sure to post pics when it's done. The wood grain is lovely.

bbycrts · Nov 19, 2010

ADD said:
I know about Pete Howlett and Hana Lima, but do you know if there are any workshops in mainland USA, preferably the midwest?

I think Rick Turner does them - he's CA though, I think. He's around here sometimes... I believe they build pineapples in his workshops.

Progress on building my wife's Uke

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