Possible "steel string uke kit" at Stew Mac

From time to time some folks here express interest in a steel string uke. Personally I don't see the attraction, BUT, if you are so afflicted, I just got a note from Stew Mac about a sale on their mini guitar kits for $140. Now it's a guitar kit, so of course it comes rigged for six strings. But it would be a simple matter to give it a new nut and file new slots in the existing saddles to set it up for just four strings. Scale length is given as 16.3", so it would be almost a tenor size. Anyway, could be a fun project, and knowing Stew Mac quality the final result should be pretty good.

https://www.stewmac.com/Browse/Mini...&utm_source=NPA&utm_content=m12257_B_20200113

You'd need a different pickup system as well.
At that point... you might as well get a neck from mainland, and strap it to a block of wood.
(I seriously keep wanting to do this)

spookelele said:

You'd need a different pickup system as well.
At that point... you might as well get a neck from mainland, and strap it to a block of wood.
(I seriously keep wanting to do this)

Click to expand...

Why a different pickup system? The poles wouldn't be located directly under the strings, but they wouldn't be far off.

Interesting! Thanks for sharing, Besley. I'd never seen this kit. It looks like it'd be fun as-is too as a mini guitar. I just read it is tuned an octave above standard...That sounds really cool.
Also, if you wanted a four string bridge instead of a six, CB Gitty has those for very reasonable prices.

I also spotted the Kmise tenor guitar on Amazon recently that was about $70...pretty tempting... Looks like a baritone except with steel strings and could be tuned DGBE.

spookelele said:

You'd need a different pickup system as well.
At that point... you might as well get a neck from mainland, and strap it to a block of wood.
(I seriously keep wanting to do this)

Click to expand...

That's not a bad idea either...and I have thought of doing something like that as well.. However, I wouldn't trust steel strings on a neck made for nylon...
I did build a box uke kit from CB Gitty and really enjoyed that (I dropped a string and made a 3 stringer)..and was happy with the result...so had thought of doing a solid body too.