My friend and mentor Paul Weidig came over this week with his trusty Le Domino banjo uke. It needed a new head, bridge, tuners and strings. This is one of the early ones that was made by the JR Stewart company. It has a nice black finish and little Domino decals all over! Its a real pro instrument and is part of a line of banjos, ukes, guitars, etc... all made with the same decoration. I just remembered Paul is a lefty, I better switch the strings around before I forget!
Here is my 2nd try at a Camp uke style instrument. I wanted to come up with a way to make an instrument that would be suitable for travel and camping etc...but still is a "real" uke. My camp ukes are: -solid wood, no laminates or plastic! -made from recycled, salvaged and re-used old wood. All one of a kind! -Hand made in USA with pro materials and techniques.
This one is: -mahogany back and sides -pine top -walnut neck -rosewood fingerboard and bridge -sycamore headplate and end graft -aquila strings, bone nut and saddle, friction tuners -translucent black stain and oil finish
Here is a Koa soprano uke I just finished for luthier/artist Jeff Menzies. He built me a tackhead banjo in trade! I really stressed about this one, it is hard to build for another luthier! Overall, this is one of the neatest and cleanest builds I have ever done and I think the photos look great. It is my normal Kumalae shape, but with a 14.2inch scale and a 13 fret body join. -Koa top, back and sides -Mahogany neck -Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, headplate and bridge -Bone nut and saddle, florocarbon strings and Peghed tuners
It has a nice tone and real sparkle. It isn't as loud as I would want, but is lovely none the less. Its twin brother will be available for sale at the Milwaukee Uke fest. It isn't as pretty but sounds louder.
All Mahogany Taropatch! Rosewood fingerboard and bridge, florocarbon strings, koa headplate and end graft, friction tuners. The uke is tuned with two of each note: gg cc ee aa.
Here is a soprano ukulele in the martin shape made by Aaron Keim of Beansprout Banjo Ukes. All the wood on this ukulele has been recycled or salvaged from Colorado sources. Top: redwood from a train trestle Back, sides, bridge, fingerboard and headplate: Brazilian rosewood found in a barn in Colorado. It is very old and looks great! Neck: Walnut from a local cabinet maker's shop
It has a rosewood nut and saddle, florocarbon strings and high quality friction tuners. 15 frets with brass dots for fret markers.
This ukulele is mellow with strong mid range yet very loud. The sustain is better than most sopranos and the intonation is spot on.
Hey Friends- I just got back from a tour to the northwest. During the off days we stayed with Gordon and Char from Myamoe ukuleles. As a threesome we built a uke in their shop and it turned out great! Here are some specs: -Myrtle top, back and sides -Walnut binding -Mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard, rosewood bridge -Soprano body with 14 fret 15inch scale -Peghed tuners, florocarbon strings and K+K pickup
Here are some pics of the process!
The top and back thickness sanded and braced:
Bending the sides!
The ebony endgraft and the sides with blocks and linings:
Gluing the top and back on: The fretboard, notice the side dots but no front dots:
Gluing it on:
Here is the body and neck waiting for assembly:
And clamped together!
Here it is after the 2nd coat of tru-oil finish. Check out that crazy myrtle!
Hey everybody- Boulder Acoustic Society is coming to the northwest this month. Our current lineup is a cool mix of old time, blues and gospel with an indie rock edge. Banjo, bass, drums, accordion, uke, guitar, etc...Peep this recent video of Rueben's Train:
We also will be back for the Northwest Music tour in October also!
Aug 4 Nicolaysen Museum Casper, WY
Aug 6 3 Pints Productions/Festival of Nations Red Lodge, MT 7:00pm
Aug 7 The Knotty Pine Victor, ID 10:00pm
Aug 8 Bear Trap Festival Casper, WY
Aug 10 Salmon River Brewery McCall, ID 6:30pm
Aug 12 Families In the Park Concert Hood River, OR 6:00pm
Aug 13 Upstage Restaurant Port Townsend, WA 8:00pm
Aug 14 Axe and Fiddle Cottage Grove, OR 8:00pm
Aug 15 Alberta Rose Theater Portland, OR 8:00pm
Aug 18 Alive After Five- The Grove Plaza Boise, ID 6:00pm
