Kit Ukuleles

Kit Ukuleles
As an alternative to getting a new Ukulele you can buy a box of parts, or a kit if you prefer, from which a Ukulele can be made. The complexity of the kit can go from something like the Little Lyon where you get a white Ukulele and a box of paints to decorate it, through a neck and a body you stick together, to a kit where all of the wood shaping has been done but you do all of the gluing and screwing, (any further than this and you have become a luthier!).

The kits themselves can vary in quality of parts for budget to good solid woods with kit prices to match, (of course how good the end result is depends on the person assembling it), it is quite possible to spend more on a kit than a reasonable quality factory made complete Ukulele.

There are some big manufacturers like Sinomusic or Hosco who include a kit as part of their catalogue and well as fully made instruments.

There as some firms, like Musicmakers who give the option of purchasing a kit Ukulele or a complete Ukulele that they have made from the kit.

There are some firms like StewMac or Grizzly who only sell luthiery supplies but have, (or have had), instrument kits, including Ukulele kits, as part of their catalogue.

Then there are some firms like Wolfelele that only make and market kit Ukuleles.

One thing to watch out for with kits is, some people to buy kits, assemble them and then sell on the end result. Now some luthiers make no bones about the fact they started out with kits and learned a lot of useful techniques assembling them and the ones they made are sold as kit made and at kit made prices, but some "luthiers(?)" buy them, assemble them and sell them on as proper hand made work; with a price tag to match!

What this means if you are looking to obtain a Ukulele you know is made from a kit, is there are question marks about how well it has been put together. It can be very well made, better even than some factory or luthier made ones, but it can be poor and prone to fall apart, and without seeing the actual Ukulele you will have no way of knowing the quality, (though if they do fall apart it is usually a straightforward job to put them back together).

Scale wise you can get all sizes though, particularly with the cheaper examples, Soprano is the most common, and you can get Pineapple, Cigar Box and a range of other less traditional shapes. I have seen Banjolele kits but they are not common and I've not seen any Lili'u or Taropatch kits.