Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

A Taropatch is the name given to a 8 string concert ukulele. This one tuned to gG, cC, ee, aa.

I've built a few of these over the years. Really suprising how loud and punchy they are for such a small instrument.

This one is made from Australian Blackwood for the body, King Billy Pine soundboard. Ringed Gidgee fret board, bindings and head plate veneers. Spalted Mango rosette and bridge veneer, with figured Blackwood bridge. Finished in satin gloss lacquer.

Eye candy for sure. The gidgee and blackwood just go together like caramel and chocolate. Such a natural combination. I notice it is not your usual heel shape on this one Allen.

I've changed from the Spanish Heel to a bolt on neck. So the heel shape can't be the same as previously, and the design is evolving on the builds after this one. I imagine it will be a while before I settle on something.

I wondered if this was a move away from your usual Spanish Heel. What motivated that? I guess ukes don't need a neck reset as often as guitars do - but have you seen that happening? Or do you prefer it for production reasons? I know you are gearing up with CNC for some aspects of your building. I have only ever done bolt-on necks for my half-dozen guitar builds, so I don't know any better. It is really interesting to watch the evolution of your technique.

Production reasons, and getting the perfect neck set are part of the reason.

With a Spanish heel, you can get this right almost all the time, but on the odd occasion, I'd like the option to tweak for either more or less saddle protrusion.

And on a couple of occasions I've carved a neck only to find a flaw being revealed that wasn't at all evident until wood was removed. In the case of a Spanish heel that means either calling it a second, or tossing out the instrument.

Mark McLean wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 29, 2017 11:11 am

The gidgee and blackwood just go together like caramel and chocolate.

+1
Beautiful