Adjusting braces post build

[kerneltime]

I often come across ukuleles where a note is “off” and am tempted to play with the bracing to adjust the sound. I tried this on a cheap riptide soprano that had a massive side sound hole and I could get a chisel in there to pretty much eliminate the bracing.. the top was thick enough that even with high tension strings the top remained intact and stable. The sound improved quite a bit. The ukulele was more resonant and louder.. that was a ukulele I could mess with both from a cost stand point and from being able access the braces stand point. (That ukulele was given to a kid who was interested in the ukulele, after fixing the action and bracing it is actually a decent ukulele).
There are other ukes which require a gentler touch. I have been debating getting a pencil plane so that I can stick my fingers in there and try to reduce the bracing on some ukuleles. Any advice for how to adjust the bracing post build without taking the back off? Or adjust the voicing of an ukulele.

 

[Red Cliff]

I guess the question that comes to my mind (not knowing your building experience) is what is it you I tend to do and why and with what aim? In terms of voicing a uke or guitar there are two options - science (chladli patterns etc) or learnt experience from making a lot of instruments. I'm not sure which of those camps you are in. Personally if there was a wolf note somewhere I would start by adding weight to different locations in the form or bluetack rather than carving away braces.

For me carving away braces would be an absolute last resort and one that takes a lot of experience to understand the cause and effect. Apologies if you have that experience, only it seemed from your description that you did not.

 

[kerneltime]

I guess the question that comes to my mind (not knowing your building experience) is what is it you I tend to do and why and with what aim? In terms of voicing a uke or guitar there are two options - science (chladli patterns etc) or learnt experience from making a lot of instruments. I'm not sure which of those camps you are in. Personally if there was a wolf note somewhere I would start by adding weight to different locations in the form or bluetack rather than carving away braces.

For me carving away braces would be an absolute last resort and one that takes a lot of experience to understand the cause and effect. Apologies if you have that experience, only it seemed from your description that you did not.

I don’t have any building experience.. Will read up on what you wrote. Thank you!

 

[John Colter]

This thread has reminded me of a friend who had a very dull sounding baritone. Someone looked inside and commented that the braces looked rather tall, so my pal knocked the tops off three of the braces, using a long screwdriver and a hammer!

The amazing thing is, that he caused no other damage and it worked! It was much improved.

(Please don't try this at home.)

 

[kkimura]

Here's a mad example of thinking outside of the box. Why not put the bracing on the outside so they can be fine tuned after the ukulele is complete and strung up?

 

[John Colter]

That would certainly be outside the box!

 

[kerneltime]

Here's a mad example of thinking outside of the box. Why not put the bracing on the outside so they can be fine tuned after the ukulele is complete and strung up?

I believe some luthiers do when trying out stuff. Steve Grimes talked about it in his podcast with the ukulele site.. I guess no one does it for ukes they sell for aesthetics?

 

[Uke-alot]

I believe some luthiers do when trying out stuff. Steve Grimes talked about it in his podcast with the ukulele site.. I guess no one does it for ukes they sell for aesthetics?

I'm planning on making a removable back for a ukulele design that I want to prototype, so I can cut down the bracing if necessary. Just thin plywood screwed on around the perimeter, which should be a reasonable approximation of the structural function of a glued permanent back. If all goes well, I'll glue on a real back at the end of the process and finish.