Looky what I got...

Tudorp

Big guy with a lil' uke..
UU VIP
Joined
Mar 19, 2010
Messages
3,321
Reaction score
37
Location
East Texas
Been looking for one of these for awhile. Finally got one. It's an epiphone pee wee les paul. It's about 30" total length mini guitar. But, it won't remain as a guitar. I been wanting to find one of these, to completely tear down, shave the neck narrower, and re-profile it for Uke use. I plan to use this cool little guitar as a base to build a real Les Paul all electric solid body ukulele. I plan to re-route the body to hold the two mini P-90 I got a couple weeks ago, and to accomidate tone and volume control for each just like a full sized Les Paul, selector switch, just like a full scale Les Paul, then cap it with a maple top just like a real les paul. Finish it with a vintage burst, just like a real les paul. And this will eventually be a real Les Paul, solid body double P-90 steel string Les Paul ukulele. For now, it will just be torn down, but it will be my next build after I get my #1 Aphid done.. Can't wait to get on this one.. :drool:

peewee.jpg
 
Last edited:
Wow.. I just know you are going to have a blast with that one! Can't wait to see what you do with it?
Are you done with that aphid yet? :)
 
not done with aphid yet. Actually, I been working on re-tooling for it. Learning allot, and taking advice and critisism from the pros in the luthier area, had me realizing I was attacking tooling all wrong. So, I backed up and working on proper tooling to build a better uke, and one that can be replicated after the process is tuned. But, Aphid is still very much alive and kicking, just working out the tooling for the build... I am getting very close, accumulating the tools to get back to building it, and beyond..

This LP uke project, I have had in my mind, and plans for some time. Finally got the foundation for it. Once it is done, I will have a good grip on building another one of those from scratch too.. So, it's all progress.. ;)
 
There is the steel string ukes by Risa that are Les Paul tributes... have you considered them?
I had one, and they really do have the Les Paul feel with the heavy mahogany body and humbucker pickups.

But I guess what you're going for will end up being more "authentic" since you're using Gibson/Epiphone hardware. I envy people who have the skills to do these kinds of projects. Every time I try, it usually ends in frustration and having to buy a new instrument to replace a broken one :)
 
Woooooeeeee! gonna have a lot of envious uu'ers when you finish that baby! Even used, hard to get a Risa LP for less than about $600 or $650
 
Woooooeeeee! gonna have a lot of envious uu'ers when you finish that baby! Even used, hard to get a Risa LP for less than about $600 or $650

I know what you mean. By now you'd think there should be an affordable steel string electric uke readily available. Eleuke are long overdue on their promise for a steel string model...

I really do like my Epiphone Mandobird, which can very easily be converted to uke tuning by using the right strings (ADGB strings from a 0.009 electric guitar set) and doing a basic intonation adjustment at the bridge. But the neck is considerably thinner than a uke. But it's not too bad, and it's an easy solution to a steel string electric uke that doesn't cost a lot.
 
I have seen those, and I have high hopes that when I get building them from scratch, it will definatly rival those. I can't claim it as a "real" Les Paul of course, but I do want to build it as authintic as I can and stay away from copyrights. I will be using parts that are actually better than what's in the real Gibson Les Pauls. I have authintic Les Paul hardware, and electronics, but I built my real Gibson Les Paul with parts that are even better than factory Gibson electronics. I used parts built in the USA by CTS Corp. Very high quality pots, and PIO caps. I plan to use these same parts in the uke. Pups, I have a set of mini P-90s, but reserving opinion on those until I can actually hear them. I am also still looking for mini 4 pole humbuckers. Gibson used their own humbuckers, but also used P-90s, so those are what I am going for, but in a 4 pole in lue of 6 obviously. If I make them for re-sale, I have no idea what the street price will be until I get into it, but if I can't beat the Risa prices, with at least the same quality, It will simply be a personal project..
 
Perhaps an option would be pickups that don't have poles, but are magnetic across the whole length?
 
I have seen some like that.. But, still want narrow ones so it doesn't look too weird with a 4 string configuration.. I thought about putting those "P-Rails" on one of my Les Paul guitars before..
 
Pretty soon, you will be hanging out all day in the Luthier Forum.
 
Been spending allot of time in there.. Got beat up pretty good last week. But, I'm an infant with the craft, and as stuborn as I am, need a spanking from the guys that's already forged through the weeds.. lol.. Got some great advice, if I wanted it or not, hahhahhah (nothing to do with if I needed it tho.. hahhah)
 
I was looking at one of these in the local music store. Intriguing - I had a similar scale electric guitar a few decades back, a Chiquita, I believe it was called. Now, sadly, it seems my fingers get baffled by the additional strings...
 
Today was a hot and gloomy day, so I didn't get out to the shop to tinker today. So, I just sat in the house looking for something to tinker with to wait out this heat wave we got ourselves into. I started messing around with this little Epiphone peewee. It didn't work very well, so I just for grins pulled it appart, tore out the epiphone crap electronics in it. Put in a Gibson USA 57 Classic pup, a Gibson USA 500k pot, Grover tuners, and set it up as a guitar. Might as well this as a steel string uke project is a bit off and after my Aphid is done. Man, this thing sounds great now, and is a HOOT to play. I might look for a few more of these things to build out into ukes, and keep this one a guitar. Fun, fun fun today. Sounded great through the effects...
 
The bride is gonna kill me, because if she saw how she looked in the background, lol.. She was resting from Friday house cleaning day.. hahhah.. But, oh well.. Maybe she'll never see it.. ;)

Here I am goofing around with "Herman" today, bored out of my skull due to weather..

 
Also.. Again, I am a bit out from starting on the Solid Body LP uke. But, I have my eye out for some maple to top the mahogany body. I am seriously considering picking up some of this maple, and bookmatching some of this. I think this would look AWESOME with some classic Gibson finish on it..

maple.JPG
 
Top Bottom