Does anyone know of an ukulele build course that is one week or less in the west coast (e.g. AZ/CA/OR/WA/NV)? I live in Guam and don't have more than a week to spare but I'm very interested in building my first uke from scratch. I'm looking for a concentrated/intense course that builds for up to 10 hours per day.
Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks so much!
Thanks Allen, but the cost for airfare, hotel and accommodations would be a bit too much for me out there in Australia. I'll be making a trip out to the US west coast for business so I'm trying to take advantage of the trip.
Rick Turner is in Santa Cruz. He used to teach a "Buld an Ukulele in Two Weekends" class at place called The Crucible in Oakland, but he hasn't done that recently. Here's his website: http://rickturnerguitars.com/
You could also try contacting Mike DaSilva, who's in Berkeley. I've heard that he has taught ukulele building in the past, but I'm not sure what the time frame and nature of any class he's taught might be. Here's his website: http://www.ukemaker.com/ukemaker.php
Rick does pineapple tenors as well as pineapple sopranos. His class is a bit more of an ukulele assembling class than a build-from-scratch class - Rick cuts and bends the soundboard, back and sides; we assembled the body and carved our own bracing, carved our necks, and designed our own headstocks. We also installed the nut and the bridge and the frets and the tuning machines and strings.
Joe, I teach private lessons in lutherie. Mostly classical guitars, but I could show you how to get going on a uke. Not sure if we could finish in one week though... Contact me via email if you're interested. jason@jasonwolverton.com
If you can spare a few extra days, you could do the 10 day course at the Holualoa Ukulele Gallery on The Big Island. You'll probably be flying over it on your way to the west coast.
I have a one-on-one tenor building course starting tomorrow (5th this year) and we will go from start to finish in 5 days. See my YouTube channel for the results of recent builds.
I have a one-on-one tenor building course starting tomorrow (5th this year) and we will go from start to finish in 5 days. See my YouTube channel for the results of recent builds.
Sorry Pete, with the amount of money it would cost me to fly to your shop for your course, I could get a custom build made entirely from "The Tree"! Haha! Thanks, I love your YT videos.
Thanks for this suggestion, the Hana Lima course would be perfect. I've reached out to them already as they only offer the 1 week course over the summer and its already full. I'm really hoping I can find something, its just so tough living out here in Guam as we don't even have a single professional luthier service available for repairs.
Thanks all, if there are any other suggestions, I'd be grateful.
No doubt there is a lot of value in a workshop conducted by any of the people who have been mentioned. But why not get some parts or a good kit (StewMac, Hana Lima) and dive in yourself with the help of the Hana Lima manual and the wealth of information available here in the build sub forum? You'll learn a great deal and will likely produce a pretty good instrument sooner than you can work out travel to the other side of the world. Several of us here have done it that way.
After about forty ukes, I'd still like to take a class from Pete, for example, but I have no regrets that I've done it thus far by trial and error.
saltytri, I've actually order my first stewmac tenor kit last week, it's on its way and I'm doing the plan/define/design phases right now. I plan to have this build completed in under 3 months (working at it only on weekends). I just need to plan way ahead in advance for an uke course because airfare from Guam is so expensive.
I'm really looking forward to the stewmac kit because my wife actually wanted to build it with me! She help me build a few other woodworking projects and thought it was real fun. I'm real excited and already have some customizations to the kit in mind like this thread I started for a bolt-on neck: StewMac Tenor Kit: Convert to bolt-on neck?
Something tells me that this won't be my last ukulele kit.
But, building an uke entirely from scratch just has a different "accomplishment" ring to it. I'm looking for a course because it's just feasible for me to build the molds/templates/jigs or acquire the tooling. I guess at the very latest, I'll wait until next year and pay for a special trip to Oahu for the Hana Lima intense course next summer.
I started building guitars from kits (with the help of lots of books) and got really good results. I started building ukes from scratch modifying the knowledge I got from the guitar building. I attended a course run by Allen and Micheal in Cairns a couple of years ago and learned a lot from them. Have made a couple of better ukes as a result. I think the most important thing is just to get started. You learn from books, from experts and from your mistakes and you slowly evolve a style that works for you.
Miguel
I never went on any courses...Didn't buy any kits ..I just looked at pic's and videos on the internet to find out how to build (Mainly Kamaka factory tour vid's)....Did a lot of thinking...Read loads of forum threads...I obtained the "Scott Antes" Martin Soprano plans to get dimensions....Then I built a Fox Type Bender (seamed like a good piece of equipment to start with)....Scrapped several first attempts:wallbash:...and in the the end I built a soprano that worked.:cheers:..Getting my 10-20 Drum thickness sander was the eureka moment in making building easier....I've still got a lot to learn about wood working tho'
Thanks for this suggestion, the Hana Lima course would be perfect. I've reached out to them already as they only offer the 1 week course over the summer and its already full. I'm really hoping I can find something, its just so tough living out here in Guam as we don't even have a single professional luthier service available for repairs.
Thanks all, if there are any other suggestions, I'd be grateful.
I would ask Mike if you can put your name on his list in case someone cancels.....
he might have a group from Alaska....but there could be a cancelation...his class is very intensive....and you will get a nice uke out of it....
Thanks for this heads up hawaii50, they responded and said if have to wait until next year. Bummer, but if it doesn't happen this year, I don't think it will ever because my newlywed wife and I are planning to have our first child this year...then my priorities will be more focused.
So I've been able to contact Hana Lima and Rick Turner.
- Hana Lima said their course is 2 weeks and can't be any shorter as it's already condensed. Looks like I won't be able to attend as I can only spare a week.
- I was put on the Rick Turner "waiting list" as he only provides the "build an uke in 4 days" course once in a while, so hopefully he decides to do one this year.
There are other luthiers who frequent the Acoustic Guitar Forum that offer one-on-one sessions, however, their price is tuition plus their list for their custom build (approx. $3500). This is extremely out of my range.
I guess if I can't find a course, I'll just continue to build kits as they are also just as fund. It's just been my dream to take blocks/logs of wood and make it into something special...not just from a kit.
