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 Post subject: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:05 am 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
I've been saving offcuts for years waiting for the chance/time to build a uke and finally someone ordered one! One of my customers sent me a big chunk of Koa to use for a lap steel and when I saw it I asked what he wanted to do with all the extra wood. He said, "How about a uke?" and I said, "How about a resonator uke?" and he said....uh, well you get the idea.
The steel is nearly done and ready for finish so this weekend I started working on it. It's a tenor with a 16.7" scale. The body is a 12" long and the bouts are 6.3" and 9" wide.

Here's the joined top and the side mold.
Image

The untrimmed sides.
Image

The neck with an ebony 'truss'.
Image

And the fretboard.
Image


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 1:09 pm 
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Koa
Koa
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Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:17 pm
Posts: 534
All right!
Can't wait to see all the details of this build Mike.

Gonna be resonatin', :D
Joe


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 9:45 am 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
Finally got back to this. Bent up the sides, glued on the top and braced the back.
Image

Image

Need to order the cone and cover this morning.


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 6:20 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
After a hiatus waiting for parts and working on other stuff I'm back at the uke.
Top with cover
Image
Inside with the cone in place
Image
The top is routed to set the cover flush.
Image
The inside. You can see the hole for the single neck bolt and where the braces are notched for the back braces.
Image


Last edited by Mike Dotson on Mon Aug 01, 2011 7:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 12:35 am 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
Binding done but still needs scraped and sanded down some.

Image

Image


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 3:24 pm 
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Koa
Koa
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Posts: 534
Thanks for all the inside pics Mike, it's looking great!
I love the bold rope binding on the fretboard and body.
Really gives it a 20's/30's feel.

Joe


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 4:36 pm 
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First name: Chris
Last Name: Pile
City: Wichita
State: Kansas
Country: Good old US of A
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
That will be so cool when it's finished!

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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 7:39 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
Thanks guys. I really dig the rope binding, I got it from Shane (and I'm almost out).
It's crazy stuff, once hot it bends like buttah but if you go just past 'hot enough' it basically falls apart. Once cooled though it sticks into whatever curve it's bent to.
I used it once before on a Weiss-style guitar and that was so easy it wasn't funny. The uke was a little more of a challenge, especially on the upper bouts. I don't have a bending form for this shape so what I did was to clamp a strip starting at the butt end and used a small heat blanket and block of wood and just bent it right to the body. I stopped about 1/3 of the way, taped and CA'd that area and then went on when it had set. Had a couple kinks but it all worked out.


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 8:58 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:08 pm
Posts: 1958
Location: Missouri
First name: Patrick
Last Name: Hanna
State: Missouri
Country: USA
I know next to nothing about ukes, and even less about reso instruments, but it sure looks wicked-cool to me! Keep the posts coming!
Patrick


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 6:12 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
A little further along. Waiting for the tuners so I can finish off the back of the headstock, and still have to cut some sound holes in the top.
Image

Image

Image


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 6:29 pm 
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Koa
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That's just got to be a cowboy uke Mike! :D

Joe


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 7:05 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
A nah bruddah, ain't no haole uke! :mrgreen:


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 11:41 pm 
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That really pretty cool, way to go. Hope post a recording of it if you can.

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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:23 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
Idiot spammer....

Nothing perks up your day like taking a drill and router to a perfectly good body. But at least now the thing will be able to breathe a bit.
Image


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 10:05 am 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
Now this is some cool machine work. These look just like old-style ebony tuning pegs but are actually aluminum filled with 4:1 planetary gears! They weigh almost nothing, something like 24 grams total for all 4.
Image

Image

And that about completes the 'build' part. Just need to smooth everything up and start the finishing.


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 10:26 am 
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First name: Tony
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Status: Amateur
That is one cool Uke-onator! Another vote for a sound clip here.

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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 11:52 am 
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Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 12:46 am
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First name: Beth
Last Name: Mayer
City: Tucson
State: AZ
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Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Very cool, Mike! What temp did you use bending that rope?


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 12:07 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
No idea Beth, just heated it till it bent.


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 10:03 am 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
No finished pics yet but my daughter Jessie got a hold of the uke last night. Notice that she said she'd only played it for about 20 minutes? She wasn't kidding......the little rat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YgNLdJ-QzA


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 2:23 pm 
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Koa
Koa
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Posts: 534
Lovely young lady with a great voice Mike! And makes your uke sound pretty good also.
Next time maybe you can bribe her to show the uke a bit. :D

Joe


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 3:22 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
No kidding, she's gonna lose her product placement deal if she doesn't shape up!

She did two last night, here's the other.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jldotson101 ... ovcEGC47H8


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:08 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
Sent it out this morning.
Image
Image
Image
Image


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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:18 pm 
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Koa
Koa
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Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:41 pm
Posts: 708
Location: Bothell, WA USA
First name: Jim
Last Name: Hansen
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
THAT.IS.AWESOME.!!!

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 Post subject: Re: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:34 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:47 am
Posts: 504
Location: United States
Heh-heh, thanks Jim. I could used to building these little things.


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 Post subject: Reso Uke Build
PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 4:40 pm 
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First name: Darryl
Last Name: Young
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I love it! Looks great and I can't wait to get home and listen to the YouTube clips. I've never heard one before.

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