My latest koa soprano

Sven · Apr 25, 2012

My blog is deteriorating, I don't think the posts covering this build are labelled properly. I might get around to doing that, but I wanted to show it to you anyway.

So it's a koa soprano built for my friend Robin, who goes by the screen name of Baron K (no you don't want to know why the K stands for). In the post to which I link there are a few pics and a youtube link to Robin's demo vid, but I'll put a pic in here too.

I am very happy with the sound this uke makes. But that is mostly because of Robin's playing...

http://argapa.blogspot.se/2012/04/done-and-delivered.html

All the best / Sven

UkeforJC · Apr 25, 2012

Sven,
that koa soprano sounds really really great. Does it have the one piece side?

bluesuke · Apr 25, 2012

Baron just did a sound sample on youtube its sounds very nice

Sven · Apr 25, 2012

Nope, the sides are in two pieces but the grain lines up. I had to shift them a bit in height to get the pattern correct.

Thanks for your comments!

weerpool · Apr 25, 2012

Hey SVen, dont mean to discombobulate your post but i was so inspired by your build blog for this BaronK kOa sop and i went

ahead and build an all koa soprano myself. took me 3 1/2 days to complete and mine is still awaiting the mainland tuners and worth strings.

Sven · Apr 25, 2012

Nice! 3 1/2 days, are you skipping work..? My fastest build was a soprano I built in a week, but then I only worked evenings after the day job. My family, needless to say, was out of town.

weerpool · Apr 25, 2012

lol funny you said, i did exactly the same thing! my wife and baby went and visit her parents for a 3 day weekend so i had a lot of johnny time to build. i mostly work late\nights on most of my other ones after my 12 hr shift at the hospital. again, i love your Koa soprano.

Sven said:
Nice! 3 1/2 days, are you skipping work..? My fastest build was a soprano I built in a week, but then I only worked evenings after the day job. My family, needless to say, was out of town.

tattwo · Apr 25, 2012

Sven said:
Nope, the sides are in two pieces but the grain lines up. I had to shift them a bit in height to get the pattern correct.

Thanks for your comments!

I just did the samething and the joint is almost invisible. Nice work Sven!

Ken Middleton · Apr 25, 2012

I love the sound of Robin's uke. Sooner or later you are going to have to build me one, Sven.

dannyb · Apr 26, 2012

Hi Sven. Upon seeing photo #3 on your blogspot, I have some questions. This uke has a tortoise shell shroud over the upper bout. It looks as if it is book matched koa. It is very nice. Did you reinforce the book match joint? I am also wondering what is that (marker) on the 4th fret? I have been reading your posts for a couple of years now. Looks like you have really grown. Nice! Danny B.

Sven · Apr 26, 2012

No special reinforcement, just bridge patch and transverse braces.

Ken, I'll look for both time and good pieces. I have some really nice wood drying right now.

erich@muttcrew.net · Apr 26, 2012

Sven, the sound is just great - so nice and mellow. And lovely looking too, I like that pickguard. What kind of effect does the pickguard have on the sound?

Sven · Apr 26, 2012

Difficult to know, it went on before the strings. But his cedar top got one retrofitted, and if it affected the sound at all, it was below my level of perception... Mind you, Robin could put strings on a hard case and still make it sound good.

But the area above the lower brace isn't vibrating as much as the area around the bridge. So I choose to see it as a non-problem.

My latest koa soprano

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