What's happening in your shed?

Guitalele? Parlor Guitar? Terz Guitar?

What really is the difference between a baritone guitalele or a small parlor guitar? Really nothing. 6 strings, small body, baritone class scale length. A terz guitar is the same instrument tuned up a third. Martin Guitar made a "size 5" up through 1989. The body is my standard baritone ukulele body. This instrument is almost identical in dimensions to those Martin size 5's guitars, which Martin called a 3/4 guitar or a terz guitar in the later years.

Cocobolo back and sides, Port Orford cedar top, Spanish cedar neck, white curly koa binding, black & white diagonal purfling, asymmetric rosette in green heart abalone pearl, Richlite fingerboard and bridge, curly koa headplate.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20201004_124323.jpg
    IMG_20201004_124323.jpg
    86.1 KB · Views: 59
  • IMG_20201004_124350.jpg
    IMG_20201004_124350.jpg
    85.6 KB · Views: 57
  • IMG_20201004_124551.jpg
    IMG_20201004_124551.jpg
    94.3 KB · Views: 49
  • IMG_20201004_124509(1).jpg
    IMG_20201004_124509(1).jpg
    87.4 KB · Views: 41
Last edited:
What really is the difference between a baritone guitalele or a small parlor guitar? Really nothing. 6 strings, small body, baritone class scale length. A terz guitar is the same instrument tuned up a third. Martin Guitar made a "size 5" up through 1989. The body is my standard baritone ukulele body. This instrument is almost identical in dimensions to those Martin size 5's guitars, which Martin called a 3/4 guitar or a terz guitar in the later years.

Cocobolo back and sides, Port Orford cedar top, Spanish cedar neck, white curly koa binding, black & white diagonal purfling, asymmetric rosette in green heart abalone pearl, Richlite fingerboard and bridge, curly koa headplate.

That's another beauty, Jon. Did you find Cocobolo easy to work? I've heard that it can be problematic.
 
What really is the difference between a baritone guitalele or a small parlor guitar? Really nothing. 6 strings, small body, baritone class scale length. A terz guitar is the same instrument tuned up a third. Martin Guitar made a "size 5" up through 1989. The body is my standard baritone ukulele body. This instrument is almost identical in dimensions to those Martin size 5's guitars, which Martin called a 3/4 guitar or a terz guitar in the later years.

Cocobolo back and sides, Port Orford cedar top, Spanish cedar neck, white curly koa binding, black & white diagonal purfling, asymmetric rosette in green heart abalone pearl, Richlite fingerboard and bridge, curly koa headplate.

What a beauty!!
 
That's another beauty, Jon. Did you find Cocobolo easy to work? I've heard that it can be problematic.

It seems handle pretty easily. Bends well, I use a Fox-style bender. You really need to wrap the side in brown paper, as lots of resin gets cooked out. The wood is very resinous, and some people worry about glue adhesion, but I have not had any problems. (Of course, the back seem above is the sap-wood which is not nearly as resinous). Be prepared to fill rather large and numerous pores. Some people can be allergic to the sawdust, I tried to do most of the sanding outside.
 
I've only used cocobolo for binding and have had periods where it bent just fine and periods that it didn't. Since it is so resinous you would think it would bend easily, but the grain sometimes wants to crack. So it has been a mixed bag with me... As for allergic reactions it is one of the most notorious woods for serious reactions. I was talking with a couple lutheirs one day and one of them said that when old Bob used to work with cocobolo he would start to act weird and hallucinate. The other guy said that Bob would do that sometimes even when he wasn't working with cocobolo because he was just naturally weird. But seriously, treat this wood with respect and limit your exposure to both the sawdust and the resin.
 
Hello !
#35 ukulele GG on the way.
Pineapple mezzo soprano - 363 mm. scale.
Walnut body, mapple top.
14th fret joining neck.
All the building pics on the blog.

7koGCtyQEKBwKBO2wowlzOcT2wU.jpg


b086hmHz0--PzcqDVw305OshJ-k.jpg
 
What really is the difference between a baritone guitalele or a small parlor guitar? Really nothing. 6 strings, small body, baritone class scale length. A terz guitar is the same instrument tuned up a third. Martin Guitar made a "size 5" up through 1989. The body is my standard baritone ukulele body. This instrument is almost identical in dimensions to those Martin size 5's guitars, which Martin called a 3/4 guitar or a terz guitar in the later years.

Cocobolo back and sides, Port Orford cedar top, Spanish cedar neck, white curly koa binding, black & white diagonal purfling, asymmetric rosette in green heart abalone pearl, Richlite fingerboard and bridge, curly koa headplate.
That is a nice looking instrument. I've taken a break from uke building for the last few months while I work on my 23" scale steel string guitar, but my next uke-like instrument is going to be a baritone scale 6-string something . . . I've heard so many different names, like guitalele, requinto, etc. I really don't know the difference between them all. I just know I have some nice bees wing Black Cherry and some Redwood for the top, well seasoned and ready to go.
 
Recreation break ... :)

Key rings with ukuleles wood scraps.

More on GG ukuleles blog.

ejxm0HjMDz1ybDALPZ-OBZSLk80.jpg


ZUv3iVjheGRDjnOejpTi6WrqEJ4.jpg


cu9TTyCTtRYZaUgumrrmPGeoKnQ.jpg
 
Last edited:
I had a helper in the shop last night when I was carving braces.

IMG_20201025_155515.jpg
 
You may be right. She even "rejected" that soundboard - I turned around to grab something right after snapping that photo and she promptly swatted it onto the floor!

Then she tried to eat one of the wood shavings. Not the smartest tool in the box....
 
Top Bottom