Extended shelf life

[lauburu]

Just strung up tenor #2. Pretty happy with it. Managed to avoid most of the mistakes from tenor #1 but found a few new ways of stuffing things up and creative ways to mask the evidence.
Black walnut back and sides - formerly a shelf
Mahogany neck - also a shelf
Rimu binding - ex bathroom panelling
Bearclaw sitka spruce top - brand new from Brent in Alaska
Fretboard and bridge - I suspect some form of Oz ironwood
Finished with 8 coats of Tru oil. Should have done a few more but got too impatient
Gotoh SGM mini tuners
Bone nut and saddle
Strung with Living Water strings.
Plenty of volume and reasonable sustain. Tone just after stringing up is very brittle. It'll be interesting to see how this changes as the top settles in and opens up.
Miguel

[Allen]

Looks very nice Miguel.

And don't worry. It will be rare that you will have any build that doesn't have some sort of stuff up. Sometimes the wood just fights you from start to finish. And there have been plenty of those that I thought I should toss in the bin. But it's fixing them that teaches you more than having things always go smoothly.

I like the bridge design, and what about those tuners? First time you've tried them? How are they?

[peter.coombe]

The best Luthiers are those that can cover up their stuff ups the best, so you are doing well. I still do stuff ups and they annoy the crap out of me, but after a good cover up you forget about them and just listen to the sound.

[Nick]

A good cover up can be just as satisfying as doing the job well in the first place & you know the old saying "A person that has never made a mistake has never made anything" And as Allen pointed out, covering up your stuff ups can be far more of a learning experience than if it had all gone smoothly.
Nice work Miguel and I like your use of 'third life' timbers

[lauburu]

I like the bridge design, and what about those tuners? First time you've tried them? How are they?

Tx Allen. I hope you do like the bridge design. It was closely modelled on the one for the uke I made at your course last year.
The Gotoh tuners are a bit heavy but they're smooth and precise - no play in the gearing at all. I've used them before and they can take a beating. The pillars feel a wee bit wobbly out of the packet but once installed, the ferrule is screwed down and the string tension is on they're solid as a rock. This uke is going to be a workhorse so I made it a bit heavier. If it was any lighter, I'd use open geared tuners for better balance.

Wasn't completely happy with the brittle tone. Tried other sets of strings to get a warmer tone. GHS. D'Addario black. Settled on some Aquila Nylgut. Not everyone's cup of tea, I know, but they give a richer more mellow tone that's developing each day. Horses for courses.

Verdict from friends and other players is very positive. Just shows, if you shut up about the flaws in your work, 90% of people will never notice. However, it's only by being hypercritical of your own work that you'll ever improve.

Now to knock over the list of chores that has been growing while wife's patience has been wearing thin
Miguel

[Allen]

I've found that strings on ukes are by far have the biggest influence on the tone of the instrument. You can go on all you want about what you'll get out of a particular species of top, but it doesn't mean anything compared to what will happen by a string change. And not all my ukes like the same type of strings. It can take several sets to find ones that work for each instrument.

And then there is player preference. No accounting for taste in beer, wine or the sound of your uke.

[Kev3]

Nice one Miguel !. Excellent bit of recycling too - and I also like the bridge design....great minds think alike, I have one pretty similar sitting on the bench. Rains have come and humidity is all over the place, don't know when I'll get to attach it.

[charangohabsburg]

Looks great!

And I like the name!

[lauburu]

I'm still working on the final adjustments to improve the sound and playability. Took it to Mr Glyn - one of Auckland's luthier legends - he made a number of very useful comments (with demo) about dressing the edge of the frets/fretboard and lowering the height of the strings. Asked Allen for his secret recipe on setting up saddle and nut heights to which he responded in detail.
I dutifully followed the instructions and was very impressed with the results - greater volume and greater clarity/focus in the notes and much improved playability.
It really highlights the importance of getting experienced guidance as the best shortcut to making better instruments. Also underlines the generosity of such talented luthiers willing to share their knowledge. Maybe one day I can repay all the favours.
Miguel