gripper Posted October 16, 2005 Report Share Posted October 16, 2005 My great(grand) uncle wants a real professional ukelele with an adjustable bridge and such. I told him that I would ask you guys if a kit, parts or a complete uke was available. He is a very prominate (spelling?) mandolin player and I want to help him find something. I know, I know. A ukelele. There is no accounting for taste but he says it is becoming quite the rage among mando players to have a really good instrument. If any of you know of a good source, please let me know. He is rather wealthy so I doubt money is much of an issue. He already owns three mandolins that probably cost $4000.00 ea. He is the best player I have ever heard. Thank you for any input you can give me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted October 16, 2005 Report Share Posted October 16, 2005 I doubt a kit is the way to go. Just look on google for uke builders, I imagine there are quite a few. You might want to check out what the pro uke guys are playing. Most of them probably have some mention of the brand they use on their websites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted October 17, 2005 Report Share Posted October 17, 2005 "Professional Ukelele" and "Adjustable Bridge" don't really strike me as two things that go together. Trad Ukes are acoustic instruments that have fixed, compensated saddles in glued down bridges, just like acoustic guitars. David Hurd, Bob Gleason (both on Hawaii) and John Mayes all make some killer-lookin' ukes, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted October 17, 2005 Report Share Posted October 17, 2005 Pegasus Guitars ukulele kits More kits, plans, and parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegasus Posted October 18, 2005 Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 (edited) Mattia is right. ukes are generally acoustic instruments. The adjustable bridge thing is something found on mandolins, but not on ukes. First off, it's spelled ukulele not ukelele. I've made 450 or so of these things over the past 25 years and have come to appreciate them, though I still prefer to make steel string and classical guitars. Here in Hawaii you see them used in everything from Jawaiian reggae to classical. There are many builders on the web, but be careful and make sure you get a money back guarantee. A lot of handmade ukes either don't play in tune, or simply don't play. Make sure your instrument is built in a dehumidiefied shop if you live in a dry part of the country. How much you spend is not always a factor either. In Hawaii a lot of instruments are priced high simply because they have some flashy curly koa on them. You can learn a lot by doing research on a site like Bounty Music on Maui. They have tons of uke links. Good luck!-Bob Edited October 18, 2005 by pegasus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted October 20, 2005 Report Share Posted October 20, 2005 Don’t mean to hijack the thread, but I cannot resist this: Why not an electric ukulele? I've build this for my brothers 30th birthday. Its a mahogany thinline body, spruce top, mahogany neck and rosewood fret board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gripper Posted October 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 pegasus, that was his exact complaint. The ones he has tried do not play in tune. I don't know if you are connected with the Pegasus supply people but I was thinking of getting on of those kits and building him one. I just hope the humidity stuff you are talking about aren't the main problem. He lives in Minneapolis and it is HARD on instruments during the winter. He has to keep two differant nuts for his J-200 just to keep it playable during the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorecki Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 Don’t mean to hijack the thread, but I cannot resist this: Why not an electric ukulele? http://photobucket.com/albums/b162/SwedishLuthier123/uke.jpg I've build this for my brothers 30th birthday. Its a mahogany thinline body, spruce top, mahogany neck and rosewood fret board. ← That looks like half of a P-Bass pickup, is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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