Ketchup

I know, I know.



The last post was in March, so either I've been too lazy to write anything (likely) or I've been too busy (less.) Today's modest post is just a few photos taken by Jacqui the other day of the inside of my first ever ukulele.






The fan braces glued in place, drying. The bridge plate slipped when I clamped it, and maybe broadcasting my mistakes online isn't the best way to make a name for myself as an instrument maker, but what the hell. Anyway, you can see a little bit in this photo that the plate isn't exactly straight, but I have compelling sources informing me that it shouldn't affect the sound of the uke. Consider this a result of procrastinating, then rushing to meet a deadline. More on that later.






Here's the inside of my ukulele. This was, I think, the first ever photo of this project. It's taken a lot longer than I had initially anticipated, but much of the delay has been due to road trips and camping and general loafing. The three strips of wood down the center were inspired by retro surfboards, when ukuleles were all the rage. The cherry that makes up the back and sides and (eventually) the neck will grow darker and more red after a few years of oxidation, which should give it a very classy color scheme.


As of last Friday, these two pieces have been glued together, and now I'll be working on the neck/head/fingerboard assembly.

The deadline that I mentioned earlier is my sister's wedding - I hope to be able to play a ukulele I built myself during the service, and with only about five weeks left, it's conceivable that that might not happen.