First Build: A Lumberyard Ukulele

by Steve Dickerson

Originally published in American Lutherie #143, 2021



When you’re building your first instrument, there aren’t many options. You can buy a kit, join a class (if you can find one), or build from scratch. Kit building can be enjoyable, as well as educational, but (to me, at least) it doesn’t produce the same satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that comes from starting with nothing but the raw materials.

My first instrument, many years ago, was scratch-built, but with a twist: I bought a tenor ukulele kit from StewMac, complete with plans and a how-to DVD. I watched the DVD, studied the plans and manual, but set the kit aside. I then bought materials from Home Depot and made a uke, using the kit’s plans and instructions. I still have my “Lumberyard Ukulele” (Photo 1), and it’s a good reminder of some of the things I did wrong.