After a couple weeks of playing the first uke I have finished, I am hearing it's shortcomings. It sounds pretty good to me, and others who have played, except for the 'A' string when played open, the 'E' string playing the same A, or any of the higher octave A notes, A flat, B flat. It is not horrible, but I notice it...
The CF patch is done as recommended on the Kawika Ukulele site. It added more stiffness than I expected, very cool! But, it left me with my 2 fan braces, which I thought were light, being slightly stiff. I built a tool to sand them down a bit, which helped audibly. The top and back are too thin, and I can hear it. Both are the same thickness at about 0.063" +/- I realize now that this might not be ideal.
Yesterday I put a piece of double sided tape on the top, and placed a piece of brace wood on it, in between the end of the bridge adjacent to the A string, and the edge of the instrument. The A note became much more relaxed with more sustain. The ASDR curve smoothed way out.. The top, near the skinny G string, I can hear how it's thinness adversely affects the sound, but it is much less of a problem, as the instrument does not have issues with the G note. It is an issue of how the instrument deals with certain frequencies, and is less noticeable with lower octave A than with higher octave A.
Now I need to figure out how to put in another brace... I think it will be a floating brace, not anchored to the sides, or transverse brace, about 2-3" long, and tiny, but how to install it? A modified pair of oil filter pliers for install, a bent pair of long tweezers? maybe neodymium magnets for clamps...
Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions for tools, ways to install a brace after the fact?
I saw a folding mirror for guitars, I think I will make one for ukes... 3 hinged pieces that fit inside the sound hole, then unfold inside, with magnets attached, so that magnets can be used from outside the box to secure the mirror, maybe some foam blocks to support it evenly just above the bracing for a more unbroken field of vision..
and some sort of bracing cauls with magnets,
What tools already exist?
Cheers all...
The CF patch is done as recommended on the Kawika Ukulele site. It added more stiffness than I expected, very cool! But, it left me with my 2 fan braces, which I thought were light, being slightly stiff. I built a tool to sand them down a bit, which helped audibly. The top and back are too thin, and I can hear it. Both are the same thickness at about 0.063" +/- I realize now that this might not be ideal.
Yesterday I put a piece of double sided tape on the top, and placed a piece of brace wood on it, in between the end of the bridge adjacent to the A string, and the edge of the instrument. The A note became much more relaxed with more sustain. The ASDR curve smoothed way out.. The top, near the skinny G string, I can hear how it's thinness adversely affects the sound, but it is much less of a problem, as the instrument does not have issues with the G note. It is an issue of how the instrument deals with certain frequencies, and is less noticeable with lower octave A than with higher octave A.
Now I need to figure out how to put in another brace... I think it will be a floating brace, not anchored to the sides, or transverse brace, about 2-3" long, and tiny, but how to install it? A modified pair of oil filter pliers for install, a bent pair of long tweezers? maybe neodymium magnets for clamps...
Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions for tools, ways to install a brace after the fact?
I saw a folding mirror for guitars, I think I will make one for ukes... 3 hinged pieces that fit inside the sound hole, then unfold inside, with magnets attached, so that magnets can be used from outside the box to secure the mirror, maybe some foam blocks to support it evenly just above the bracing for a more unbroken field of vision..
and some sort of bracing cauls with magnets,
What tools already exist?
Cheers all...
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