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Ukulele luthiery
22 August 2009
[indent]
Ukuleles have been a challenge to me of late. Fixing same, not the playing thereof.
First, I recently purchased a Boat Paddle uke online, secondhand, but a trusted seller. Unfortunately, it arrived with the neck separated from the body. Apparently the glue joint was affected by the climate in transit, probably drying it out, and the pressure of the strings (about 39 lbs for a tuned tenor uke) caused the glue to let go. The result was the neck pulled away from the block in the body. Still playable, but any pressure on the neck during play pushed it outwards, and the uke went out of tune. Despite the advantages for travel of a folding uke, I thought it had better be fixed.
The seller offered to pay for the shipping and to refund my money, but I was intrigued by the instrument and had been eager to get it, so I decided to keep it and make the effort to fix it myself. Keep in mind I'm not a carpenter or woodworker of any skill. I'm more the fence-and-deck type home builder.
I called the uke's maker - Jerry - and discussed options. While he offered to fix it if I shipped it to him, the cost of shipping across the border, plus the time lost while it was bring repaired, seemed excessive. I asked for advice about fixing it myself. He recommended epoxy, clamps and care. All of which I applied in what I hope was a judicious amount.*
The result is a working, and still very playable ukulele, and a heightened sense of self-confidence in dealing with such issues in the future. This beautiful-sounding, quirky-looking uke has also become a favourite instrument, so I'm glad I decided to do it myself.
I am now anxiously waiting the results of my second effort at home-brew luthiery (guitar and instrument making as a profession in Collingwood was actually made illegal last month when council refused to expand the definitions in the proposed new zoning bylaw - another case of Collingwood being Closed For Business).
When I returned from the AMO convention this week, I saw my prized Cigar Box uke had self-destructed. Part of the bridge had come away. I'm not sure, but I believe this was a separate part (the bridge appears to be in two parts, not merely a single piece bridge with a very thin joining section). The piece acting as the string anchor pulled off, thanks to the abrupt changes in heat and humidity - apparently again an issue with the glue. The bridge/saddle portion was not affected.
I live less than a kilometre from the south shore of Georgian Bay. It's often very humid here in the summer. Like Calcutta. Or maybe Chicago. A hot day with winds from the north carries the evaopration of a 300-mile long lake right to my porch. It can be be VERY humid here.
This was one of my favourite ukes as well - and my first custom-built instrument; I loved it for that. Plus I liked its sound.
I contacted the builder, Tom, and he too offered to fix it for free, if I paid shipping. But again, the costs of shipping - another $75-$85 - and the time lost made me hesitate. I've only had this uke since May and it seemed an excessive amount to pay to repair what may be a design flaw (the string anchor is a small piece that may not have been adequately glued or affixed or if it was a single piece, then the thinness of the attached section seems a problem). While there was no guarantee with the instrument, it certainly makes me wonder about recommending these ukes in future, at least for use in a similar environment.
I realize heat and humidity can affect a wooden instrument. My Pono ukes have reacted a lot to the changes, more than the rest. The mango Pono uke popped the C string last summer and again last week in similar weather conditions. The cedar Pono went wildly out of tune both times. But my other ukes - Kala, Ohana, Samwill and Lanikai - while generally going out of tune, suffered less and kept their strings intact. Nonetheless, I don't expect a well-made instrument to self-destruct in such a violent fashion.
I carefully sanded away some of the old glue on both surfaces, applied the glue*, and clamped it, as carefully as possible. I also took advantage of the opportunity to fit a new saddle - a Tusq piece - so I can see the effect of a new material.
So right now the Cigar Box is in the basement, curing. I will see tomorrow if I was able to fix it. If not, the other solution is more demanding - screwing the piece onto the top (which would require some sort of block inside to screw into). I will also use the opportunity to try string beads rather than the traditional knotted tie-down.
I actually enjoy tinkering with lutheriy like this, but my clumsiness and lack of proper tools and workspace (not to mention the town's oppressive zoning bylaws) would make me hesitate to do much more than simple repairs. Not to mention Susan's reluctance to turn the basement into a ukulele-building workshop.
~~~~~
* The epoxy suggestion seems now a bit controversial, since other makers argue against it and in favour of other glues. Epoxy is strong but can be brittle, and is difficult to remove should further repairs be required. Tom recommended strong against epoxy, but favoured Titebond. I could not find that glue locally, so looked at Weldbond, but finally chose Gorilla wood glue (NOT the standard polyurethane Gorilla glue which expands). While it promises a lot, it does not appear any different from standard white glue. So-called carpenters' glue has been described as merely white glue with dye added. Many builders use and recommend hot hide glue. However, while I've read the advantages of hide glue, I'm afraid I can't buy it. I have moral issues with the killing of sentient creatures. So I don't eat them and try to avoid using their byproducts - including gelatin - which is difficult (try avoiding leather in shoes and clothing!) and sometimes requires compromises, but in this case I've opted for the non-animal-product, Gorilla wood glue. So my karma is safe for the nonce. But should the Gorilla wood glue prove unsatisfactory, I may resort to epoxy again. And maybe screws.[/indent]
First, I recently purchased a Boat Paddle uke online, secondhand, but a trusted seller. Unfortunately, it arrived with the neck separated from the body. Apparently the glue joint was affected by the climate in transit, probably drying it out, and the pressure of the strings (about 39 lbs for a tuned tenor uke) caused the glue to let go. The result was the neck pulled away from the block in the body. Still playable, but any pressure on the neck during play pushed it outwards, and the uke went out of tune. Despite the advantages for travel of a folding uke, I thought it had better be fixed.
The seller offered to pay for the shipping and to refund my money, but I was intrigued by the instrument and had been eager to get it, so I decided to keep it and make the effort to fix it myself. Keep in mind I'm not a carpenter or woodworker of any skill. I'm more the fence-and-deck type home builder.
I called the uke's maker - Jerry - and discussed options. While he offered to fix it if I shipped it to him, the cost of shipping across the border, plus the time lost while it was bring repaired, seemed excessive. I asked for advice about fixing it myself. He recommended epoxy, clamps and care. All of which I applied in what I hope was a judicious amount.*
The result is a working, and still very playable ukulele, and a heightened sense of self-confidence in dealing with such issues in the future. This beautiful-sounding, quirky-looking uke has also become a favourite instrument, so I'm glad I decided to do it myself.
When I returned from the AMO convention this week, I saw my prized Cigar Box uke had self-destructed. Part of the bridge had come away. I'm not sure, but I believe this was a separate part (the bridge appears to be in two parts, not merely a single piece bridge with a very thin joining section). The piece acting as the string anchor pulled off, thanks to the abrupt changes in heat and humidity - apparently again an issue with the glue. The bridge/saddle portion was not affected.
I live less than a kilometre from the south shore of Georgian Bay. It's often very humid here in the summer. Like Calcutta. Or maybe Chicago. A hot day with winds from the north carries the evaopration of a 300-mile long lake right to my porch. It can be be VERY humid here.
This was one of my favourite ukes as well - and my first custom-built instrument; I loved it for that. Plus I liked its sound.
I contacted the builder, Tom, and he too offered to fix it for free, if I paid shipping. But again, the costs of shipping - another $75-$85 - and the time lost made me hesitate. I've only had this uke since May and it seemed an excessive amount to pay to repair what may be a design flaw (the string anchor is a small piece that may not have been adequately glued or affixed or if it was a single piece, then the thinness of the attached section seems a problem). While there was no guarantee with the instrument, it certainly makes me wonder about recommending these ukes in future, at least for use in a similar environment.
I realize heat and humidity can affect a wooden instrument. My Pono ukes have reacted a lot to the changes, more than the rest. The mango Pono uke popped the C string last summer and again last week in similar weather conditions. The cedar Pono went wildly out of tune both times. But my other ukes - Kala, Ohana, Samwill and Lanikai - while generally going out of tune, suffered less and kept their strings intact. Nonetheless, I don't expect a well-made instrument to self-destruct in such a violent fashion.
I carefully sanded away some of the old glue on both surfaces, applied the glue*, and clamped it, as carefully as possible. I also took advantage of the opportunity to fit a new saddle - a Tusq piece - so I can see the effect of a new material.
So right now the Cigar Box is in the basement, curing. I will see tomorrow if I was able to fix it. If not, the other solution is more demanding - screwing the piece onto the top (which would require some sort of block inside to screw into). I will also use the opportunity to try string beads rather than the traditional knotted tie-down.
I actually enjoy tinkering with lutheriy like this, but my clumsiness and lack of proper tools and workspace (not to mention the town's oppressive zoning bylaws) would make me hesitate to do much more than simple repairs. Not to mention Susan's reluctance to turn the basement into a ukulele-building workshop.
~~~~~
* The epoxy suggestion seems now a bit controversial, since other makers argue against it and in favour of other glues. Epoxy is strong but can be brittle, and is difficult to remove should further repairs be required. Tom recommended strong against epoxy, but favoured Titebond. I could not find that glue locally, so looked at Weldbond, but finally chose Gorilla wood glue (NOT the standard polyurethane Gorilla glue which expands). While it promises a lot, it does not appear any different from standard white glue. So-called carpenters' glue has been described as merely white glue with dye added. Many builders use and recommend hot hide glue. However, while I've read the advantages of hide glue, I'm afraid I can't buy it. I have moral issues with the killing of sentient creatures. So I don't eat them and try to avoid using their byproducts - including gelatin - which is difficult (try avoiding leather in shoes and clothing!) and sometimes requires compromises, but in this case I've opted for the non-animal-product, Gorilla wood glue. So my karma is safe for the nonce. But should the Gorilla wood glue prove unsatisfactory, I may resort to epoxy again. And maybe screws.[/indent]
