Notes:

Scale: 14.738

Fretboard:  Laminated walnut with polished brass frets, 12-frets to the body. Surplus from defunct manufacturer.

Dot Markers: Ivory from key top I salvaged from a 1913 Baldwin piano someone discarded.

Nut & Saddle: Polished bone. Saddle is fully compensated to achieve correct intonation.

Bridge: Polished Ebony.

Top: Three-piece solid-wood, with "wheat" soundhole binding. I think the two dark outside parts of the top are of Spanish cedar, since they perfectly match the solid wood sides and three-ply top of the cigar box. The lighter center wood appears to be well-quartered meranti.

Tuners: "Ping" type gold plated friction tuners.

Strings: Aquila Nylgut, re-entrant 4th, GCEA tuning.

The three-piece "top" of this ukulele forms the bottom of the cigar box. This is a replacement for the original cigar box multi-ply bottom, which could not be thinned sufficiently to achieve good tone. The replacement top was deliberately left a bit thicker than normal to add additional strength. Additionally there are two thin "backstrap" style vertical braces that span the top joints. Bracing in general was kept to an absolute minimum. The result is a somewhat "sweeter" sounding uke than is traditional for cigar box instruments.

This placement of the bridge results in a slightly suppressed volume, but it's loud enough for a typical living room.

©1989-2008 by Dennis Ecklund.

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