It came out awesome! Using nails as frets was awesome I thought they wouldn't be strong but if you managed to you use the file on them I guess they are pretty strong! To increase it's loudness I would suggest thinner top (made of pine, cedar or spruce) with supportive braces just like a guitar. Plywood does not vibrate nicely and as a result it is quiet! Overall I really enjoyed the video! Greeeeeeat work! I love DIY instruments!
+Scrap wood City Thank you, I'm flattered! Good tips too. I figured the plywood wasn't the best option for the top but I went with it anyway. Next time I'll try something better.
+Makify1 it's tone was pretty nice though! Acoustic instruments are really way more difficult from the electric ones! You did a really good job in my opinion!
Awesome I've been looking for a easy ukulele build all over and now I've finally found. Imma start building this ukulele at school tomorrow I will give u and update on how it went. Thanks so much I'll defenetly subscribe. 👍
I built this and made a few modification. I used cedar for the body, top and bottom planed to 1/8"thick, the neck is mahogany, I bought real fret wire instead of nails (about the same price), I had some hard nylon I used for the nut and saddle instead of threaded rod and I epoxied a piece of 1/4" threaded rod into the neck so I could attach it to the body with a large washer and nut, much stronger. Sounds good, fairly loud, tunes up nice. Now I learn how to play. :)
I'm making this for my physics assignment for soundwaves and music. My teacher is going to be super impressed with this! Thank you for the clear guidelines! Edit: For the meme, It went really well, I got a really good grade almost 4 years ago. I still have it sitting in my garage, although the strings didn't stay tense for long without collapsing in
that effect when we find out that the background music is actually played by you on the instrument was very well done! I had an inkling, and was really happy that indeed you did what i thought would be a cool thing to do!
I see love in this video. Love for nephew. Love for music. Love for doing things perfectly! This came straight from my heart. You made my day bro! Thumps up! (I'm secretly hoping you can make of this for me. )
You can just as easily make a uke with basic (and inexpensive) hand tools, especially if you're not bending the sides. All you really need is a hand saw (or if you wanna make your job easier, a hand saw and a coping saw), sandpaper, and clamps for gluing (which can be improvised in a pinch). The process would be mostly identical to the one in the video, just a little slower.
Dear Mr. Vince Makify1, This is quite a lovely thing you've made, I very much enjoyed the video and your friendly conversational tone. pierre from New Mexico
What a wonderful labour of love. Good looking little uke with added meaning due to the love poured into it. Smart that it's a quieter uke than usual as well. Kiddie's going to be 'practicing' a lot! Very special gift.
Great plan. You want a louder uke? Use a solid quatersawn cedar or spruce piece for the top. It will double the volume of your uke. You can also make it way thinner and add a little bracing underneat. But I really like your plan.
I wanna make the body for a ukulele, as I still have the neck etcetera when my bought ukulele broke.....your video was helpful....i reckon i would burn a cool design on the front sides and back to personalise it before i varnished it....very educational lesson. Thanks from Aaron in Australia
I like the idea. I was going to build a traditional shaped soprano ukulele but then my wood wouldn't bend so I'm cutting it down and making a small bodied concert ukulele. It might not sound the best but I can't even play the instrument yet. This definitely helped with my build so thanks. On a different ukulele I'm messing with, I used cotter pins cut in half for the frets. I should have used nails and made the nut and bridge better.
I'm glad you liked the video. I built my first ukulele from a small wooden box/purse I found at a craft store and I built it before I knew how to play. It's not a crazy idea. Good luck with your build!
Made it out of scratch and didnt even spend much.. less than 3 dollars an old guitar for the tuning pegs... Old plyboards.. and it came out pretty great and sounds good and now im practising...Great video... Thanks makify
Dear friend, Thanks for a very excellent video on making your wee Judd a Ukulele. Very professional audio and video. Also the friendly tone and smiles. I shall indeed try this. Blessings, pierre from New Mexico
Nice job. Very doable with a few tools and patience. Anything worth making and keeping takes work and overcoming unexpected mistakes or problems. Anything fast and easy is disposable. Thanks for sharing.
I laughed so hard at 3.46 where you were working on cutting out the slot for the nut, I almost fell over backwards in my office chair. Very funny. And the nail frets, well, that was fantastic!! And you have to understand that this video followed another that I watched, and it took the guy forever to build his uke, and I mean he used the finest tools, materials, and exercised top notch craftsmanship... And than I watched your video. The contrast just cracked me up! You made my night, and I hope the little 3 year old loved this uke and didn't swallow a nail! :)
I see everybody using wood finish and wood stain for their finish but I'd be drawing and painting on the White Zombie movie poster like Kirk Hammett's guitar. lmao!
Hi. Excelent...! I already start making this project for my daughter. Although I did some changes in it. But I stuck at a point. What is the distance between the string holes on the bridge. Please reply...!
I have to build an instrument for my physics class and you just saved me! I know how to play the ukulele but I wasn't sure how to easily make one. Thank you so much!!!!
Perfect demonstration video. Very complete. Good explanations about why you did things the way you did! This is a very good video for beginner builders of stringed instruments. Thank you very much.
Hi Makify1, I would like to begin by commending you on your work, the most easily-crafted yet high-quality ukulele design I have ever encountered on RU-vid. I was wondering if it would be possible for me to create a piccolo ukulele based off the template of this ukulele only with the measurements altered to scale. If so, could you please provide me with some instruction to do so. Again, fantastic work and have a great day.
Hello Makify1! How are you? You did not reinforce the top of the instrument and glued the bridge straight into it. Did something wrong happen? Did the top behave well? Sorry, my english ... Thank you!
The homemade one sounds like you're listening to a radio, reminds me of the days before PC and smart phones , good job! I'm really gonna make one myself.
planning on making this for myself because I don't have the money to go out and buy a ukulele out of store.... So I hope mine turns out as good as yours did😊 Hope your nephew liked it
+Adorable Penguins I did the same thing, built a ukulele because I couldn't afford one. I eventually bought a professionally built one but the one I built in the video is pretty darn good. My nephew really likes his, by the way.
Excellent job and thanks for the efforts to make a ready template. Also, please help me as everytime I take a print the measurements does not turn out the same. I've tried using the actual size option yet there is an half inch diffetence in the priny out.
+Rameez Shaikh Are you using Windows 10? I bet you are. So, here's the deal. There's nothing wrong with the pdf. The problem is with Windows 10 or the print driver in Windows 10. If I print the template from Mac OS or Windows 7, it prints perfectly but if I print from Windows 10 it prints too small. This is really annoying! The only solution I've found is to print at a custom scale of 104.23%. I don't know if that will work for all printers but it works for mine. I only have one printer to test it on. Please let me know if that works for you and I'd love to know what operating system you are using and what printer you have.
Well Vinnie, it was printed from a Win7 OS and from a local stationery shop with some HP printer model. However, lemme check with the custom scaling as you advised and will let you know if that works.
ming ming You must not have watched to the end because I play it and compare it to a professionally made one. Plus, the background music was played on it.
Dear friend I bought a new bridge and a new fret board for my ukulele 21 soprano ...now where I have to place it in cm ? Have I to use specific misure? Thanks
That's hard to guess because I was filming while making it and filming makes every project 4-5 times longer. I could probably have made this ukulele in a weekend if I wasn't filming.
Wow, very inspiring! You did a great job. I might try this too. May I ask how exactly did you calculate the soundhole dimensions? the Helmholtz Resonance link you posted is dead, and I can't find a good enough explaination on the web. What Does the d (I guess it stands for diameter),v, and f stand for? Thanks!
+Muli Cohen I fixed the link but to summarize, d = (f^2 * V) / 2700 where "d" is the diameter of the hole (in meters), "f" is the frequency (in Hetz) it is tuned to (usually this would be a frequency between the lowest string and the 2nd lowest sting without matching one of those perfectly), and "V" is the internal volume of the body (in cubic meters).
It's a little bit of a challenge for a beginner but very doable. A few other people have made this ukulele for class projects. If you decide to do it, I'd love to hear how it goes.
That was creative taking a drill and making it a sander. I may have to try that myself :) For all the people whining about the tools it's mostly a drill press and a band saw which can be purchased cheap at places like harbor freight if you don't have the cash for a high end one.
This is sooo cool! I discovered your channel a few months ago when I was trying to repair my suitcase and I stumbeld upon your "Plastic Canoe/Kayak Repair" video. I'm mostly a suscriber to natural beauty channels, so you are the odd one among my subscriptions :D But I really like watching your work!
