Concert Ukulule Present

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ozziebluesman
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Concert Ukulule Present

Post by ozziebluesman » Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:31 pm

Hey everyone,

This is a Tim Spittle, all blackwood Concert Uke kit i have just finished. It was made from the Scott Antes plan and had a spanish heel.

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The finish is diluted hard shellac just as a base. I run out of time to do the finsh properly. The kit arrived the 18th Feb and i new then it was going to be tight to be able to finish it.

Image

Image

It is a present for my son's 30th birthday today. Hmmm, makes me feel old.

The build has been a great experience.

Thanks for looking

Cheers

Alan
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sebastiaan56
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Post by sebastiaan56 » Tue Mar 18, 2008 1:02 pm

Looks good Alan,

I grabbed a similar kit from Tim when I was ther, I hope I can do it as much justice. Congrats on the birthday, 30 isnt that old.....
make mine fifths........
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James Mc
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Post by James Mc » Tue Mar 18, 2008 1:18 pm

Hey Alan
Nice little project, looks like you've done a great job of it, and 'on ya' for taking the time to build a gift for you son. The greatest part of the gift is the time and attention to detail you put into making it. Looks great the way it is, when I'm building an instrument for my personal use all I do is rub on a few coats of well cut shellac. This is all you need to give it a good protective finish, it also makes it much easier to care for and I guess I just like the less glossy look better.

We'll have no more of that feeling old shit, if you son is 30 that would make you what... 45, 46? With the way life spans are improving you can expect to live to be 110, the first 10 years don't count so middle age would be 60.
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Dave White
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Post by Dave White » Tue Mar 18, 2008 7:00 pm

Alan,

That's a cute little dude for another slightly bigger dude. Nice uke and I'm sure your son will love it 8) He's not called Jake is he ? :D
Dave White
[url=http://www.defaoiteguitars.com]De Faoite Stringed Instruments[/url]
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jeffhigh
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Post by jeffhigh » Tue Mar 18, 2008 7:14 pm

Looks great Alan, well done.
Especially working to a deadline
My uke project has suffered a setback today.... left the rims and mold in the wrong place and my wife drove over it.......
Jeff
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Kim
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Post by Kim » Tue Mar 18, 2008 7:24 pm

Great work Alan, she looks beautiful well done. So, how does it sound??

Cheers

Kim
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Kim
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Post by Kim » Tue Mar 18, 2008 7:28 pm

jeffhigh wrote:My uke project has suffered a setback today.... left the rims and mold in the wrong place and my wife drove over it.......
Jeff
Oh man, sorry to hear that Jeff what a bugger. :cry:

Well, guess you can look on the bright side, it should still be OK for the flat notes :lol: ......sorry, I just could not help it :oops:

What part got damaged???

Cheers

Kim
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Craig
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Post by Craig » Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:50 pm

Geez , that's tough Jeff . I feel for ya mate. At least it wasn't a completed instrument although it's still hard to take. You'll probably laugh at this situation ,,,,,in about 50 years time :?

Alan, she look fantastic. I didn't know Tim was doing these kits . What a great idea . Hey , great work all round mate .

p.s. watch out for the wifes car :lol:

Cheers , Craig
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sebastiaan56
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Post by sebastiaan56 » Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:36 am

You're not insured are you Jeff?, if she's been watching the news about Heather Mills Id be getting nervous,
make mine fifths........
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ozziebluesman
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Post by ozziebluesman » Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:39 am

Thanks everyone for your comments and encouagement. It was a fun little project!!! First ever go at fretting a fingerboard. Not so daunting!

Back to bracing the weissenborn copies now as the humidity levels have dropped significantly here.

Cheers

Alan
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ozziebluesman
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Post by ozziebluesman » Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:45 pm

I finally got the uke back from my son to do the finish properly. When I presented it to him it had only had two coats of shellac. The past few weeks it has had 6 coats of shellac with plenty of drying time between each coat. The final coat is an application of beez wax. It is a matt finish but i like how it turned out.

Image

Image

Thank you all for looking.

Cheers

Alan
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Kim
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Post by Kim » Sat Apr 26, 2008 6:10 pm

That looks just gorgeous Alan, I really like the matt finish, it looks more organic and very classy. So, how does it sound Al???

Cheers

Kim
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Allen
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Post by Allen » Sat Apr 26, 2008 7:26 pm

I got to hear it this weekend, and Alan did a fantastic job on it. It's really surprising at home much volume comes from such a tiny instrument, and the tone is really sweet. One is going to have to go on the build list. Just have to find the time. :)
Allen R. McFarlen
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Dave White
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Post by Dave White » Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:03 pm

Allen,

Lovely - the wood really shows well.
Dave White
[url=http://www.defaoiteguitars.com]De Faoite Stringed Instruments[/url]
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Colin S
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Post by Colin S » Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:41 pm

jeffhigh wrote:Looks great Alan, well done.
Especially working to a deadline
My uke project has suffered a setback today.... left the rims and mold in the wrong place and my wife drove over it.......
Jeff
Wife's a critic is she?

Colin
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ozziebluesman
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Post by ozziebluesman » Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:50 pm

Thanks Kim, Allen, Dave and Colin for your kind remarks.

Kim the uke sounds good. I'm no expert on the sound of uke's but it dose sound sweet. When my daughter seen it at the party she put in an order so I am going to make two soon, one for her and one for myself. I have had so much fun playing the thing. I used A D F# B tuning and the chord shapes are very similar to guitar. All good fun aye!!!

Cheers and thanks again.

Alan
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