This was a self- initiated project where I wanted to explore acoustics, so I decided to build a ukulele from scratch. The ukulele is a 4- string Hawaiian instrument. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and construction. The ukulele I built is concert sized and is inspired from cigar box guitars. Below is the process of how it was constructed.
Sourcing the right wood was the first step, the neck is made up of pinewood, body- solid maple, and the fret-board is made from teak wood. The neck was made using a scarf joint. These were then carved and cut into necessary parts.
The calculations for the frets were made depending on the scale length (38 cm in this case) followed by grooves. The parts were assembled one after another using simple joineries like the dowel and mitre joint.
The bridge was constructed from teak wood and the saddle was ABS plastic. All the parts were assembled together with glue and were set to dry for 2 days.
Next, standard parts like the tuning pegs, fret wires and strings were fit in and the body was stained with brown and yellow ink.
The process of constructing the ukulele was very insightful. I got hands on experience with different sorts of wood and other materials and learned oodles about acoustics and its ways.
