Lattice Braced Concert Uke

[Allen]

Will glue the lattice with the CF tow on the bottom to the soundboard, then shape the bracing. Finally add more CF tow to the top to make an I-beam type structure. All a really big experiment and learning curve. but that was the point of this exercise. Seems everyone likes it when something stuffs up at least a little bit, and gets to see how it's fixed up. Makes us all feel like we're equals. Wish it wasn't always me that stuffed up though.Laughing

Chose Paulownia because of Micheal offering it to me for nothing, and his comments that it's been used as a Balsa stand in for surf boards. Also grown locally, at least in his neck of the woods. It does weight almost nothing. Quite astonishing when you grab a piece and expect a certain heft to it based on it's dimensions, but it weights almost nothing.

The bit that I found on Wikkepedia about it being used as a soundboard material was interesting. It's not a very attractive wood, but it must have some properties that are worth exploring. I wouldn't expect that can't hurt it being used as a brace wood, even in this instance as being nothing much more than a spacer between the CF.

[Allen]

Well thanks for the entertainment Allen. I have three bodies done with C.F. tow and balsa lattices but am waiting for drier times to finish them off. I have made a lot of guesses on them as well and they may fail too. I used the C.F. between the brace and soundboard on some of the struts but not all and I glued the struts and tow to the soundboard in one step. All struts were C.F. covered on the top. If they fail I will do as you have done and take the top off and try again. If all three fail I may just shade you out when it come to entertaining the troupes.

The Paulownia sounds like a good alternative, I will check it out and weigh some against the balsa I have.

[Localele]

Jim , The Paulownia is a bit heavier than balsa but not as variable in its weight compared to young and old Balsa. It works a bit better as well because it is a little tougher.

[Allen]

I had 2 pieces of lattice exactly the same length and dimensions. One the Red Spruce, the other the Paulownia. The Red Spruce weighed in at 3.4 grams, the Paulownia at 1.8 grams. So just shy of 50% less.

[Allen]

Been a while coming but I finally got the top and bindings on this little mongrel.

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CF tow on top and bottom. The lattice started at just under 3 mm x 8 mm. Was sanded down to 6.4 mm in the area around the saddle, 5.2 mm at the intersection of the latice parts just outside of the bridge, and out to bugger all by the time you get to the perimeter of the lower bout. The only thing left in the perimeter of the lower bout is a couple layers of the CF tow and epoxy resin.

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The top has been thicknessed to .050 in the lower bout and graduated into .085 in the upper bout. I kept the upper bout above the transverse brace thicker, as I didn't want to have to deal with it caving in or other such things. The transverse brace is further up the body than you would find on an instrument that had a conventional sound hole. So uses a little bit more of the soundboard. Making a difference....who knows?

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There is a little bit of flex to the rims as a free plate, but it's very stiff once glued up to the rest of the box. I've thinned the top further by running the orbital sander rather gently over the lower bout, and tapped it after each pass to see if it's made much of a difference. Sill not where my other instruments have been at this stage.

Still sounds quite tight, with very little deflection when I press down with my thumb on any part of the lower bout. I'm leery of going any further, so will stop here and wait to hear what it sounds like.

The bindings went on tonight, so after a ride on the motorcycle up to Kuranda at dawn. Have a good cup of coffee with a mate I grew up with in Canada, I'll get things tidied up and will see about how it might sound tomorrow, if all goes well.

[Allen]

I finally have this one finished and strung up this morning. The strings are still settling in.

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[J.F. Custom]

Geez Allen, that's quite a stunner.

Beautiful design and choice of timbers, very sleek, I like. Congrats and I'm interested and waiting for you to comment on the sound given the nature of your lattice experiment and previous experience with ukes to compare it to.

How do those (for want of a better description) tear drop sound holes compare in size to a traditional central hole? When I break away from standard in this respect I try to keep the actual area removed equal to the original or adjust deliberately to tweak the design/sound. Did you consider the effect these would have or was it mostly cosmetic?

Cheers,

Jeremy.

[Dave Olds]

Thats bewdiful Allen - I love the combination of woods, and the finish looks fantastic - very classy all round.

[Nick]

Nice job Allen. Looks a real stunner, the binding finishes everything off really well. Like Jeremy I'm interested in hearing how you compare the sound to a 'conventionally' braced and soundholed Uke.

[Allen]

I couldn't say exactly if the sound holes have the same area as my conventional Concert but it looks pretty close by eye.

I'm trying some Wurth strings on it with a low G. The sound is very round and smooth all the way up the neck. They are lower tension than what I usually put on and I'm not sure if I like them. Feel a little slack to me. And they stretch more than any string I've ever tried.

I'm somewhat surprised at how much volume I got out of this. The top doesn't tap like my conventional instruments. Sounds tight and restricted but it taps to the same note and volume pretty much everywhere in the lower bout

The overall lower bout seems very stiff, but when I press with the pad of my finger on the lower bout I can see the reflections in the finish on the spruce move around my finger. There isn't an overall deflection, just very localised.

I'll let this settle in for a week or so, and continue to evaluate. Then I'll try some higher tension strings with a high G for a comparison.

[DarwinStrings]

Nice work Allen especially the guts, I love the look of the unconventional sound holes. Sounds like you are impressed with the volume and the way it is performing so far which must be a good thing for all your effort on the soundboard.

[liam_fnq]

looks fantastic allen. what sort bindings are those? they look bloody unreal.

[Allen]

Thanks guys. The bindings are some "Brain" figured Sapele Liam. I've got an orphaned back that isn't much good for anything but some head stock veneer or bindings for ukes. You're right, it's bloody unreal for bindings, so that's what it's all going to get used for.

[Kim]

Veeeeeeeery purdy Allen. Cool

[Bob Connor]

Looking sensational Al.

Do you reckon you can work up a Latin version of Hotel California on it?

[WaddyT]

Really beautiful!

[retiredluthier]

Wow....that's really gorgeous! And I love the bindings especially. Where did you get the brain sapele for that? Was that from that tonewood guy in New England?

[Allen]

That particular piece I got from Bob Cefalu but I do have some sets from Don Williams at New England Tonewoods. All small sets for size 5 parlours.

[retiredluthier]

Allen wrote:
That particular piece I got from Bob Cefalu but I do have some sets from Don Williams at New England Tonewoods. All small sets for size 5 parlours.

Well I for one would love to see those turned into instruments. I hear that New England Tonewoods company went defunct. Too bad, cuz he was a decent bloke.

[Kim]

RetiredLuthier wrote:
I hear that New England Tonewoods company went defunct. Too bad, cuz he was a decent bloke.

Yes, legend has it that he was a decent bloke and a real straight shooter who once had some pretty decent redwood some say could rival the famous LS variety...of course this was just rumor and you don't want to go around believing in everything. For instance:

I don't believe in superstars,
Organic food and foreign cars.
I don't believe the price of gold;
The certainty of growing old.
That right is right and left is wrong,
That north and south can't get along.
That east is east and west is west.
And being first is always best.

But I believe in beer Cool

Cheers

Kim

[Allen]

RetiredLuthier wrote:

Allen wrote:
That particular piece I got from Bob Cefalu but I do have some sets from Don Williams at New England Tonewoods. All small sets for size 5 parlours.

Well I for one would love to see those turned into instruments. I hear that New England Tonewoods company went defunct. Too bad, cuz he was a decent bloke. /quote]


I got the sets I have from Don in his Going out of business sale. Listed as Size 5's and at the time I didn't even know what one was, but bought them all just the same. I've got one Size 5 built and pictures are on my website if your interested. My avatar is the headstock on that guitar.

[retiredluthier]

Wow, that's a cool little Uke! Adjustable neck and all. Very nice Allen. Don (ahem) managed to keep a few sets for himself of that Sapele. But I hear his shop got flooded yesterday from the 9" of rain they got in Rhode Island over the last two days. Brazilian RW under water from what I heard...
...nasty stuff that water.

[Lillian]

Allen, you've out done yourself with this one on all levels I think. I'm looking forward to hearing this one, and a few of your others for comparison, sing. My experience with ukes are pretty much limited to Tiny Tim, which is why I never understood the fascination with these instruments. I'm hoping you guys can help me see the light.

I hope that Don is able to recover from the flooding with minimal headaches. Cleaning up after a flood is such a pain. Maybe someone can talk him into stopping by. I always enjoyed his posts and relished the insight he offered. Just a great guy to deal with.

[retiredluthier]

Really? I think he's kind of a royal pain in the butt, and kind of a know-it-all-full-of-hot-air sort, but what do I know?

[Lillian]

Well, you might think so, but I'd have to disagree with you on this one. Don tolerated all my questions with grace. I had no clue to what I was doing, not that I've come along way since then.

Bear in mind my encounters with Don were at the same place that Mario P hangs out. Mario has chops, no questions about his skills or abilities. Serious no nonsense approach to building. What Mario knows about building he lacks in social acuity. Well, lacks or doesn't care about, not sure which. Mario had no problem dropping flaming bombs on newbies. So, if Don was a know it all and a general pain, it went unnoticed.

Maybe your experience with Don is biased, long standing disagreement or disappointment. Something skewing your view maybe? Making things a bit different from what they are. Kinda like looking in the mirror. What we see in the mirror isn't the same was what others see when they look at us. Its a flipped image. Others see us for what we are, where as we can't flip the image in our head and see our true selves.







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