Chuck !...it was just one board that produced the cracked sides..All the good ones came from another.
farner!...It's a strange tale about that Style "O" type Soprano...I don't normally number my ukes, but that one was "special" being the 160th uke that I've built in the 4 years since I started so it got a number stamped on the headstock..I auctioned on E-bay like I normaly do ..and it went to a Guy in the US..the first thing he did was change the strings (fair enough we all do that) Then he decided he didn't like the friction tuners..and swapped them for geared ones
(like sticking ears on it, as they say on Cosmos)...now it was starting to look less like a Style "O" and more like a style "X"...now it's had a hole cut in the lower bout to reduce the bass end tone I presume..co's that is what it will do..and the Guy sent me PM's telling me about all the mod's.. ? should I be impressed?? (Mrs Timbuck ain't)...I would like to know if the value of this uke has now gone up or down...I'm expecting a pick up unit to be fitted to it next ..(along with strap buttons
who cares... it's his uke he can do what he wants with it.
Ken,.... just want to be clear here,.....i did NOT send you a single PM,.....so maybe you meant the guy that sold it to me. (although that's not what it sounds like above)
Also,....yes,....the C string drops a bit (the "bass" on a uke, but it sounded a bit boomy anyway to my ears before the change anyway), but the E string picks up about the same amount of volumn/tone lost from the C string on the original setup. I prefer the added E string response (with soundport) for fingerstyle solo's, and in my mind it's a wash. You lose somewhere, you gain somewhere else. The A and G strings about the same with or without the port.
One thing additional you gain with the soundport is player feedback, as it's almost a stereo effect with the soundport added. That's important for me,.....because that's who i play for,...just ME. If a certain piece of music calls for a
strong C string,....simple enough to grab another un-ported uke.
This is simple enough to show by simply plucking the C with the soundport open and then quicky closing it with part of your hand. The C is less boomy, with some drop in volumn with port open. More bass response and a bit richer, port closed.
Now pluck the E string with hand over the port to seal it, and quickly open the port. There is a noticeably greater volumn and richer tone now on the E string with port open.
I wasn't concerned with changing it from a Style "O" to something different, btw, because as you point out the eared
tuning gears already do that. (difference in fretboard inlays also). I like geared tuners,....a modern update that
improves fuctionality. A soundport also is a more modern addition in recent times,.....tradition be damed. If i was
worried about tradition i would have bought a vintage stlye "O"
Oh,....no strap buttons or pickups on this one in it's future,....so stop getting all riled up. Value wise,....don't care personally. I didn't have a "hog" uke yet,.....so not likely it's going anywhere until i do. I'd venture a guess there
are other side-port fans out there anyway,....and i'd only need one if i ever decided to sell it.
One thing i am thinking of making is a removable mahogany "plug" with a little soft rubber edge to have it self seal. That's part of the reason i put a round port in rather than oval. This will give it the versatility to have the "C" string emphasized with the plug in, or the "E string emphasized with the plug out.
.....best of both worlds this way, and when i'm playing for "me",....the port is open for the player's sudo-stereo
effect.
Anyway,....the other changes i made (higher saddle) was because i like to be able to play some things harder without
buzzing. The uke got to me with pretty low action,.....and i'm thinking the previous owner might have lowered the saddle as he mentioned he likes a low action. (think i mentioned that in my 1st post). The nut trimming on the part above the strings (once action is set at nut) is just someting i like to do. To me it just looks "neater", and feels better when working up tight to it (sometimes with part of your hand "over" the nut).
Anyway,....i "was" warned that the guys over at Cosmos were a bit traditional (more than a "bit", actually), and sounds
like you might be also. (hehe,...yep, a style "O" speciality builder!)
But in my defense,....i bought it with the ears sticking out, so it was already defiled!
I'm not even sure what the sides on a vintage Martin Style "O" would measure out at, but the few i've handled in
person seemed pretty lightly built. With all the ones you see for sale having had or needing crack repairs done, i'd
venture a guess Martin built them with 1.5 mm or so side thickness, .......just never cut a port in one to find out.
So i guess if you're building your sides a bit thicker than the original,.....it's probably a good thing to prevent a lot
of future headaches for you and your customers. My point being,....vintage "style" is just that,.....not a dead on
copy.
........now, do you offer this in a ,.............."cutaway"??????
cheers,
Joe T
BTW,....i was "made" and "born" over your part of the world. (you figure it out! )
I lived in England till i was 6 months old, and flew back to the US in my
only flight,.....ever! Still won't fly, and just turned 55.
