Ukelele Opinions Please

[DJ Parker]

Hello Everyone,

Well, I am new as a luthier and after a year I have only got 6 bodies with backs and sides complete. I still have tops and necks to build. For the bodies I have been using hardwood laminates (koa, maple, walnut, etc...) to build gypsy style guitars and have used that process to build a few a L-00 size as well. They are turning out nice and as I go along I'm ending up with a fair amount of nice wood left over but not long or wide enough to build guitar bodies so I thought...Ukuleles. I've built a body form jig and am now ready to put the 'too' short materials to good use. At least I can hone my building skills as they are very similar to guitars albeit much lighter in general.
My question...I'm not seeing much out there about ukuleles being built with laminates. What is the general opinion out there? Pros, cons, good, bad,,,,,I'm thinking sides and backs but, why not the top as well?
Thanks alot.

Regards,
DJ Parker

[Mark Swanson]

My opinion- since you asked- is that I think you should simply build an instrument, whatever it is, to its completion. Build them and finish them up, one at a time. You won't learn all you need to know until you do, so why keep building a bunch of parts?

[Chris Reed]

If you want to sell your ukes then laminate is a problem. For most ukulele players laminate = cheap and unexciting, because that's what the manufacturer market is like. The exception is Kiwaya, but even now many buyers don't really believe their laminate is good enough (and for their high end ukes they use solid wood).

Bear in mind also that a uke is not a small guitar. The back and sides do far more work to contribute to the sound, and need to be thin and resonant like the top.

If you can achieve that in laminate, and selling isn't a priority, then give it a go.

[DJ Parker]

Thank you Mark, Chris,

I have seen alot of your posts and hold your opinions in high regard. Yes, I agree that completing an instrument is key. I guess I'm not really a luthier, no matter what level, until one instrument is complete. My hold-up has unfortunatley been funds. Starting a shop up even for just personal use is expensive and every aspect has associated costs. Building jigs and tools such as the vacuum system or the binding machine or the fret slot cutting slide has saved money but taken time. I best thing is that once built they can be used over and over. I know that some people seem to build beautiful guitars with just a pocket knife but I am not one of them and there is so much info out there on jigs and fixtures I figure why make it hard on yourself.
I started with laminates based on gypsy guitar construction and had so much left over I just kept building bodies. I will say, body 6 is better than body 1 and hopefully guitar 6 will be better than guitar 1 as well. So, taking your advice in heed, I am going to concentrate on finishing one and planning on how to get those non-laminate types in gear. I think too that a little more Uke research is in order.

Thanks again,
DJ Parker

[Steve Senseney]

I agree with all that has been said.

I have trouble throwing things away. I use the small pieces to make little boxes. There are only so many ukuleles you need around a home. (My wife indicates the same about the boxes, but finds them a little more useful than extra ukuleles.)

[Bryan Bear]

+1 to Mark's point. You have yet to experience the best part of making instruments, hearing something you created for the first time (especially the first). Even if your first sounds terrible, hearing it for the first time will still be better than building 100 uke bodies.

[Mark Swanson]

That's a good point too.
Now, I didn't mean my comments to be at all discouraging. I know it is daunting to build all of the things you need to build to finish an instrument but if you plan on making more than one, you need them anyway. So, look to build one to completion, and go from one step to the next building each jig as you need it. That way you'll have a finished instrument to hear the rewarding first chords, and have the stuff you need to keep goin'!

[Chris Reed]

Thank you Mark, Chris,

I have seen alot of your posts and hold your opinions in high regard. ... I think too that a little more Uke research is in order.

Thanks again,
DJ Parker

Kind words, DJ, but don't get too excited about my opinions on uke building. I'm very much a hobby builder, and constantly experimenting because I do this for fun, and trying something new adds to the fun. I don't build for sale, but a uke makes a very acceptable present or raffle prize.

However, I do know lots of uke players, and thus something about what kinds of uke they buy. Don't go into this to make a living - I know two UK builders who make a living from ukes, and there are perhaps a dozen in the US. The reason is simple - a good-quality but plain luthier-made soprano uke sells for maybe USD 1,000 to 2,000 (with very few at the USD 2,000+ mark), even though it takes more than half as much time to make as a guitar. Good but not-famous uke makers sell for around USD 500. A uke maker who achieves USD 20 per hour plus materials cost is doing well! Tenor ukes sell for maybe 50% more than sopranos (and are easier to make, so more profitable).

The competition is the mass-market ukulele makers (mainly from China) who can make decent ukes very cheaply. For USD 100 you can buy a very playable all-laminate soprano, a solid top gets you to USD 150, and all-solid ukes start at USD 250 or so. These all look very nice, which makes the hand-builder's life harder because most buyers buy with their eyes, and I reckon finishing takes about 50% of the building time to that quality. Worse, the best factory-built ukes (I'll mention Koaloha and Kamaka as highly respected) will sell you a sub-USD 750 uke that is very, very good indeed. So the uke luthier has to work with a fairly small market of players who want something different.

A small part of that market consists of those who want top playability, with little decoration. Check out Pete Howlett in the UK for examples. Others want excellent playability plus great looks - Moore Bettah and Da Silva are worth looking at here.

Hope this helps to kick-start your research.

If you decide on a life of poverty as a uke maker then you need to discover how a good uke sounds and feels to play. Try to find (say) a Koaloha, an old Martin Style O and a Kumalae from the 20s. You'll notice they are all remarkably loud, feather-light, and clearly not built or braced like a guitar. All available from under USD 750, and if you can't match their sound and playability, why would someone pay more for a uke from you?

Alternatively, enjoy making the offcuts into uke presents. Ukes are fun!

[Chris Reed]

I have trouble throwing things away. I use the small pieces to make little boxes. There are only so many ukuleles you need around a home. (My wife indicates the same about the boxes, but finds them a little more useful than extra ukuleles.)

I only make ukuleles but have the same problem. So I'm just completing my 2nd 7-inch scale sub-sub-soprano (the recipient of the first says "Surprisingly playable", and I'm trying to improve on that). Quite what to do with the scraps from this one is defeating me, unless I make boxes to hold thimbles.

BTW, it is possible to hide ukes quite successfully. My wife believes we have only six

Here's the first baby uke, next to an iPhone for scale. Current build is more conventional cigar-box, with a round hole and cedar top for extra (OK, some) sustain.

[Michael Lewis]

One should never start a production before the prototype is proven. Oh, you can, but if you find you need to make a change in design you have to do that to all the units in the run. This is what prototypes are for.

[Steve Senseney]

I have had the experience of building 3 at a time, and repeating an error 3 times, needing to fix a problem 3 times. So, I try to make errors one at a time.

[Neal Carey]

There are only so many ukuleles you need around a home.

This might be considered blasphemy in some corners Steve