Tad's tenor build

Point the camera at you and your uke and go to town on your new beauty...

Congrats, btw.

Alright here is a quick sample of this beautiful uke. I hope it's at least a good taste. I am not a great player, but I enjoy it and so does my son. That's all that matters to me. I hope to get a local pro to play soon, so you all can here just how amazing she sounds. Steve, thank you so much again. I am very honored to receive such a wonderful gift. Hopefully, more vids to follow soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h0hesezjeE

sounds great!.......youre a lucky guy

Thank you for sharing it sounds Great.

Tad, you make it sound good. Thanks for the vid. Glad to hear that you and your son are enjoying it.

Steve

Just checked out moorebettahukes.com OH MY GOD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These ukes are works of art !!!!!!!!!!!! I am awestruck!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can see why your build list is full Chuck.

PhilUSAFRet said:

Just checked out moorebettahukes.com OH MY GOD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These ukes are works of art !!!!!!!!!!!! I am awestruck!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can see why your build list is full Chuck.

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Ummm,

I've got to agree with you, Phil, Chuck's ukes are amazing. I was lucky enough to see a few of them and I can say that quality of construction attention to detail, beauty, aesthetic, finish, playability and sound are all equally stunning. Throw in some inlay, and well, I mean..you know. The uke I built for Tad is a great little uke, but I'm pretty sure Chuck wouldn't want it confused with one of his.

Now that this thread is back, a little update on Tad's tenor, and the em6000 in particular. I saw him a couple weeks ago and he said he is still playing it often, and the uke and the 6000 are holding up well. This is the only uke I finished with the water based lacquer, and apparently it is a viable alternative to nitro, if your so inclined. It's only been 6 or 7 months, though. And now that I've tried the MacFadden's/Seagrave, I think I'll be sticking with that.

So Phil, you must be a quarter of the way through the archives by now. That is excellent as there is a TON of info buried back there. Well done!

Steve

two dogs plucking said:

Tad is an 'uke playing friend of my parents. At my mom's request, I offered to build an 'uke to give him. I've given most of the 'ukes I've made away to family and friends, but always after they were complete, never built for someone while they watched, so this is a first. Also my first build thread, up to now I've mostly shown pics of completed 'ukes.

Tad is now registered on UU and should be ready to folow along, so here goes.....




I scoured the wood pile and came up with this set of curly koa for this build. It's got a gorgeous light brown sugar color and striping that adds some interest. I'm heading back to the shop to work on it, so for now, here's a pic of the wood.

View attachment 13011

Steve

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Oooooooooooooooo! Looks like fun!

i am in complete awe of this thread... such awesome skills.... and love your workshop....

two dogs plucking said:

Today I cut down the pieces that make up the top and bottom plates, tapering them so the curlies go straight across the body and the stripes are a bit narrower. Got the plates glued up and the sides bent.

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How do you bend your sides? Fox bender?

I start the bend with a hot pipe, and finish them off in a fox bender like jig. My hand bending is getting better, so every once in a while I don't need to go any further. My bending form is solid and I use heat blankets and slats.