Archtop Maker gone Uke Crazy with first Tenor Ukulele!

Hello Underground!
My name is Tye. I am new here and was excited to see that there was a luthier section for posting. I have been professionally building Archtops for 12 years for myself and carving and binding work for Ribbecke Archtops. My wife bought me a cheap Uke from the Dole plantation on Oahu on our honeymoon 4 years ago and I have been planning my pivot from Guitars to Ukes for a few years. I am in the process of building my first one right now and I am excited to share it.
I tend to go all out on prototypes so I decided on a Florentine cutaway design. I am using Cocobolo for the sides and back and headstock reinforcement veneer. Spanish Cedar A4 style Kevin Ryan Kerfing. Carpathian Spruce top, German Spruce A-symmetrical bracing on the top and an X braced back. Ebony fingerboard, bridge, head stock overlay and pins. Bone nut and Saddle. Custom Paua Shell/Redwood Burl/Ebony rosette. And Gotoh Stealth Ukulele face mounted tuners. Oh yea- Low wound G (Stoked!!)
I only have the two Kala's so I’m sure it will sound better than those but I am still waiting to hear its first voice. I will post pictures as soon as I get home. I have the sides glued up so tonight I will be cleaning them up and hopefully finish the kerfing and side stiffening.

Koa!!!

Cant forget top shelf curly Koa binding! Have to put a little island on there!

Looking forward to the pics. Will it be a carved top?

Good Question!

This one is going to be a flat top. The next one (Non-cut) will be arched with a wedge bridge and ebony hinged tailpiece!

Let me know when you are ready to build the arch top, I can give you some guidance on graduating the top and back. I find that Engelmann spruce is a little easier driven than Sitka with nylon stings.

Brad

Welcome Tye. I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures.
You work for Ribbecke? Say hello to Maegen for me.

Whew! Sorry I havent posted any pictures yet. I had a deadline for finish so it took up every second I had. I will be posting pictures tonight from A-Z as it is hanging in a spraybooth as I type this

Welcome Tye - glad to see you straying from the 'dark side'. May the (uke) force be with you... you will discover that ukulele building is not guitar building and I suspect by the description of your build schedule you are making a mini guitar! Hey - we all got to start somewhere (and I am a reknown uke facist). Knowing Ribbeke's work I am sure it is going to be a stunner. Etiquette here demands that you don't keep us all guessing but post those darned pictures asap... be advised! We are a demanding and thirsty bunch here for uke p***

Pete Howlett said:

Welcome Tye - glad to see you straying from the 'dark side'. May the (uke) force be with you... you will discover that ukulele building is not guitar building and I suspect by the description of your build schedule you are making a mini guitar! Hey - we all got to start somewhere (and I am a reknown uke facist). Knowing Ribbeke's work I am sure it is going to be a stunner. Etiquette here demands that you don't keep us all guessing but post those darned pictures asap... be advised! We are a demanding and thirsty bunch here for uke p***

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Yeah, POIDH!