TRIPLETS !!

5/23/2020

Three at a time, thats about a maximum number for me, but these three ukes got finished in 31 days and are now ready for the final sanding and the french Polish. Each with NYC Water Tank Redwood tone boards and East Indian Rosewood bodies. Just like the Kasha Tenor that Stu Fuchs plays so frequently. I am confident these will have the same rich tone, if you could only play as well as Stu does.

'they may look like triplets but there are differences, Note that the middle one has no marker dots on top. Randy wanted dots only on the side of the fret board. He also nixed the yin/yang

All they need now is the final sanding and about two weeks of French Polish. Then they will sing.

This morning they needed a bit of final trim work. Here i am using a jewelers saw to cut the excess from the little nut mate I like to include to accent the white nut. Note the crazy spalt lines on Olga's uke. She said she liked wild wood.

These are the patterns, one paper, one lucite, that I use to mark the final shape and the tuner holes on the peg heads,

And now the rasp is used to take the peg head down to that just drawn shape. Then the holes for the tuners are drilled on the drill press.

The peg heads are carefully sanded down to the proper thickness to accept the Gotah tuners

Just to be sure, a tuner is tried out. Aw! the perfect thickness. We can proceed to some last shaping of the neck and then ------

WE CAN CALL THESE BABIES BUILT

1 Comment

Alan McDonald

5/24/2020 04:20:17 am

It's interesting to see the three instruments under the heading of TRIPLETS!!! and quite accurate to say the least. Even though there are similarities between them they were also properly identified as being different from one another. Custom built instruments offer up so much more when the luthier works closely with each new and often repeat clients, as the many who have found their way to acquiruing a Griffin instrument.

How is a skilled luthier able to satisfy so many people with something like a yukulele that, say for instance, came from the same tree or requires common items like tuning pegs, strings and fretboards? How is it possible to make something so unique that each new owner is proud to have what they consider to be a one of a kind? Experience is acquired and applied to each instrument to accomplish this feat. Leonardo da Vinci would not have made much of a painter had he stopped after his first painting. He went on to create such great wonders of the art world with the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper just to kick things off.

What is needed to make each instrument unique is based on many potential differences? Take for example the tops of the three yukuleles currently under construction. Each one cut from the same master-grade redwood found in a New York City apartment aged about a hundred years. Now, look at the photos of the three amigos found on the Griffin website/blog and each one has its own fingerprint in terms of looks. The East Indian Rosewood bodies are also unique in pattern and color tones of which you would never know they were from the same inventory. Two of the yukes have the infamous Stu Fuchs Yin Yang and one does not. The mother of pearl markers vary as well. Each instrument is taking on a personality of there own with unique and distinctive features setting them apart from each other.

When a luthier has many instruments under their belt they acquire a taste and knowledge to identify what makes great sound and fantastic feel based on many things. And of course not simply stopping at the types of woods involved. French polish, fretboards and every other piece necessary to complete and enhance each build needs to be considered. Every single piece, when put together is a pretty good starting point. But, as noted, that is just the start.

The luthier has to have a great eye for the quality parts which go into each instrument to satisfy what is expected upon completion. As well, the luthier must be able to discern good sound making sure the new owner is also satisfied. Now is the point where the function of the client and the expectations of the luthier differ. The client starts explaining what they would like and the sound hole has less to do with the position of the hole(s) cut in the wood and more to do with how well the luthier is able to direct his or her ears toward the sound of the client. This would include an open mind to client requests. There is also professional discrepancy involved if the client request might not be possible or would not compliment the new instrument. Each party needs to respect the others thoughts and processes to make the final product one that the two are both satisfied with. That is very clear in owner tetimonials and watching and listening to Brian as he works and comments about the many aspects of each build. There is obviously a lot of pride going in to every stick of wood and everything attached to that wood by the luthier.

Talking about being a good listener, here is hoping the luthier heard Olga right when he said she liked wild wood made up of spalt lines and not Olga actually saying that she wanted to play the Wildwood Flower on her new custom tenor. One might need to come up with something about a road map headed in the direction of happier times looking at the spalt lines and the wild wood.

Also it's not clear if a luthier requires the necessary skills to suggest or recommend the perfect cocktail i.e. Manhatten's or Rob Roy's, to match the type or color of wood used. I would not know what to recommend to Brian if he heard Olga wrong. Are a Saw and Hammer types of drinks that could cure hearing problems or to quench one's thirst because of a dry raspy throat?

TRIPLETS !!

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