New to ukes... a couple questions

shabby · Jan 22, 2013

Hello all, after building 54 guitars, I feel like I'm finally ready to build a concert uke and have a few questions. When I build a stringed instrument that's new to me, I tend to make it into a guitar-like instrument, but here I'm trying to avoid that and make it as uke-like as possible, whatever that is. With that in mind:

1. Are uke fretboards traditionally radiused or flat like a classical guitar?
2. Are the tops traditionally flat or radiused? If so, by how much?
3. Bracing... is there a standard or is it all over the place? I've seen no bracing, 3 fans, and 5 fans. Do a lot of folks use a bridge patch?
4. Is the neck usually adjustable via truss rod or similar, or is that overkill?

Thanks for your replies... I really appreciate them!

The Big Kahuna · Jan 22, 2013

Buy a Kanile'a and dismantle it.

Then again, you probably shouldn't listen to me.

ksquine · Jan 22, 2013

1....Most are flat
2....Most are flat again. Not uncommon to see a radius though.
3. I use 2 fan braces on my concerts with a bridge patch.
4. No need for a truss rod. I use a carbon fiber rod in my tenors but nothing in the smaller ukes. I think even the tenor reinforcement is overkill but seems like cheap insurance.

hoosierhiver · Jan 22, 2013

I think there are some good build videos on Youtube

Pete Beardsley · Jan 22, 2013

Pretty much what Ksquine said is my understanding.
Tops, if they are radiused usually seem to be around 25' and backs 15' but flat is fine for both.

BR Ukuleles · Jan 22, 2013

Well, I'll tell you how I build mine.

12" radius on fret board. Anything less and it's really a waste of time and might as well be flat.
Radius on the lower bout through the lower transverse brace. Upper bout flat. Couldn't tell you what the exact radius is because I build with Spanish Heel on a work board.
Back has 15" radius.
Always a bridge patch and fan braces.

There is an awful lot you can do with those combinations or dome, patch and fans. Have fun.

Moore Bettah Ukuleles · Jan 22, 2013

A radiused sound board means you can thin the top more than a flat one, making it thinner yet keeping it's integrity.
Mine: Tops 25', backs 15'.
I'll do radiused fret boards when requested. Which is hardly ever. Most of my customers prefer them flat. Yet a few insist on them. As Allen noted, anything less than a 12" radius would hardly be noticed on a narrow ukulele fret board.

shabby · Jan 22, 2013

Thanks for the replies... if a flat top is traditional I think I'll keep the top and back flat just to keep it simple. So if I go with two or three small fans (I figure about 1/8"x1/8" spruce) and a small (maybe 1/32") spruce or cedar bridge patch I should thin the top to about .06-.07" thick... does that sound about right? I'm using sapele by the way, density/stiffness is about like most mahoganies I've worked with.

Bradford · Jan 23, 2013

For your information, Elderly has concert ukulele plans for $8.50. Do a search on their site for ukulele blueprints. Your dimensions for the braces and bridge patch seem to be a little small to me. My fan brace dimensions are more like 3/16" X 7/32" before profiling and the bridge patches are close to the top thickness. Anyway the plans show a pineapple and figure eight body shapes, two and three brace options as well as spanish heel and dovetail neck joints. The plans do not say what instrument they were drawn from, I suspect a Martin concert, and thus are very slightly on the stout side, but will give you a very good idea of where to start.

Brad

shabby · Jan 24, 2013

I went with a little under .07" thick for the top, .08" for the back, three small fans and a bridge patch. I have a Cordoba concert uke with laminated top that appears to be about 1/16" with no bracing... if that's heavy enough then this one should be too since it will be considerably stiffer along the long grain. We shall see I guess.

shabby · Feb 2, 2013

All done... I am definitely a convert; I love this little instrument! For what it's worth, the tone is much different from my Cordoba uke of the same size and scale that has no bracing and a 1/16" plywood top. The tone is mellower with a slower attack... it doesn't seem as responsive and is not as loud. The high end definitely does not cut/bite as much as any shrillness is missing in the braced uke... in the end the best way I can describe it is that it's a similar tone but with the edge taken off.

Here's some pics:

shabby · Feb 2, 2013

A few more pics:

New to ukes... a couple questions

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