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Blog Posts
- Painting finally begins
- Soundboard Installation!
- Installing the Rose
- The Soundboard
- Adding the hook to the 8′ cherry Bridge
- 8′ cherry Bridge steamed, bent, clamped
- Bridges and Nuts
- Color/Paper samples for Harpsichord
- Soundboard joined and fitted
- Finally some new Harpsichord work
- Building a Flute & Whistle Library
- A Guitar Foot Stool
Pau Hana ‘Ukulele
Zen 'Ukulele
Boston Balalaika
Perestroika
Monthly Archives: May 2013
‘Uke #11 (Flamenco) underway
I started ‘Ukulele #11 in the summer of 2012 and had intended to complete it by the end of the year. Alas, I had to put it aside for a while to attend to other projects. One of the problems … Continue reading
Cigar Box ‘ukuleles
A little while ago I took a break from building regular ‘ukuleles to build a couple of cigar boxes. Someone in the club (Ukulele Union of Boston) had one that I really liked and after doing some research online I … Continue reading
A fiddle (or is it a violin?)
Building a musical instrument from a kit can be a rewarding experience, and a great way to get started in lutherie. But it is time consuming and demands much attention to detail. My daughter wanted a fiddle, and I wanted … Continue reading
The Armadillolele
Yes, an Armadillo! An acquaintance in the Ukulele Union brought me an Armadillo Mandolin that was in need to rebuilding. Jim actually wanted to convert it into an ‘ukulele, and has a particular fondness for the armadillo and asked if … Continue reading
‘Ukuleles Eight/Nine/Ten
So, why no ‘ukulele seven? Longer story, in a later post. There is, or will be, an ‘ukulele 7. The body is just being finished up now. ‘Ukuleles 8, 9, 10 were all built as gifts. Eight and Nine were … Continue reading
Neapolitan Mandolins
My first Neapolitan mandolin restoration was a minimal restore only to put an instrument back into playing condition for a friend who’s family brought it from England many years ago. Sadly it was left to sit in an attic for … Continue reading
Rebuilding a Balalaika
I have a Russian-made (read “Soviet”) balalaika, which was originally built in Moscow in 1981 at the Moscow Experimental Musical Instrument Factory – Moskovskaya Eksperimental’naya Fabrika Muzikalnykh Instrumentov. This balalaika was a gift from a close friend who studied in … Continue reading
‘Ukulele Six
‘Ukulele #6 started out to be a traditional tenor ‘uke with a Spanish heel, Mahogany neck like the others so far. This instrument was being built by my cousin for his own use, with my assistance. A lot of work … Continue reading
A ‘Uke for College? Number Five
This one was a gift for my son Jeremy. Everyone who goes to college should have an ‘ukulele, right? The headstock sports his name and the University logo. I hope that it will inspire him to play music in his … Continue reading
‘Ukulele Four – almost like Three
This walnut and spruce tenor ‘ukuele was also begun in the summer of 2006 along with ‘Ukulele #3. My daughter and I weare making these almost matching ‘ukes together. These ‘ukes were made with mahogany necks, spruce tops and walnut … Continue reading
Confessions of an Amateur Luthier 