Book matched or One piece?

narrowuke

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Everything is in the title really, for Ukuleles is there a preference?
I have enough in a couple of pieces of walnut to make a
top, back and sides for another soprano ukulele (working this time from Grellier's
pdf)http://www.grellier.fr/plans/Soprano_ukulele/Soprano_ukulele_fr.pdf
and can do the top and back either one piece or book matched.
All thoughts and recomendations welcome.
 
If you can go one-piece with the wood you have, then do it...

Less work to get the joint right, less chance of joint failure down the line, and--visually--a more appealing "flow" to the look....

YMMV...
 
If you know what you're doing you'll never have trouble with a center seam. This means using well seasoned wood, choosing wood with grain that is suitable for joining, using proper techniques, tools and glues, and working in a climate controlled environment. Naturally with a one piece top and back the question is moot. There may also be some debate on structural balance and it's affect on the tone with a book matched top but that's probably more pertinent in building larger instruments such as guitars.
Aesthetically, to my eye anyway, a beautiful grain pattern always looks better when book matched.
 
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One piece is fine if you have the wood. Very traditional for sopranos. I think the important thing is consistency across the top....the left side should be as stiff as the right.
 
Thanks for the replies,I'm learning so much from here, quite suprisingly different from guitars, thanks.
The pieces I have are pretty good AA Walnut from an 'OOO' set
I can use the centre book matched pieces (fairly close grained) for the sides and get
nice single piece top and back from the rest.
I guess it's pretty much up to the individual whether you go for book matched or single.
 
It needs to be a small instrument like a soprano, or an exceptional piece of wood before I'd go with a one piece top or back. And I'm with Chuck on the look of a nice bookmatch.
 
I decided to go with the book matched option and glued the top and back this morning.
I now have a dilemma, do I put a simple rosette on the top or leave it O'natural:confused:
Here's a picture of the glued up top.
Soprano  Ukulele Build 060.jpg
 
Yep its a nice looking piece of wood. The sides are just as nice and the back has just a little less (but not much) colourful.
Thats another dilemma, I have a choice for bindings of rosewood, maple flamed or plain or no bindings at all.
 
I was thinking it may be too dence of a wood to make all out of walnut. It may sound better to use a soft wood like spruce or cedar for the top. A more balanced tone. ....my:2cents:
 
Is the idea of bookmatching just for aesthetics? Or is it some theory of matching tone across the soundboard?

It's more about pragmatism....
It's sometimes difficult to find wood that will make a one-piece instrument, especially in the larger instruments like guitars and cellos....

You see a lot of miss-matching on old violin tops, to the point that I think a lot of it is intentional...
It kinda makes sense to put some bassier sounding wood on the bass side, and brighter sounding wood on the treble...

I've even seen mixed species on tops.
I supplied wood for an arched-top mandolin build, with Engelmann on the bass and Adirondack on the treble...
Sounded, looked, and played great....

Kimballmando_1.jpg
 
I was thinking it may be too dence of a wood to make all out of walnut. It may sound better to use a soft wood like spruce or cedar for the top. A more balanced tone. ....my:2cents:

Thanks for that, good point. I'm now in even more of a dilemma about what to do.
Although if I used a spruce top I would put a rosette and bindings on.
I've just enough for 2 sets of sides to match if I use the top as another back,
so maybe its a spruce sound board then.

Just as a thought following on from this, has anyone any thoughts about a ballpark size of braces for a soprano spruce top?
 
The usual bracing pattern on a soprano are two transverse braces on either side of the soundhole, about 6mm high and 6 mm wide and a bridge patch.

Brad
 
I was thinking it may be too dence of a wood to make all out of walnut. It may sound better to use a soft wood like spruce or cedar for the top. A more balanced tone. ....my:2cents:


I've made an all-walnut concert size. It sounds really nice to me...good volume and a tone somewhere between mahogany and koa. I think the top was 0.07" thick

I don't know what I'd do with a rosette with that nice grain. Maybe pencil in where the sound hole and rosette would be and see if it looks too busy. If it cuts through that point in the grain I think I'd leave it out. There's probably room there for a simple decoration anyway.
 
I've made an all-walnut concert size. It sounds really nice to me...good volume and a tone somewhere between mahogany and koa. I think the top was 0.07" thick

I don't know what I'd do with a rosette with that nice grain. Maybe pencil in where the sound hole and rosette would be and see if it looks too busy. If it cuts through that point in the grain I think I'd leave it out. There's probably room there for a simple decoration anyway.


Well I may have to try all walnut. ...do you have any pictures or sound clips of your build? I would love to see it
 
If it was my choice, I'd be building two instruments with that wood. One with a spruce top and the other with cedar just to get a direct comparison to what difference the tops make to an instrument made with the same back and sides. Valuable information to learn if you want to continue building.

As Brad said, 6 x 6 mm. You could also slant the lower transverse brace so that it opens up the bass side and tightens up the treble.
 
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