Thinking about a bespoke ukulele

Sounds like you do not fully trust in the outcome of your luthier's endeavour. Most makers - big companies as well as small custom shops - will have a signature sound. Their sound may be affected by the choice of woods, but it will still typically sound like an instrument from brand X or luthier Y.

My personal approach would be to choose a builder according to samples of his work you like, not because he agrees to build something that will look similar to another brand. If you like the Pono ETSH, then why not just get that one? They do have their very own signature sound, so you'll know what you will be getting. Buying an instrument without holding and playing it takes a lot of confidence as it is when ordering from an online dealer, but it's even tougher to know the outcome of an instrument that hasn't even been made yet. Ordering from a custom luthier is always a jump in cold water, even more so with an unknown maker with little sound samples and reviews or known owners you could ask in confidence.
 
Bill1 said:
Sounds like you have the same doubts and fears as everyone else.
I suggest a change of attitude to the activity.
Instead of thinking about buying a magic jewellery box that has the little ballerina dancing which costs £Xk, treat the activity more like an exciting musical experience. Like booking a holiday to the Greek Islands or similar. Get off the bulletin boards and start planning your trip. Work out the tunes you are going to play and start learning them so you can play them the day you get the uke out of the box. Plan to play your favourite tunes for the first week of ownership and delay the visual inspection until you are happy with the way the set list sounds. Just like you would go into training to get fit for a hiking holiday. About a week after playing your favourite set list, then get out the mirror and torch and look for glue drips and admire the pretty figure in the wood. Then post some photos here and, if you are happy to, post some sound or video of you having a great time with your new uke. During the long wait for completion and delivery, occupy yourself with learning tunes and making a set list to play, when you get a doubt, look up another tune to learn. If you visit the maker take a uke and play him or her the tunes so he or she can start to think about set-up and your personal style, without annoying the maker.
Most makers have issues with first time custom uke buyers because they have these same doubts and don't know how to deal with them without being annoying. You need to force yourself to relax and let the maker enjoy the experience as well. Posting comments on UU is just going to put more pressure on the maker. You have done enough and the information has been presented, I recommend you give the UU thread a rest until you have the uke and are enjoying playing it.
Click to expand...

True words of wisdom, I fully agree with everything Bill1 has said. I ordered my first custom after only playing ukulele for 3 months, stupid really. But the wait time was one year so I set a goal to practice diligently and have a number of songs under my belt I could play when I picked up the instrument. No instrument will meet every one of our expectations percectly, everything in life is a trade off. Step away from the screen and enjoy the process of having an instrument built for you and you alone.
 
Rakelele said:
Sounds like you do not fully trust in the outcome of your luthier's endeavour. Most makers - big companies as well as small custom shops - will have a signature sound. Their sound may be affected by the choice of woods, but it will still typically sound like an instrument from brand X or luthier Y.

My personal approach would be to choose a builder according to samples of his work you like, not because he agrees to build something that will look similar to another brand. If you like the Pono ETSH, then why not just get that one? They do have their very own signature sound, so you'll know what you will be getting. Buying an instrument without holding and playing it takes a lot of confidence as it is when ordering from an online dealer, but it's even tougher to know the outcome of an instrument that hasn't even been made yet. Ordering from a custom luthier is always a jump in cold water, even more so with an unknown maker with little sound samples and reviews or known owners you could ask in confidence.
Click to expand...

Difficult to get the ETSH over here in the UK.

Let one slip through my fingers because I was out when the eBay auction finished, and I forgotten until I'd got home.

Well, maybe I have done something wrong here, but I am talking to two luthiers.

One is an unknown, but has been in the luthier business a while, just not with ukuleles.

One is very well known with great references.

So one is very safe option, one is leap in the dark.

Being contrary I really fancy going for the unknown, but then again...
 
I am 90% sure of going with the well known ukulele luthier.

I'll let you all know when I have ordered it.

I'll also ask if it's okay to get some photos of the build to post on here.

Would that post be better as a new post on this forum, or the luthier forum?

Or just as a continuation of this thread?
 
Steve in Kent said:
I am 90% sure of going with the well known ukulele luthier.

I'll let you all know when I have ordered it.

I'll also ask if it's okay to get some photos of the build to post on here.

Would that post be better as a new post on this forum, or the luthier forum?

Or just as a continuation of this thread?
Click to expand...

I would love to see progress pics! Maybe a new post is best? I'm not sure where would be best. I'm new here.
 
Steve, I haven't read all of this thread, but what I have seen gives me the impression that you do not know just what you want, and are unsure whom to trust with building it.

I can't help you with the first part, except to say that you really need to be clear about what it is you want to have built.

On the second part (who is to build it) my opinion is that I would avoid any builder who does not have a good track record of making ukuleles. I have heard too many sad stories of experienced guitar makers who turn their hand to making a ukulele, with a result that proves to be less than satisfactory - or even downright awful.

I've no doubt that some makers of other instruments have made a fine job of building a ukulele, but spending your hard earned cash with someone who has little or no experience of ukes is a gamble I would strongly advise against.

John Colter.
 
When I am having a custom uke built I start a thread here in Uke Talk titled "Build in Progress". I put the builder name in the title ie "LfdM Build in Progress". Everyone enjoys seeing pictures as the uke progresses through the different stages.
 
I've been reluctant to post on this thread up to now. I've had some experience with 'bespoke' ukuleles, and I would say proceed with caution, especially if you are in any way unsure of what you want. I've had two built for me: one from a UK builder who is a very experienced luthier (who builds other instruments as well as ukes) and the other a US company who had perhaps one of the best reputations. Both instruments I do regret buying now.

The UK one is terrible really; the bindings came loose almost immediately, the wood boards I selected were not used, the fretboard is just not right for me and the instrument came pre-dinged. I hated it - it's gone now.

The US one is okay - I can live with it. Build quality is 'okay' along as you don't scrutinise it too closely. The issue I have is that I do not like the 12" radius fretboard that runs at the same radius all the way up the neck. This is something I learned about some time after owning it: some other builders start the radius at 12" at the nut end, and run it out flatter to 24" at the upper end of the fretboard. Example Collings and Kinnard to name just two do this, and I get less barre-chord issues with this run-out radius. Trouble is, I had no experience of this until I bought the 'dot-dot' and it affects my playing and enjoyment of the instrument. I'm hanging onto it because I do like the tone, and hope I get better at playing it one day, or until a nice Collings comes up in the UK.

In a nutshell: unless you are very experienced and know exactly what you do and do not need in a uke, don't go custom/bespoke as you may well regret it.
 
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Pete F said:
I've been reluctant to post on this thread up to now. I've had some experience with 'bespoke' ukuleles, and I would say proceed with caution, especially if you are in any way unsure of what you want. I've had two built for me: one from a UK builder who is a very experienced luthier (who builds other instruments as well as ukes) and the other a US company who had perhaps one of the best reputations. Both instruments I do regret buying now.

The UK one is terrible really; the bindings came loose almost immediately, the wood boards I selected were not used, the fretboard is just not right for me and the instrument came pre-dinged. I hated it - it's gone now.

The US one is okay - I can live with it. Build quality is 'okay' along as you don't scrutinise it too closely. The issue I have is that I do not like the 12" radius fretboard that runs at the same radius all the way up the neck. This is something I learned about some time after owning it: some other builders start the radius at 12" at the nut end, and run it out flatter to 24" at the upper end of the fretboard. Example Collings and Kinnard to name just two do this, and I get less barre-chord issues with this run-out radius. Trouble is, I had no experience of this until I bought the 'dot-dot' and it affects my playing and enjoyment of the instrument. I'm hanging onto it because I do like the tone, and hope I get better at playing it one day, or until a nice Collings comes up in the UK.

In a nutshell: unless you are very experienced and know exactly what you do and do not need in a uke, don't go custom/bespoke as you may well regret it.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the heads up Pete.

Great info about the radiused fretboard, better to have flat than 12" all the way along then.

Also pm'd you, of course.

Steve
 
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