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1st build

First I bought one off EBay

Then bought a kit, built it , modified it.

Now this afternoon completed my 1st build from scratch.

AND IT WORKS

3 string fretless with a piezo pickup , sounds great.

Need a couple of mods I recon like a wider piece of threaded bolt for the bridge

and possibly slightly thinner.

Strings at the nut are perfect off the fretboard but rise up a bit towards the bridge.

Apart from that , very pleased.

3 members like this

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DSCF0128.JPG, 3.2 MB

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Hep Cat on April 5, 2013 at 7:42am

Nice one Tony, will be making a start on my first once I have finished decorating, apparently that's more important?
Do you have a volume pot and such on the piezo at all?

Midge

Permalink Reply by Tony Brown on April 5, 2013 at 10:08am

Was amazed at how loud it was acoustic.

Anyway just stuck one small (about 1" ) piezo under the bridge and it's very loud.

Not for a concert hall of course but more than my den (Spare Bedroom) or garden shed/workshop can stand.

Am using a great little Amp.

Gear4music ukulele amp . It's 5 w runs on mains or a 9v battery and on;y costs £18.99

Permalink Reply by Tony Brown on April 17, 2013 at 11:56pm

Just finished my third one...

Getting in the swing of it now...Various size boxes, all fretless so far and 3 string.

Our local what we call the "Artificial Woolworths" That sell just about everything

is a mine of useful bits and pieces such as 2 1/2" to 3" sink drains/filters for sound holes. Chrome and white plastic. Every size nuts, bolts and screws imaginable, sandpaper, wet and dry etc etc from the Decorating dept. Great shop.

Next build will be a Fretted four string.

Permalink Reply by Tony Brown on June 6, 2013 at 7:45am

Bought two Fruit Bowls at a Boot Fair weekend before last. Nice hard wood, there are a lot of them about in fact there were 5 on various Stalls. The two I haggled for came out at under £2. ($1.20c)

Once I started I was continuously revising my design as I went along.

Anyway here is my first

"STICK IN A ROUND BOX"

Permalink Reply by Tony Brown on June 27, 2013 at 8:28pm

I seem to spend a great deal of time waiting for varnish to dry. Have read in various places that some people use polish not varnish.

Can someone help an ignorant non cabinetmaker what this entails ? What sort of polish etc.

Cheers

Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on June 27, 2013 at 8:52pm

Forget varnish, forget, polish, use gunstock oil - TruOil. You just rub it on with a cloth, leave to dry, repeat a few times. Buff to a gloss of flat down with 0000 grade wire wool. It's basically a linseed oil with an accellerant/catalyst in it - DO NOT use linseed oil, it never actually dries hard...that's for cricket bats..or was in my day. Some people like Danish Oil, but the brand I've tried takes ages to go off, so I stick to TruOil.

If you are talking polish, then the classic instrument finish is shellac or French polish - you need to prepare your own, don't buy pre-mixed, and you need lots of patience and there's a definite knack...this doesn't sound like what you want to be doing.

Alternatively, quick, simple and cheap is rattlecan clear acrylic lacquer, from any auto store. Blow it on in thin layers - it dries really quick, and you can buff it to a high gloss if you want with T-Cut or other rubbing compo. Even simpler is wax, a decent furniture restorer's wax such as BriWax..it's not incredibly durable, but it's really easy and really quick, just rub on, wait a few minutes for the lovely toluene vapour (or whatever is in there) to dry out and buff with a soft cloth. Repeat if you want to build up the sheen a bit more.

Permalink Reply by Tony Brown on June 28, 2013 at 5:30am

Thanks a lot. Given me a lot to think about.

Permalink Reply by Tony Brown on July 16, 2013 at 10:00pm

Latest build.

It's or was a Key Safe.. Had 10 hooks inside for hanging your keys.

Thought this was a better use for it.

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Permalink Reply by Tony Brown on June 29, 2013 at 6:16am

Built 10 now...getting better all the time until the latest. If something could go wrong it did. Split wood. Drill hole in wrong place. Fitted 1/4 Jack Socket, closed the lid and found it was on the top edge. Very nearly put the whole thing in the bin yesterday.

Have had another 3 hours at it today and salvaged what I can. Will keep this one for myself as it is the most boring CBG ever made.

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