Woods for my first Tenor ukulele. Advice needed.

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Alain Bieber
Posts: 108
Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:28 pm

Woods for my first Tenor ukulele. Advice needed.

Post by Alain Bieber »

My son asked me to build a ukulele. That is for his own use. I hesitate between two sizes Concert and Tenor with a slight preference for the bigger one.. but still open to advices since it could be affected (maybe) by my wood's availability.
The back and sides will be BRW since I have some small residues of it that could fit the two sizes. But for the top and the neck I need advice. For the top I have spruce, WRC and even a set of Alaskan so-called yellow cedar that can be used. What would be your choice? I noticed that ukes have more openly choosed tops than classicals. Of course I do not have koa or acajou (mahogany) for tops in my reserve.
For the neck I have Spanish Cedar of different densities... and even an acajou plank that could be enough, density of that one is about 0.5.
The look is not really important, I would like to avoid a too dull instrument ..soundwise.
That will be my very first trip in the field of ultra-small instruments..
Chris Reed
Posts: 168
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2012 6:26 pm

Re: Woods for my first Tenor ukulele. Advice needed.

Post by Chris Reed »

Any of those topwoods would work, though the instrument will sound rather more like a small guitar than a traditional uke (traditional ukes are all-hardwood, usually the same type for top, back and sides).

From my very limited building experience spruce will be particularly bright-sounding, almost shrill in a concert size. WRC gives a little more warmth, and you won't be short of treble on a uke.

Spanish Cedar makes a fine neck, and the lighter the better. Small scale and low tension, so stiffness shouldn't be a problem. No need for a truss rod, nor even for CF reinforcement unless you worry that the wood might move.

Down at this nano-end of instrument making the physics change, so it's not simply a matter of scaling down guitar plans. You're looking for the back and body to vibrate away like mad, as well as the top. Thus the smallest linings you can bear to use, minimal bracing (three fans for a tenor, and again very light). For a concert I'd use only two transverse braces on the top, above and below the soundhole plus a bridge plate made from the top material offcuts, though some use fan bracing. The back has only two braces in roughly the same position. This Pete Howlett video is of tenor top bracing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLMARMNWoZY

A tie bridge rather than pin bridge to keep the weight down. Think small for the soundhole to maximise what bass there is, say 2 inches for a tenor.

In terms of thickness I'd suggest 2mm for a spruce top, 2.2mm for WRC. Sides and back no thicker than 1.8 mm, and thinner if your BRW is stiff.

Hope this helps. Bear in mind that I really only make sopranos, so what I've said about tenors is part translation, part based on my researches. If a top maker like Pete, or Chuck Moore of Moore Bettah, has said something different, they were right!
Chris Reed
Posts: 168
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2012 6:26 pm

Re: Woods for my first Tenor ukulele. Advice needed.

Post by Chris Reed »

Another thought - I don't know what other woods you might have access to, but if your son wants a traditional-sounding uke (if he wants to emulate Jake Shimabukuro then he wants a tenor and your original choices are fine) then both cherry and yew make gorgeous-sounding concerts. Make it from all the same wood (except perhaps the neck, though both these make good necks), no binding, solid linings around 1.8mm rather than kerfed. My yew soprano in the current challenge is an example of how simple the construction can be.
Alain Bieber
Posts: 108
Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:28 pm

Re: Woods for my first Tenor ukulele. Advice needed.

Post by Alain Bieber »

Thanks Chris. Your help is really appreciated. I will try to build that small box really light, as you proposed. My starting ideas for thicknesses were around 1.5 mm for the ribs, 1.7/ 1.8 mm for the back (both in BRW) and 2mm for the top if spruce is used. So 2.2 mm for a WRC top looks OK to me.
I will use very light and small continuous linings too.
I might find locally some yew, I will try anyway. Could end with a nice look too.
I have a lot of local wild cherry (called merisier here), in fact a tree but well seasoned <g>, but the look is so and so, with different pinks all over. Could also be a formula if I forget a bit my traditional reaction for the look.
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