What’s Happening
In the Workshop
Headless or not? That is the question.
Headless or not? As we've been playing our first solid body electric basses, we've definitely noticed the weight, particularly after playing ukuleles. Our v1.x basses, while lighter than most full-size basses, still are quite hefty. So the notion of going headless, as...
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Finished up the bass body
Base Layer The finish started out with a layer of deep red. This is Milk Paint and it has a very, very flat finish. This is the base layer. Top Layer The next layer is Oyster White This will be the final surface. Milk paint starts out very flat but with a...
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the iPbass pickups just arrived
More progress on the iPbass. We just got in our Geezer Butler signature pickups from EMG so we'll be routing the body to get it ready for the electronics. We're progressing on the neck and the truss rod gets installed next. Good fun.
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Our Little Bass is Taking Shape
We're working on a solid body, short-scale, electric bass. Here's where we are so far. The solid body is plywood. Since she's a prototype, we're going with simple utilitarian wood. Not too heavy, not too light, but very stable and strong. It's something we can really...
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Lots going on in the shop these days
We're working on a lot of Keystones including a very special chopsticks braced one. We've just added the finish on the interiors of this set and we'll be closing them up this week. We've added this step of finishing the insides to increase the weatherproofing of our...
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Shop Update: ukulele_Triumph
A new chopsticks braced ukulele is taking shape in the shop. Named "Triumph" for a number of reasons, it represents the pinnacle of our chopstick bracing development. There are two key improvements to our design shown here. The first is clearly visible. We added two...
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Shop Update – “Maria”
Updates on ukulele "Maria" December 26, 2014. Soundboard has been braced and the bridge plate is in place. The interior of the body has three coats of finish and has been final sanded. Also the K&K Sound Twin Spot internal pickup has been installed. Next...
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New semi-hollow soprano “Maria” is underway
She looks a little like a candy bowl at this point but her semi-hollow body is taking shape. Progress! Smile when you play that!™
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Shop Update – Sakonnet
November 7, 2012 Ukulele Sakonnet got her soundboard installed today. We cut her 'wobbly' soundhole, installed her bracing and her soundboard is in place. Next we're actually going to apply some finish to the inside. Since "Sakonnet' may be subjected to some unusual...
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The Mutant Ukulele – A Candid Look at the Creature
September 22, 2012 Beauty or Beast? Or both perhaps? We've completed the "Mutant" ukulele to a point where we can string it up. It's not entirely finished because we'll be cutting on it and adjusting it for awhile, but it's playable. Over the next few weeks...
read moreIn Other News
Stepping Back Into the Sunshine
2018 has been a... significant year. The most significant event was that my Dad died May, 24, 2018. After a difficult few years, he passed away quietly of natural causes. While I could see it coming for some time, when he actually died, I wasn't quite as...
Looking forward to 2018
2017 has been a watershed year. It's been a year of unforeseen events that have significantly altered our view of the world as well as our role in it. These events have not been ukulele related, in fact the ukulele part of our life, in stark contrast, has been a...
Palm Strings Ukulele Festival III
Festival season is about to begin and we are heading to Palm Springs to open our year. 2016 was a challenging year with Diana having back surgery in May and me having shoulder surgery in August, but all things considered, we're both doing pretty darn well. Diana's...
What’s with the bridge?
The New Drilled-Through Bridge In our most recent ukulele builds we've changed over to a drilled-through bridge. There are a number of reasons for this and we'll go over them here. Besides looking very clean and simple, the drilled-through bridge offers several...
Cutting soundboards and backboards
As I rehabilitate my shoulder, I'm doing what I can in the shop, making the various bits and pieces I need for building our ukuleles. I've got some beautiful Poplar and a nice piece of Mango that we've been cutting up. Poplar is so varied. It's amazing how different...
Headless or not? That is the question.
Headless or not? As we've been playing our first solid body electric basses, we've definitely noticed the weight, particularly after playing ukuleles. Our v1.x basses, while lighter than most full-size basses, still are quite hefty. So the notion of going headless, as...
Workshop – V2.2_opt.B
Design of the workshop continues apace Space planning is fascinating to me. We recently re-designed our kitchen and it is now a functional masterpiece. You won't see it's modest design featured in Architectural Digest but whether you're cooking for two or 22, it...
Back to the bass drawing board
So the "California" bass gave us a LOT of information and we're incorporating some changes into the next design in the development of our short-scale bass. Here's a bit of a rundown on the changes. Scale Length We're actually going to open the scale up just slightly....
We’re just about ready for Reno
Our favorite show of the year, the Reno Ukulele Festival, is right around the corner. After a very successful show in Palm Springs in February, we hit the ground running and went right back to the shop. And now, after a lot of steady work, we're ready for Reno with a...
Our Short Scale Concept Bass is done!
The "SSC" or Short-Scale Concept bass is too much fun! She's a 30-inch scale, solid-body, electric bass and the compact size is outstanding for smaller hands. Her body is simple plywood and and she has a fast, shallow-profile neck in quarter-sawn, book-matched ash....
UPCOMING EVENTS
Palm Strings Ukulele Festival
February 25-28, 2016
Hilton Palm Springs
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Reno Ukulele Festival
April 14-217, 2016
Nugget Hotel, Sparks, NV
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