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Hi!

I don't know where to post it so, sorry for the double post...

I had this idea, with a friend of mine who want to start out lutherie, to create a serie of "mianiatures". In fact, a series of steel stringed electric ukus, with strat, tele, les paul, flying V shapes. Really not expensive to do (recycle some scrap wood or mill ends, etc), fun and educative, and also quite easy to sell at a reasonable price, cause ''it's so cute!''.

So, I have some questions here about the electric side of the project.

Bridge: What type of bridge should I use? Are there existing bridge for ukus or should I use single saddles, or a fix acoustic type bridge&

Tuners: I guess regular schaller mini would do it. Any other suggestions?

Pick ups: Are they existing? Or should I make special order or take trancuder or other type of pick ups?

Strings: Are they streel strings for ukus? If not, I guess regular guitare strings cutted to needed lenght would do it.

Last thing... Truss rod? Neck reinforcement? Nothing? Just more heavier neck (from hardwood, or with laminates)

Thanks!
Francis

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Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

I've made electric mandos using regular tuners and a cut down strat bridge.

for pups, 1/2 a split bass pup is perfect for a mando, but a blade type of guitar pup will work for wider spaced strings.

as for steel strings on a uke, if it's electric, you have to go steel for the pups to work.

I use double acting truss rods form a tiwanese ebay seller

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I already tought about a bass split pick up, but, a bass range pick up for a ukulele who's quite high... i'm note sure of the quality of the sound. Maybe a soapbar could be ok, but it's really to large... maybe if I put it with an angle... near the neck at bass, and closer to the bridge at trebble.

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Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

range?

you'd be surprised!

the split bass pup is GREAT on my mando strat

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Wich one you took?

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Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

ive considered doing a similar thing with two string piccolo basses shaped like rubber chickens )) i decided that to keep the cost down and therefore produce a cheap novelty/fun instrument, i would have to start making my own pickups. there are some really cheap homemade cigar boxx pickups on ebay that would definately work. but as i say, they look real simple to make yourself so i reckon thats the way to make this venture pay off.

I think i'll consider to make my own pickups... try to find an little motor and a digital counter to make my own winder...

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Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

If you use P bass pickups you get a humbucking pair for the price of 1 pickup.

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How long is that in luthyears?

i now have a friend making pickups for me! they sound awesome and he's coming up with some really cool ideas. rails, air coils and stuff. the winder is a hand drill and he made a counter using a magnetic switch wired up to a modded calculator. the switch is wired to the = button. tap +1 into the calc and every turn hits the =. we're getting accurate readings and about 6000 turns, tapped coils and all the benefits of scatterwound pups at half the price of a factory emg.