DOUBLE NECK UKULELE

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WELCOME          LUTHIERY

Initial planning of the design.
Initial planning of the design.
Checking the head mechanism works.
Checking the head mechanism works.
Checking the neck angles to ensure sufficient room between the necks.
Checking the neck angles to ensure sufficient room between the necks.
Beginning to bend the sides.
Beginning to bend the sides.
Sides bent and glued together with mahogany blocks.
Sides bent and glued together with mahogany blocks.
Marking out the neck joints and marking out the heads.
Marking out the neck joints and marking out the heads.
Cutting the inlays.
Cutting the inlays.
Setting the motifs on the soundboard.
Setting the motifs on the soundboard.
The finished grape leaf inlay. The instrument is edged with maple.
The finished grape leaf inlay. The instrument is edged with maple.
Glueing the kerfed linings to sides ready to receive the soundboard and back.
Glueing the kerfed linings to sides ready to receive the soundboard and back.
A rear soundhole allows access the inside.
A rear soundhole allows access the inside.
Ready to put the soundboard onto the sides.
Ready to put the soundboard onto the sides.
Bracing the soundboard.
Bracing the soundboard.
Fitting the braced soundboard.
Fitting the braced soundboard.
Inlaying the bottom joint to match the bindings.
Inlaying the bottom joint to match the bindings.
Mounting the tuners onto the 8 string head.
Mounting the tuners onto the 8 string head.
Checking the bridge location and action using test fretboards taped to the neck.
Checking the bridge location and action using test fretboards taped to the neck.
The fretboards wrapped and inlayed with abalone.
The fretboards wrapped and inlayed with abalone.
The finished heads showing the slots for half of the 8 strings.
The finished heads showing the slots for half of the 8 strings.
The finished instrument...
The finished instrument...
...varnished in high gloss...
...varnished in high gloss...
...and strung with nylon strings.
...and strung with nylon strings.
A custom instrument requires a custom case...
A custom instrument requires a custom case...
...to properly protect it.
...to properly protect it.

A luthier’s work is not limited to building guitars. A ukulele is a good alternative.


Rather than producing more and more of the same thing I decided to try something a little different so I designed this double neck ukulele - one neck with 8 strings and the other with 4 strings.


Double neck instruments are not new. There are examples dating back to the 17th Century, but they were never really popular. A double neck instrument is rather ungainly but is effectively two instruments. In this case it's an 8 string and 4 string with identical tunings, but it could have different tunings. Both bridges have an under-saddle pickup so that each side can be amplified differently.


The soundboard is Adirondack whilst the back and sides are Purple heart.

The fretboards and bridges are ebony.


In an attempt to keep both heads roughly the same size I put half of the 8 string tuning machines through slots. This is not a new idea - Rickenbacker employ this method of reducing the head-length on their 12 string electric guitars.


I wanted to try my hand at inlaying so I scaled down some Ovation-style ‘grape leaves’ and inlayed the design onto the soundboard using an assortment of exotic wood veneers. Whilst it may look good, it has more drawbacks than advantages.


All instruments with multiple necks are vulnerable to catastophic damage if pressure is applied to both necks at the same time. So it's important that you do not lean one neck on, say, a table whilst you're playing the other neck. Similarly you should avoid banging one neck against something whilst holding the other. I call it the -chicken wishbone effect-.


Future plans include a baritone/tenor combination, possibly with both necks having 8 strings.

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