Nunes/Royal
Hawaiian/Hollywood style concert ukulele
This vintage-style ukulele was built at the request
of a customer in Toronto. I've always liked the Hollywood
style (which was actually patterned after the Royal Hawaiian
ukuleles, which were influenced by Manuel Nunes, one of
the earliest ukulele builders) and I was thrilled to have
the inspiration to study and reinvent this shapely instrument.
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 The
bending jig for the Royal Hawaiian/Hollywood shape. Bent
sides are in the background, along with the metal sheets
used on either side of the wood as it's bent. A special
heating blanket supplies the heat to allow the sides to
bend. It takes just a few minutes to bend the sides.
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 Here's
a look at the sides after being bent. The koa heated up
nicely and bent over the mold very easily. The koa grain
seems to show more now that the sides have taken shape.
The water stains on the wood are from misting, heating and
bending and will sand out easily. |
The
50 or so tiny clamps are holding the kerfed lining in
place as the glue dries. The kerfed lining gives the rims
more gluing surface for the top and back plates.
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 With
the clamps off, we get a better look at the rims, the blocks
and the overall shape of the Royal Hawaiian and Hollywood
shape. You may be able to tell that the burn is sanded out
by this photo. The blocks are made of Spanish cedar, like
the neck will be. The cedar is strong yet very light. |
 In
this photo, the back is getting the bracing glued on. The
braces will be carved and "tuned" before gluing
the box together. The back braces are curved to an 8' radius,
offering stiffness to the back while maintaining a light
and responsive build. I believe the Royal Hawaiian ukes
had a flatter back than this, but it's a good design enhancement
that doesn't disturb the aesthetics of the Royal Hawaiian
appearance. Conversely, the top will have only a 25' radius.
That's almost flat, with a barely noticable arch to the
top, again for strength.
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 For
the neck, I picked out a great piece of Spanish cedar
that is pretty well color-matched to the koa. The 15 degree
scarf joint has been cut for the headstock. The inside
reinforcement is glued in behind the soundhole, waiting
for the tortoise-shell binding ring. I really like installing
the ring; it's a pretty cool little trick.
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 Here's
the bridgeplate getting glued to the underneath of the
soundboard. Most of the bridgeplate is hidden by the cauls
holding the plate down while being clamped. That's a nice
even squeeze-out of glue... the sign of just the right
amount!
Once the bridgeplate was glued in, the tap tone of the
soundboard really started to happen. The tap tone starts
at a certain pitch and lowers as you remove wood from
the bracing. The quality of the tap also matures until
you get to the point where you just know it can't get
any better. Or can it.....???
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 Here
we're getting a few steps closer to looking like a ukulele!
The top plate is glued to the rims. Here's a view you don't
usually get to see. The kerfed lining is spruce, the braces
are spruce and the bridgeplate is a .06" thick piece
of mahogany. |
 The
4" waist is a nice, tight look. An interesting characteristic
of the Royal Hawaiian and Hollywood shape is that the soundhole
hangs down past the waist a little, while many ukes have
a soundhole that ends at the waist. The saddle line at the
bridge is exactly halfway between the end of the soundhole
and the base of the uke. Was this body style originally
designed this way for looks or for sound? We'll probably
never know, but we can assume that both are a strong factor.
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 With
the binding installed, it looks like things are really
rolling along.
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 The
body and rough-cut neck together. Getting to know one another,
I assume. The heel is stacked and the overall length is
cut. There will be a koa end-cap at the neck heel later
on. |
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 Here's
a look at the neck heel. The koa heelcap is actually three
thicknesses of the koa body wood laminated together. The
fingerboard is thicknessed to about 1/8". The longer
heel allows the main length of the neck to be carved slimmer,
with the thickness being about 5/8" thick from nut
to around the 7th fret area.
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 Whereas
the headstock is not shaped yet, it is thicknessed to the
appropriate 1/2" thick. The neck shaft is carved and
thicknessed to meet the volute area of the headstock, and
it is a smooth transition from the first fret area to the
"thumbrest" area at the back of the headstock. |
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 Flash
forward... Done! Still a little setup left to do as
it settles in for a couple of days. But basically, done.
The action is set at about 3/32" at the 12th fret.
The sound is great, with a pretty warm midrange tone when
strummed at the 12th fret, or you can get more of a pop
by fingerpicking at the soundhole or moving towards the
bridge.
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 Looks
like a Royal Hawaiian. Or a Hollywood. Hawaiian Hollywood?
Kevin Royal Koncert?
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 From
the side it looks like every other uke. If it walks like
a uke, and talks like a uke... it must be a uke.
Royal Hawaiian/Hollywood style concert
ukulele |
