Taking the mystery oput of slotted headstock construction...

Pete Howlett

Pete Howlett

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Taking the mystery out of slotted headstock construction...

Just part of the process -cutting the ramps and drilling the string holes will remain my secret for now...


 
Last edited:
I'll shoot another one dealing with the ramping,sanding and drilling the holes.
 
Seems as if you've gone into summer reruns Pete. :)

My method is pretty simple. A Lucite template attached with double backed tape and a bench mounted pattern cutting router bit does the job well. Tuner holes are drilled first to prevent any blow-out and ramps are done with a 1/2" sanding drum on a Dremel.
Keep in mind folks, if the strings touch any part of the headstock between the tuner post and the nut, THE BUILDER HAS FAILED! The head stock is designed poorly. You never see this flaw on good guitars and other instruments, but on ukes builders seem pretty casual about it. Makes me crazy to see a string rubbing against the slots, the ramps or the finish.
 
I looked at my catalogue and couldn't find the YouTube vid there - hence a reposting here, triggered by an Australian post etc,etc... I agree on the designe point Chuck. Those ramps gotta work.
 
Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
Keep in mind folks, if the strings touch any part of the headstock between the tuner post and the nut, THE BUILDER HAS FAILED! The head stock is designed poorly. You never see this flaw on good guitars and other instruments, but on ukes builders seem pretty casual about it. Makes me crazy to see a string rubbing against the slots, the ramps or the finish.
Click to expand...

When I got my Kala Acacia Tenor, a couple of the strings rubbed on the ramps. I got it from MGM, so I'm guessing that when he set it up, he didn't think about which side the strings should wind to. It was an easy fix to just inwind the strings a bit and make them wind to the other side of the tuner, but still something I was a bit questionable about. Now they don't touch. And I feel good about myself for "fixing" my uke myself!
 
Do you guys change the angle of the headstock based on the type slotted or standard? I seem to remember reading a guitar building book that said they were different.

Also, just checked my Fluke-Flea and Tangi ukuleles and the results were: Fail & extremely close to failing! Both have the strings wrapping over the tops of the posts so the easy fix is eliminated. I'll need to keep my eyes open next time I go shopping for a new uke.
 
Darrel said:
Do you guys change the angle of the headstock based on the type slotted or standard? I seem to remember reading a guitar building book that said they were different..
Click to expand...

Yes, a slotted headstock is generally several degrees less of an angle than a traditional head stock. I can't give you exact numbers because head stock thickness and tuners used play a part in the geometry as well. It's the string angle where it breaks over the nut that you need to pay attention to.
 
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