Meranti Concert Ukes

[Clancy]

A few things led me to knocking out these ukes, mainly my bandsaw only cuts to 4" and the only usable hardwood of any usable size I could locate in & around Alice was meranti.

There were originally 4 of these, but I've already posted what happened when one of them kissed the router.
Also, they were all originally to have spruce tops, but after making the meranti backs I was so impressed with the ringing when tapped that I made meranti tops for 2 of them.

I'd also decided to make 'classical tie' type bridges but the first customer asked for a 'string through' type, so that's what they all became.

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All meranti specs.
Top - Meranti
Back & Sides - Meranti
Neck - Meranti
Headstock Veneer & Rosette - Figured Meranti
I told you they were all meranti
Well, not quite...
Fingerboard, Bridge & Inlay - EIR
Binding - EIR/Blackwood (with gidgee heelcap)
Backstipe - Gidgee
Bridge plate - African Mahogany
Bracing - Spruce
Hard Shellac applied by pad

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Concert Bracing.jpg (57.4 KiB) Viewed 12501 times

[Clancy]

Spruce topped specs - same as above except
Top - Sitka Spruce
Fingerboard, Bridge & Headstock - Mulga
Binding - Jarrah
The colours in this one scream the Alice landscape at me

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[ozwood]

I'm Impressed craig ,

I've often thought of taking the Bunnings challenge , and seeing if i can make a half decent instrument out of only what I can Find at Bunnings , even thought about merbau for the fret board.

I think you've just proved that for UKe's at least, you can make use of what you can get your hands on, They look fantastic , how do they sound ?

love all the little details , I think it's the detail that makes the asthetic of an instrument.

Cheers,

[John Maddison]

Stunning work, Craig in every respect - a classy use of materials!

... the Bunnings Challenge: ... make a half decent instrument out of only what I can find at Bunnings ...

I'd be up for that too, Paul; it'd make for an interesting discusion thread here re what can be built just using off-the-shelf 'DIY' species.

[charangohabsburg]

Wow, these are some classy looking ukes. Congratulations!

Nice label too.

When you make progress with healing the router accident patient let us know please.

[Dominic]

Nice work Craig, looks like you go a bit of a flow going, shame you got so far with the eaten one. Something to hang on the wall with the words "CHECK ROUTER BEARING" in fluro green? So you have sold one, with two more to sell? Are you going to do another batch or is it time to make a nice falcate braced steel string?
It might be a bit tedious as you mentioned doing batches but I found doing the same job a number of times in a day or two improved my work far faster than doing the same amount of work over a year. I have refined or rebuilt many jigs and thought about stuff a lot more this year from doing the same task over and over. So its ended up slowing me down but will lead to improved productivity and consistency from my next lot so its worth the time. Plus I love thinking about the processes and working out ways to get better results almost as much as making guitars.
Anyway, good luck selling the remaining ukes. Is this profit that can get plowed back into Clancy Guitars or does end it up in household general revenue.
Cheers
Dom

[Clancy]

4 out of 5 sold (will post the other 2 tomorrow)
....but not much profits.
I got told often that I was selling them too cheaply, but these wern't about making money.
I seriously wanted to investigate meranti, I wanted to see what it takes to complete a small run of quality instuments and I wanted to play around with different wood combinations for both sound and looks.
Now I can compare a group of 'physically identical' instruments.
Using meranti for 4(-1) of them made it affordable to do this.

Looks like we're extending our stay here a little, so I may do another run, with some changes to the original design. Depends if the interest in them continues when these are 'out there'.
It is nice to think of someone plucking away on one of these while sitting in a swag around the fire under the desert stars.........

[Dominic]

Thought there was more than 4. Good luck getting them all out there and starting the new batch. Perhaps you should increase your prices. Price is funny and those of us who sell a few instruments are in the difficult position of finding the sweet spot between wanting to just get them out there with signaling that these are quality instruments. If i say I'll make a guitar for $1500 people say that is the price of a maton. Perhaps if I said $2200 I would find less competition. But then prices have to increase over time anyway as more people find out about our work and demand rises. All in all Alice seems to have been good for you as far as getting musos playing your instruments. So i suppose staying a bit longer is good for you if you can build on that success but I wanted my guitar buddy back.

Anyway, I can see your new logo now, Clancy Guitars - bringing music to a camp site near you since 2010. What about designing a nice travel guitar. Sell them in the camping shop.
OK let me know if I can send you anything for your extended stay. Be a bummer to run out of supplies and have to stop building.
Cheers
Dom

[Craig]

That's some great work there Craig. Very neat and tidy .I'm particularly impressed with your soundhole treatment .The Meranti looks like it belongs on a Ukelele. I like your new label too ! Very cool !

[Tod Gilding]

Craig, I really like that binding,sets it off perfectly . are these the ukes you had the trouble with the side bending

[Clancy]

are these the ukes you had the trouble with the side bending

Yep.
I tried everything I could think/find but I just couldn't get the meranti to bend in the bender.
Even by hand on the iron it fought me.
You've kind of got to make the bend in one go, if you stop (to check against the mold/plan) it seems to 'set' in place and resist further work.

Otherwise it's a great tonewood.
Taps like mahogany, planes like mahogany, sands like mahogany, looks like....well that's up to you.
I subjected it to some climate abuse (both ends of the RH range).
Seems to be really stable stuff!

I also found a wide range of colouring which seems associated with weight.
The whiter it is, the lighter it is. It's actually quite light & I used it for tailblocks.
Pinkish colour is the main stuff you find.
The red stuff is quite heavy.
One thing to be watchful for is tiny borer holes.

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Oh, and I just sold the last one.

[Taffy Evans]

Hi Craig, nice looking Ukes. I used Meranti when I was living in the Alice but never let on that was what it was in case I got laughed at. I found it easy to get at the local timber outlet.

I had the same view from my workshop as you have from on your label, but a lot closer. I have to return a guitar to its owner who lives in the Alice after some repairs and modifications. I built it thirty years ago and it was great to have it back to see, restore, and of course play. It sounds really good, I was surprised but pleased.

[Clancy]

Hey Taff,
I took the label photo from the hill above Olive Pink on the western side of the Todd, so the same view but closer would place you west of the Stuart Hwy out on Larapinta Drive
We're at the back of Teppe Hill near Hoppy's, so no view unfortunately.

Some people did struggle with the 'meranti factor' at first, but most accepted it without (bad) comment.
If I'm around in 30yrs I would love to hold one of these 'Alice Ukes' and see how it's travelled.
That really must be a good buzz!