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That looks sweet!

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Fantastic, can't wait to hear it.

A real looker for sure. Nicely done.

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

Thanks everyone, it turned out nicer than I hoped. Initialy I thought I had way over built the top, the insturment was quite lacking in volume. After completeing the setup and with the strings on for the last few days it's really starting to perk up and I'm sure all is well.

Here are a few shots from doing the set up. All that's left on this one is a good hand polishing and an end pin.

Gorgeous!!!!

Today I had a few hours after work so I changed gears in the shop and assembled the Baritone Uke.

First was the bridge ground. Always exciting to drill these after finising because you forgot to do it earlier.


Then the bridge.


Pickup.


The volume pot and the output jack.

A piece of 220 grit sandpaper is used to scuff the back of the pot and then a blob of solder is added to the back of the pot for the ground wires. The same treatment is given to the case where the third lug of the pot is grounded.



Solder all the wires in. These one pickup one volume setups are so easy to wire, you barely have to think.


Install the electronics cover and your done. I'll have to go back and see if I showed how this cover is made. That small anomaly by the lower left screw is where I touched the finish with the soldering iron. Always nice to get to practice your touch up techniques on a brand new insturment.

Installed these nice Grover tuners I got from Stew-Mac. Not sure if they really are that crooked or if it's the camera angle.



Then I got lazy with the camera for all the fret dressing, nut finishing, saddle adjustment, etc. Here it is all strung up and ready to rock.


The string tension is a bit low with the DGBe tuing and 19" scale. I might swap out for heavier strings. This is a set of super slinkys (.009 thru.042) with the high and low strings tossed out leaving me with .011, .016, .022w and .032. I might change it to .016 thru .042 and see how that feels. More than likely I'll wait until my friend Joe plays it to make any changes

You make it look so easy! Nice little uke!

Thanks Beth,

After 25 or so insturments some things do seem easy, and then others are still bite you in the butt.

I made the last piece for the Mandolin today. I needed an end pin and since I know I'm getting awful close to the budget limit, I thought I'd make one. Problem is I dont have a 3 or 4 jaw chuck for my lathe so I used my drill press.

A little table saw action, some glue and clamps and the last of the ebony I used for the tuner buttons is the correct size.

Made the piece round with a gouge.

Cut the diameter for the nub above the taper.

Cut the major diameter of the taper.

Cleared some extra stuff out of the way.

And set the minor diameter of the taper.

A large skew connects the two diameters.


Here you can see where we're at and where we're going.


Pretty close, a little more work is needed on the top.

A little clean up with a small file and 220 grit sand paper then on to the Micro Mesh. I went up through the grits to 3600.


Thin CA and a paper towel finishes off the polishing.


Now I have to cut the pin free and do the same finishing to the top.


Here is the completed pin next to the Stew-Mac one I copied.


And installed. One Jazz Mando completed.

Since I had strap buttons on my mind, I rustled around in the spare parts the bin and came up with this.


Here is a helpful hint. To eliminate the chance of chipping lacquer, hit your mark with a hot soldering iron before drilling the pilot hole.


Uke is officially finished.

Steve, could you send me a picture of yourself, just so I can make a poster out of it, hang it on my wall and spend my days idolizing you?

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

This x 2 plus one of these.

Everything looks great, except that last pic.
I think that guy used to play bass in my band, he looked better then.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

That is brilliant! I can't believe how precise it turned ( ) out.

That end pin picture sequence is great. Thanks for posting the process. You have done a killer job with all of these instruments. My rather large hat is off to you, sir.

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

I got to see all of these instruments yesterday. I can tell you all that the black jazz mando looks even cooler in person! Also Steve looks different in person than the picture he posted. I'm not against posting a pic that makes you look better than you usually do, but I was surprised to learn he wears glasses.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

I thought he was adorable in his glamour shot! And his instruments are insanely cool!

What happened to the video of these? I'm still waiting to see Steve play them all at once!

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"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."
Pablo Picasso

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