Summer Electric Build, some questions

Hello Everyone!

With school out, I have returned home and am itching to try something new. My dad has a fully stocked shed with some very nice wood and an amazing assortment of tools, and I was wanting to make an Electric Ukulele as a sort of Rite of Passage project.

Problem is, I don't know how to, nor can I find things like plans or parts lists. I wanted to make something very similar to this Eleuke Peanut, linked here: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&tok=HwibO6ZRgAm-WKNtSu74xg&cp=8&gs_id=1p&xhr=t&q=eleuke+peanut&biw=1024&bih=442&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=7229054880075384008&sa=X&ei=JxXDT5ibLqLe2AWvs6Vo&sqi=2&ved=0CHAQ8wIwAg.

Would anyone be able to help a newbie get started in the right path? Maybe what kind of hardware I'll need, a good store to purchase them from, or even plans?

Thank you again for your time! I hope you all have a great day.

I'm interested in this as well, I hope you get some advice.

Here's my buildlog for an electric soprano. Should finally finish it this summer

http://www.ukulelecosmos.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21295

Nixon said:

Here's my buildlog for an electric soprano. Should finally finish it this summer

http://www.ukulelecosmos.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21295

Click to expand...

Very nice! Though, the PDF you linked in your first post doesn't seem to work anymore.

I've learned a lot already from your posts, though I'm still unsure of a lot. Namely the electronics.

Here's the PDF link http://www.grellier.fr/plans/Soprano_ukulele/Soprano_ukulele_fr.pdf

For the pickup, I'd advise you to buy one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Artec-pp6...Accessories&hash=item3f17f36739#ht_2581wt_922

Nixon said:

Here's the PDF link http://www.grellier.fr/plans/Soprano_ukulele/Soprano_ukulele_fr.pdf

For the pickup, I'd advise you to buy one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Artec-pp6...Accessories&hash=item3f17f36739#ht_2581wt_922

Click to expand...

Wow, once again thank you! you have been an immense help and I appreciate it. I'll just have to dig out a french dictionary and try to translate it.

Once again, I apologize for how little I know. I feel a bit like a fish out of water. I have no idea what that is. I mean, I've done some small work with guitars, but the electronics for Ukulele's seem so different. I'm not sure how I would even use that pickup. Do I plug it into something or what?

I am terribly sorry, again. I'm trying to understand and I can't seem to pick up on the empty holes in my knowledge. Thank you for your help though.

Not quite sure what you're looking for, and based on your response from Nixon, I'd say you're totally confused and entering into a project WAY above your skill level. You're looking to build an electric, and you think it's a good thing when someone gives you links to an acoustic plan in another language, and a link to some sort of UST designed for an acoustic from a seller who cannot even spell.

Seems like a troll thread to me, but I'll bite.

First of all, coming to the Lounge & asking to be handed something that most builders don't engage in, & if they do, it's taken them their own R&D to accomplish, is probably not going to generate a lot of response.

That you're out of school suggests an ability to do research. Fortunately, the Internet is FULL if info, but you'll probably have to piecemeal knowledge to get to your 'ukulele, sorry, electric 'ukulele.
Suggestion: come with something like "I've read Melvin Hiscock's book and plan on building . . . . " and then go from there.

Of course, merely my suggestion.

Aaron

My suggestion: get a kit like this one and tune it like a ukulele. If you've never built an instrument before, you'll be challenged plenty and may actually have a playable instrument by the time you go back to school.

Gotta admit, I had an electric on my back burner of a mind for a few years, and I just found what I was looking for, the pickup. Of all things, Aero is in Hilo!

Now if Graph Tech would make a Ghost in the right size (maybe they do).

Aaron

glydre michelangelo

Kekani said:

Not quite sure what you're looking for, and based on your response from Nixon, I'd say you're totally confused and entering into a project WAY above your skill level. You're looking to build an electric, and you think it's a good thing when someone gives you links to an acoustic plan in another language, and a link to some sort of UST designed for an acoustic from a seller who cannot even spell.

Seems like a troll thread to me, but I'll bite.

First of all, coming to the Lounge & asking to be handed something that most builders don't engage in, & if they do, it's taken them their own R&D to accomplish, is probably not going to generate a lot of response.

That you're out of school suggests an ability to do research. Fortunately, the Internet is FULL if info, but you'll probably have to piecemeal knowledge to get to your 'ukulele, sorry, electric 'ukulele.
Suggestion: come with something like "I've read Melvin Hiscock's book and plan on building . . . . " and then go from there.

Of course, merely my suggestion.

Aaron

Click to expand...

No, my intention is not 'trolling.' I'm sorry that you thought it was. I've only tried to be as polite as I can while trying to tackle something just a few rungs above my skill level. I know how to wood work, I've done it almost all of my life. I just don't know ukulele construction. So I'm sorry again that you think an honest post is trolling. I'm going to keep this post open now. My intention is not trolling. I'm just a knowledge seeker, trying something new.

I thank everyone again for trying to help me, it is appreciated.

Masanuku said:

Wow, once again thank you! you have been an immense help and I appreciate it. I'll just have to dig out a french dictionary and try to translate it.

Once again, I apologize for how little I know. I feel a bit like a fish out of water. I have no idea what that is. I mean, I've done some small work with guitars, but the electronics for Ukulele's seem so different. I'm not sure how I would even use that pickup. Do I plug it into something or what?

I am terribly sorry, again. I'm trying to understand and I can't seem to pick up on the empty holes in my knowledge. Thank you for your help though.

Click to expand...

For electronics, you need that pickup and a jack like this, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Quality-L...K_Guitar_Accessories&var=&hash=item95039da4c5

What you do then is cut the plug off the piezo cable. When you cut the piezo cable, there should be 2 strands of wire. Solder one to the short bit of metal sticking out the back and one to the long bit of the jack. Don't worry about shorting them out as you shouldn't be able to damage the piezo by wiring it up incorrectly.

Kekani said:

Not quite sure what you're looking for, and based on your response from Nixon, I'd say you're totally confused and entering into a project WAY above your skill level. You're looking to build an electric, and you think it's a good thing when someone gives you links to an acoustic plan in another language, and a link to some sort of UST designed for an acoustic from a seller who cannot even spell.

Seems like a troll thread to me, but I'll bite.

First of all, coming to the Lounge & asking to be handed something that most builders don't engage in, & if they do, it's taken them their own R&D to accomplish, is probably not going to generate a lot of response.

That you're out of school suggests an ability to do research. Fortunately, the Internet is FULL if info, but you'll probably have to piecemeal knowledge to get to your 'ukulele, sorry, electric 'ukulele.
Suggestion: come with something like "I've read Melvin Hiscock's book and plan on building . . . . " and then go from there.

Of course, merely my suggestion.

Aaron

Click to expand...

And Arron, don't take too kindly to being called a troll. That uke plan is the only free one I know of on the internet and the pickup is from a chinese seller so it's no surprise they can't spell too well. Those pickups are used by quite a few uke builders I know, such as Rob Collins and Pete Howlett.

While some builders aren't willing to help, many of us are more than willing to help out. Without the help from these forums, I'd have never started building myself.

It's okay, I can understand why. It is a bit off to see a rather newbie post asking a LOT of questions. Saying that, he does have a point, in that some aspects might be over my head. That's not me going to give up though.

Thanks to some more research, I found Cigar Box ukulele's, as linked here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-Cigar-Box-Tenor-Ukulele/?ALLSTEPS.

Combining what Nixon posted, along with what was explained by the instructable (Which I didn't even know had a home-made musical instrument category!) I think I understand the inner workings. If anyone is curious, it does require some wiring but nothing more than some epoxy glue and maybe a soldering iron. My hangup was occurring with the technical side, as I have never attempted the creation of an electric instrument. Basically, I didn't know what gizmo's to get.

If anyone else is curious how it works, since it baffled me, the above kit bought a piezo + socket combo from Ebay. The Peizo is attached near the bridge so they can get the sound vibrations better. A solid body, from what I gather, would probably have a better sound quality via the peizo being in solid wood and not in a larger enclosed cavity, but I would probably guess that it shouldn't be a big difference to the average ukulele player. Normally, this is a two part process with the peizo being attached to a jack and the 1/4 guitar outlet being it's own seperate part. Nixon explained that some soldering is necessary, but shouldn't be anything difficult since it's only two wires. The socket has to be mounted in the ukulele, and most sockets are different. In the above kit they had to use a few washers to keep it in place since the Cigar box was rather thin. If you're building a solid body, then you should have complete control over this aspect so washers probably aren't necessary. And that's roughly it, though it's amusing to hear a newbie like me call it roughly.

Thankfully, I live near a local cigar shop, and they'll have the boxes necessary. I think it will be a good first build and it should help me get a good idea of what I'm getting myself into. A Cigar box ukulele should serve as my first real foray into the entire shindig. Heck, if necessary I can just build a cigar box, though that might lose some of the "rustic" nature.

I don't consider it trolling to ask questions. I'm an amateur who has asked a lot of questions and gotten polite responses, sometimes from other amateurs, other times from professionals. I do not think the original questions were provocative or silly. The man wants to build a solid body uke. So do I. If you don't have any advice that you are willing to give then don't give any. Negative criticism is appropriate. (i.e.: "the way you plan to do that is wrong") but simply telling the poster that he is in over his head when he issues a general request for advice seems more troll-like than the original post,

Nixon said:

And Arron, don't take too kindly to being called a troll. That uke plan is the only free one I know of on the internet and the pickup is from a chinese seller so it's no surprise they can't spell too well. Those pickups are used by quite a few uke builders I know, such as Rob Collins and Pete Howlett.

While some builders aren't willing to help, many of us are more than willing to help out. Without the help from these forums, I'd have never started building myself.

Click to expand...

When the op asks about an electric, and you post links and info about an acoustic, then the op says "hey thanks", looks like something is out of place, or the op is more confused because of your post. Hence my statement "not sure what you're looking for".

The best advice so far was to the kit. However, the op says he has woodworking skills, which is a great start for what he wants to do, so I mentioned Aero, which is what the op is presumably looking for because of the pickup issue for electric 'ukulele, which are not as common as acoustics, ie LR Baggs. If this isn't help directly at what the op asked, then I misunderstood the question.

After all that, you still come back with reference to your acoustic link? Why do you think this post LOOKS like trolling, OR the op is confused. If I were him, I'd be confused.

Aaron

Pondoro said:

? . .but simply telling the poster that he is in over his head when he issues a general request for advice seems more troll-like than the original post,

Click to expand...

Did I miss something? The op is looking for electric info, and tries to make sense out of acoustic solution, I'd say he's not even ready to start, and the kit may be the best idea.

BUT, now we discover he has skills, so an electric may not be out reach. We've since discovered that this tread is real, and who do you think pm'd the op about its validity?

What I'd like to know is how the mando link uses strat pups for a four string, when the bias is using PBass?

Aaron

A cigar box uke, acoustic or electric, is a great starting point. I started by fixing the intonation problems on a cheap uke, then built a cigar box uke (acoustic), then built a sopranino acoustic. I'm in the middle of a baritone build. I plan to build a solid body next but have seen them with either nylon strings and piezo pickups or steel strings with magnetic pickups. I'm watching all the threads and trying to decide which direction to go. Leaning a bit towards steel.

Posting some pictures, not to show off but to show you what you can do. The cigar box was solid cedar and about 45 years old, I know this for a fact because my mother collected a bunch of them one year to make crafts out of. This one had survived from that lot. The sopranino is flanked by (professionally made) soprano and concert ukes, to give you an idea of the size. Neither of the two that I built would have succeeded without a lot of advice from people on this forum and on other forums.

By the way, check out Pete Howletts videos on youtube. I believe he has some that deal with building electrics.

I made a solid body electric ukulele this year. The major steps are talked about here:

http://ukeland.co.uk/article/category/building-electric-ukuleles/project-telecaster-daniel-hulbert


Good luck and have fun.

I'm new here. I just joined to ask a technical question. I know a fair amount about guitars and would like to offer the following to the OP in the hopes of clearing up some confusion I think I'm perceiving.

In the guitar world (and I think this might transfer to the uke world) there are three terms used broadly to describe three types of guitars:

1. Acoustic - These are purely acoustic and can't be amplified without a microphone

2. Acoustic/Electric - These are acoustic guitars that have either a piezo pickup, magnetic pickup or internal microphone (or combination of these) installed more-or-less permanently on the instrument. They are generally intended to sound like acoustic instruments but be amplified easily without an external microphone

3. Electric - These are solid, hollow, or semi-hollow guitars with magnetic pickups and steel strings and are intended to sound like electric guitars.

Because piezo pickups translate vibration to an electrical signal, they can be used with anything that vibrates, including nylon or steel strings. This is probably why the Artec piezo pickup was suggested -- because ukuleles normally use nylon strings, like a classical guitar. If we use the guitar terms from above, using this pickup in your acoustic ukulele makes it an "acoustic/electric" ukulele. You could use a piezo pickup in a solidbody instrument and it would work (I've done it), but it might not sound much like an ukulele.

Magnetic pickups work by reacting to the steel strings moving in a electro-magnetic field, and can't be used with nylon strings. You could make a solid, hollow, or semi-hollow ukulele with steel strings and a magnetic pickup. This is what DanielHulbert did with the Telecaster-uke to which he linked. I think most people would agree that this was an electric instrument. Some might argues whether it's really a uke with steel strings. Whatever it is, I think it's pretty cool.

I think there's been confusion in this thread by some people assuming you would like to build an acoustic/electric uke with nylon strings and a piezo pickup, and others thinking you might want the ukulele equivalent of an electric guitar with a magnetic pickup and steel strings.

Out of curiosity, which type of "electric ukulele" did you have in mind?

Being new here I hope I haven't stepped on any toes or misunderstood any of the previous posts to the thread.

-Scott