Jerryc41
Well-known member
After seeing a couple of tennis racket ukes here and online, I thought I'd give it a try. I bought a few rackets on eBay in April and moved slowly toward completion. It it perfect? Of course not, but I'm satisfied, and I did learn a lot along the way, with help from members here.
The body is western cedar, and the additions to the handle and headstock are oak, with a layer of cedar on top of the headstock. I wanted to make the headstock match the shape of the body, but I forgot about the need to place the tuners within a half inch of the edge. That resulted in a sharp angle for the C and E strings. People here suggested using string guides. They arrived from Stew-Mac today, and I attached one. The next time, I'll be more careful placing the tuners.
The strings are Worth Brown with low-G. The sound is nice and mellow. It's loud enough, and it has nice sustain. It isn't really finished yet. I still have adjust the action, clean it up, and center the nut, which I just noticed it is off-center. Looking at the pictures, it seems like the bridge is tilted, but the ruler says it's straight. It's a tenor, by the way.
Total cost was $61.55.
The body is western cedar, and the additions to the handle and headstock are oak, with a layer of cedar on top of the headstock. I wanted to make the headstock match the shape of the body, but I forgot about the need to place the tuners within a half inch of the edge. That resulted in a sharp angle for the C and E strings. People here suggested using string guides. They arrived from Stew-Mac today, and I attached one. The next time, I'll be more careful placing the tuners.
The strings are Worth Brown with low-G. The sound is nice and mellow. It's loud enough, and it has nice sustain. It isn't really finished yet. I still have adjust the action, clean it up, and center the nut, which I just noticed it is off-center. Looking at the pictures, it seems like the bridge is tilted, but the ruler says it's straight. It's a tenor, by the way.
Total cost was $61.55.
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