Uke Building Books?

amandadverse

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The world of uke bulding is fascinating! As a total newbie, all of the little intricasies involved are a little overwhelming, but I really want to learn more. Google + hours on the computer drive me nuts, so I was wondering if anyone could suggest a good book to get me started on the subject. Thanks in advance!
 
I'm in the same boat as you. want to build one for personal use. I have gotten the following through interlibrary loan.

Ukulele Construction by Dennis Gilbert

Ukulele design and Construction by D. Henry Wickham. This has a plan associated with it, but it did not come with the book and I am not sure if I want to buy it.

I cannot rate the info in these books since I have not built one yet or spent any time with a builder. Both books will give you how each author goes about building an instrument.

If you want to build one investigate the "Youthalele" posted by Bradford. I think I'm going to try one of these to start.

I'm sure someone else will step in with other books that might be of use.

The one I see listed most often is the Hana Lima instruction manual and plan which can be ordered direct.

Other ways are to dig through this forum and check out the youtube videos. There are a lot of talented people building and amazing range of instruments. some with a fully tooled shop and some at the kitchen table with minimal tools and a lot of time and ingenuity.
 
Unfortunately none of the books out there on ukulele building rise to the level of "Guitar Making, Tradition and Technology". Gilbert's and Wickham's books are pretty crude and the latest, "Make your own Ukulele" by Bill Plant is not a great deal better. If you can borrow them, they have some useful info in them, but not enough that I recommend anyone buy them. I have heard that the Hana Lima manual is good, but you are locked in to a Spanish foot neck joint with their method. If you could give me a little more info on what you are seeking to do with this, I may be able to supply some more specific advice.

Brad
 
The world of uke bulding is fascinating! As a total newbie, all of the little intricasies involved are a little overwhelming, but I really want to learn more. Google + hours on the computer drive me nuts, so I was wondering if anyone could suggest a good book to get me started on the subject. Thanks in advance!

search this topic. Rick Turner posted an extensive thread of books, journals and websites in the past.

Personally, I haven't worked my way through Frets.com yet.
 
Warning: Shameless self-promotion here...

I may be teaching my class in the Phoenix area next fall, or come to the Bay Area when I'm teaching at the Crucible.
 
Warning: Shameless self-promotion here...

I may be teaching my class in the Phoenix area next fall, or come to the Bay Area when I'm teaching at the Crucible.

We have no shame on UU! ;)
I would love to attend a hands-on class, but as far as I can find there are none in the area. PLEASE PM me if you do decide to do one here, and I will be the first to sign up!

As for the peeps who suggested I look through the old threads or youtube or whatever, the whole point is that I don't want to. I much prefer having a tangible book in hand when learning a finely detailed skill like lutherie.

I have learned that the Wickham book, although it often suggests you refer to "the plans", no copy of the book ever seems to have come with plans. I'll be checking out the catalog at the library this weekend. Maybe I'll luck out and they'll have a book or two I can peruse.
 
I started out with the Hana Lima book and plan. I think it was a good way to go, but since then I have moved from the Spanish heel.

If you want to spend an evening, you can check my blog, either through the labels or by starting with the oldest posts. It's great fun to build.

Sven
 
The Gilbert and Wickham books are very much alike. I can't help but think that they both learned from the same teacher, whoever that may have been. Either will get you started. Neither will help you build a uke that is more than two stages above crude. Both are concerned with tenor ukes, though they barely mention that there is more than one kind of uke. As total rookies, how much can you hope for on your first instrument? If its playable and makes a pleasant noise I'd say you made out OK. If it was fun you will likely make more, do more investigation, evolve. A hands-on class with Rick will give you a huge jump-start. A less able teacher may be no better than one of the above books. I realize that every beginner comes into lutherie with the highest hopes, but its not an easy trade. My first electric guitar eventually came back to me and I threw it in the dumpster. My first bouzouki and a few acoustic guitars fed my campfire. But that was later. At first I was elated with them. The most important step is to start. If you can keep pushing forward with high expectations you'll probably make out fine. Or not. Its not like its a matter of life and death. A really cool uke-making book has yet to be written, but even if you had one it might be too detailed to encourage you to jump in. It took C.F. Martin decades to come up with the full X brace guitar pattern. There's no reason to expect that you'll end up with more than a good time making your first instrument. Even so, I think you should try it.
 
I'm learning, hands on, from an experienced luthier and from the luthiers on this forum. I have read a few books on guitar and ukulele building, but when I have materials in hand, I find them to be of little use. If you can't take a class, perhaps a local luthier would teach you if you can provide plans. Some plans are available for free on the internet. You might also find Kathy Matushita's website interesting:

http://home.comcast.net/~kathymatsushita/
 
All luthiers aren't good teachers. I've taught several people how to build, but I wouldn't do that for anyone right off the street. If I charged money for it it might be OK, but I never have. Mostly it is a good time. One student expected me to do all the work while he watched---it was not rewarding.

A few wannabes made regular visits (like every few weeks) just to hang out and watch. If they brought coffee I'd stop work to talk with them. It was never a hands-on training session, but they seemed to learn what they needed to know.

If your luthier of choice doesn't already build ukes he'll likely have to make some jigs to get things going. You should be prepared to buy them from him if he has no plans to continue with ukes after you "graduate". You should also expect to pay him a good hourly wage, for which you get his full attention while you are there. Hopefully you'll have access to his machines so you can prep more stock to continue work at home. You'll likely end up as friends, but never forget that you're on his clock while you are there.

I was a substitute teacher for two years before joining Huss & Dalton. I probably had two good days during that time. Most experienced teachers I met hated their jobs. Teaching apt and enthusiastic pupils is the best job in the world. Lazy students you don't get along with are a drag. If you hook up with a luthier, leave your complaints at home. Be prepared to work when you get there. Do your very best to keep appointments and be prompt. Pay in cash if you can. Make his time with you as pleasant as possible and you'll get the most out of him. Hopefully it will be fun for both of you.
 
I've not yet met an Australian on whom beer didn't work!

One possibility is to do what I did, and just start building using reclaimed wood (I still have some wardrobe left, though not much). Research each bit as you come to it - resawing tops, backs and sides (by hand!), good YouTube video on this from the Woodshop series on hand sawing veneers, thicknessing (lots of info online), bending sides ditto, and so on. You spoil a lot of wood, but its cost is pennies + time, and you're doing this for fun.

Neck no 6 should be pretty decent, sides no 10 might be evenly bent, and so on.

The problem with any book of instructions is that the instructions need modifying for the wood you are using. Guitars are bigger, and so variations in density and stiffness have less of an effect on the final instrument (until you're trying to produce a top end instrument). For example, a book might say to thickness a mahogany uke top to 1.8mm. For some mahogany the uke might be quiet and stifled, for other pieces this might be too thin and produce a banjo-sounding uke. So you have to learn by feel what the final answer is, and no book can tell you that; only making ukes can do it.
 
You're right, ProfChris. The job of good instruction is to get you on your own as quickly as possible, and that's when it really gets interesting.
 
I've built a number of classical guitars, so I am familiar with the Spanish foot technique, and actually like it. It is a very direct way of crafting a guitar, and now, for me, a ukulele. And I have the Hana Lima 'Ia book - the best of the ones I've seen so far (Plant - not well organized, skips a lot of steps. Gilbert - very dated, technically somewhat crude). Many of the separate neck/body techniques I have seen on the web and in books leave me shaking my head. Using a small spline (Gilbert) or epoxy (Plant) give me the shivers. These techniques must have negative effect on the sustain and overall tone of the ukulele. I would think some version of a mortise and tenon, bolt on neck joint would be a far more superior fastening if you don't want to do a Spanish foot. Even the use of a hanger bolt into the neck heel, with a machine-thread nut on the inside of the neck block would be a major improvement (a joint used in many resonator guitars). And, of course, there is the old, tried and true dovetail joint. The dovetail takes a lot more work and skill, but it provides an excellent junction between the neck and body. For a start, at least, I will build my first few ukuleles using the Spanish-style of construction. With one change - I did add a mold to the building platform, so the sides will have that extra support while being fitted to the top and neck.
 
There is no sonic advantage to a dovetail joint. It was a 19th Century industrial product that made it easy to separately finish necks and bodies...Gibson and Guild not withstanding. Almost nobody in the modern acoustic guitar making world believes in any superiority to be had by such. The "junction" between neck and body as a sonic issue has yet to be proved as anything other than something solid...a condition that good Spanish, good dovetail, and good bolt-on all accomplish.

Spanish is easiest for quick basic construction...and it's a total pain in the ass for final shaping and sanding and finish.

Dovetail...great 'til you have to do a neck reset, especially if it's like a Gibson or Guild...neck glued on before finish.

Bolt-on...probably best of all worlds when considering long term consequences.
 
Rick,
Erwin Somogyi did an article in "American Lutherie" a few years back, discussing neck design, including the neck/body joint. His premise was that the grater the contact between the guitar neck and body, the greater the transmission of movement at the neck/body joint to the sound chamber. His conclusion was that this motion was best transferred by the classical guitar foot, a part of the Spanish heel process. He rated the dovetail second in this quality, due to the greater surface contact between neck and body vs. the bolt-on joint. So I will respectfully disagree with you on the "sonic advantage".
I have not found the Spanish heel to be a problem in shaping - I do it before the guitar (or uke) is assembled. I will grant you there is a bit of hassle doing the final sanding of the heel/side junction, but I find the immediacy of the Spanish style build very enjoyable.
I will readily yield to you on the Gibson and Gretsch dovetails. I tried my best to stay away from repair work - other than on guitars I build. I didn't always succeed at that, but there were a few jobs that encouraged me to work harder at avoiding repair work. And the dovetail joint is a complex joint to fit.
I have recently started teaching guitar-making, and as I was reviewing the process, I came to the conclusion that I really didn't want to start these folks out with cutting a dovetail joint. Consequently, I am researching and trying out the various bolt-on styles. And now you have me thinking about a bolt-on neck for a uke. Not a lot of space to work with on a soprano. And not a lot of neck heel. Perhaps a single hanger bolt? With a short mortise and tenon that protrudes minimally (perhaps 1/4") into the head block, just to provide a bit of vertical support? Anyhow, I'd appreciate your ideas!
 
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