Koa Tenor

ksquine

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OK...I finished another one. I just strung up this one this morning. Too bad its for a friend as it will be hard to give it up.
Body.....koa, tenor size from the hana lima plans
Neck....Mahogany
Binding...maple/rosewood rope

The tone is big and sweet so far. I can't wait for the strings to stop stretching so I can really hear it. The only song you can play with new Aquila's is that old chinese folk song....tu-ning
 

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Thanks Matt. Its my 4th uke build. The saddle is high because the fingerboard is thicker than normal. I guess I wanted to show more binding around it to satisfy my ego lol. I could drop the action a bit more I guess....but I'll see what the future owner wants. I have a pretty heavy touch when playing so I tend to keep it a bit higher
 
Is the binding glued on one piece at a time or were you able to bend the whole side? I had trouble with my attempt at rope binding because it kept breaking at the joints instead of bending.
Yours looks great.
Doug
 
Saddle Height
My rule of thumb which may help you get this height right is to lay a straight edge along the fretted fingerboard and rest the end of the straight edge on top of the bridge. I expect to see about 1mm gap at the 12 fret between the fret and the rule. This gives a saddle height of about 3mm above the slot for a 'Hawaiian' action and 2.5mm above the slote for a 'slick' action. If the saddle is too high, over time, it will lean forward... I know you are going to do it but it is essential to round over the ends of the saddle :)
 
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The saddle is high because the fingerboard is thicker than normal. I guess I wanted to show more binding around it to satisfy my ego lol.

Yes, the first thing I noticed was the over-sized rope binding. Almost gives it a candy cane effect. Perhaps you could design a red and white rope Xmas uke you could offer around Christmas time. I think this build is very cool and unique. Great job! e.lo..
 
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