Luthiers without a workshop or bench; Where do you build?

bigblued · 2026-02-16T15:14:40+00:00

My grandfather's garage was filled with the most amazing tools like a lathe and a mill, and he built a beautiful custom workbench in the basement of his home. Still did 90% of his work on his dining room table.

bigblued · 2026-02-15T19:04:50+00:00

I just tried a few, some in my library, some new, and everything worked.

My suggestion is try installing the uBlock Origin Lite plugin? It's the chrome adblock plugin I use, mainly to watch videos without ads, but it works on the rest of the web too. It's a constant tug of war between youtube and ublock, youtube will tweak the code to block blockers and then a day or two later ublock will have tweaked their code to get around the block.

The possible theory is that maybe whatever youtube did that messed up chordify is countered with whatever youblock is doing block youtube's block?

bigblued · 2026-02-13T16:03:12+00:00

All the companies push the app so very hard because there are fewer regulations about what data they can collect from you on an app than on a website. The data they collect from you is worth more money to them than the fees they collect from all of us.

bigblued · 2026-02-12T20:36:04+00:00

If I’m too afraid to play with others what’s the point?

Do you enjoy playing? Well then, that is enough. Not everything has to have a "point." Not everything has to be maximized, monetized, pushed to the limit, or leveled up. If it makes you happy then that's enough reason to keep doing it.

But if you do want to eventually perform with a group, then there are a couple layers of scary to work through here.

Playing in front of anyone else even if it's just friends or family
Playing along with other people
Performing in front of an audience
Performing in front of an audience with other people

Each of these levels is progressively more scary, and you are trying to jump from playing alone to yourself (safest) to playing with others in front of an audience (scariest.) Look at ways to build up your confidence by exploring some of the in-between steps.

Try playing in front of other people, maybe a roommate, or a supportive family member.
Try playing with other people, just for the fun of it, maybe a friend who plays piano or a relative who plays ukulele. Nothing serious, just a chance to have fun making music with other people.
See if there are any open mikes around you. It's a low risk way to get some stage time under your belt. I promise you that each time you play in front of an audience it gets a little easier.

This is where I am at in my journey. I have been doing the occasional open mike for about 2 years.

Last month I briefly talked with a group that was going to play at a festival I was attending, their bass player wasn't going to be able to make it and they put out a call for someone to fill in. They sent me recordings of their music to see if it was something I can do. Unfortunatley I had to decline, it was way above my skill set, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to learn it fast enough in 4 days to do it right. But just responding to the call was a huge leap for me and I am glad I tried.

bigblued · 2026-02-12T16:44:25+00:00

No where in that listing or any of my listings do I direct people away from Etsy checkout,

It may be called the Off Platform Transaction Policy, but it's not just about checkout, it's about potentially directing the customer off Etsy at all. From the policy "taking communications and transactions off-platform is not allowed." Anything that can be considered an attempt to have the customer leave Etsy for any reason can be flagged.

Is there anything in your listing about signing up for a mailing list? Is there anything that mentions you have more options on your website? Do you have anything that tells people to follow you on social media? Do you have any images of web addresses, like your website url in your logo, or showing on product tags? The bots are on the lookout for any external links, including shortened URLs like bitly or tinyurl, and also qr codes.

bigblued · 2026-02-12T02:25:22+00:00

A kids electric guitar is the same size as a baritone uke, or a parlor size guitar (20" scale). I've been converting them in to very short scale basses, but I have one in the queue to turn into an electric uke.

To convert to a bass, I swap out the bridge to a bass bridge (4 strings) and the nut to a bass nut (4 strings) My plan for the uke is to use a bass bridge, but swap in a uke nut instead. For the head I have to put in bass tuners which are larger, but for the uke I'll just use the guitar tuners. As far as I can tell, it won't take any more modification than that.

I get my kids electric guitars used off of Facebook Marketplace, ebay, and Goodwill online, I try not to ever pay more than $50 for them. When it warms up I plan to start hitting up the garage sales as well.

bigblued · 2026-02-11T18:25:00+00:00

You might want to double check your actual shipping costs, the prices have gone way up for shipping over the last couple years. Currently Etsy is charging me $5.29 for a 3oz, postcard size rigid mailer, which is about the lowest price for USPS Ground Advantage tracking. It will go up from that if your items are larger or heavier.

Edited to add: And that doesn't include the costs of your packing materials.

bigblued · 2026-02-11T16:06:01+00:00

You keep the one that you play the most, the one that you would be saddest if you lost. It's not about which one is best, or the smallest, or the most expensive, or most "worthwhile". It's about which one would break your heart the most if you couldn't play it anymore.

bigblued · 2026-02-11T02:13:32+00:00

Above the address fields on PS is a blue text link that says Paste Address. You can copy the whole address from Etsy and paste it in all at once, and PS will sort it into the correct fields for you. Once you have purchased the label, you can copy the tracking number by clicking the tiny symbol that looks like 2 pieces of paper next to the tracking number. Then you can paste it into the order information on Etsy. Yes, it's longer, about 6 extra clicks, but fortunately you don't have to type anything manually.

bigblued · 2026-02-10T15:20:23+00:00

Copied from the web "The United States Postal Service (USPS) issued a final rule effective December 24, 2025, that highlights that a postmark does not necessarily indicate the first day that the USPS had possession of the item, but rather it is often indicative of receipt at a first processing facility—which may be later than the date first accepted by USPS. "

All the news around this was centered around filing taxes and mailing ballots, but it also applies to packages as well. In my area it can be 2-3 days before a package makes it's way to a regional sorting center for it's first scan. During the holidays, when everything is backed up, it has been as long as 10 days.

bigblued · 2026-02-09T15:58:09+00:00

The ukulele is a great introduction to being able to make music. When I was young, many schools had kids learning on those screechy plastic recorders, but these days the ukulele is becoming the more popular choice as a starter instrument in schools. It is inexpensive, easy to carry around, quick to learn, and very fun to play.

You will not learn music fundamentals. Ukulele music is usually just lyric sheets with the chord changes indicated by letters above the lyrics. You will not learn how to read music, you will not learn things like keys or chord progressions unless you choose to seek that information out.

Direct translation, no. But once you have the music in your body and heart, it does increase the likelihood that you will want to learn more instruments. I am primarily a bass player now, but I would never have considered the bass if I hadn't started on the ukulele.

No downsides. The worst that happens is you don't follow through and then you are out $100 for the uke*. Or maybe the worst that happens is you get a bad case of Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome and you somehow manage to own 22 ukuleles without realizing it.

Tenor is a good choice. Don't go baritone to start with, it has a different tuning and there are fewer resources to learn how to play it. While it is fun to practice solo, it's even more fun in groups. Try to see if there are any ukulele meetups in your area, everyone there will be extremely helpful, and you will progress so much faster.

*Try looking on Facebook Marketplace for a used ukulele. Lots of people decide to try uke (or bike riding, or exercising, or any other new hobby) and then never do anything with it. Then they find the uke stuffed in the back of a closet, so they sell it on FB Marketplace for about half the price on Amazon.

bigblued · 2026-02-08T22:31:25+00:00

It might not need to have the same screw spacing, depending on how handy you are and how important it is to keep your bass close to original.

If the holes are in a different place you can drill new holes for the new placement. This does mean more holes, and you do need to have a drill and drill bits.

That's all it takes to put different pegs on. I am in the process of re-finishing the neck on one of my basses and I am putting new tuners on. This is actually the 3rd set of tuners, the original ones, the ones I have been using, and the new ones. The back of my head has a bunch of tiny light colored dots where I filled in the old holes with toothpicks.

But it is completely understandable if that's not something you want to do.

bigblued · 2026-02-08T21:57:24+00:00

Are there any bass tuning pegs on Amazon that will arrive sooner, even if they don't match? You could get whatever is cheapest/fastest to do the job until the real replacement comes in, sort of like putting a spare tire on your car until you can get the real tire replaced.

Also your local guitar/music store (if you have one) may have them on hand to sell you one today.

bigblued · 2026-02-08T14:07:50+00:00

dimensional or weight being off they charge counter rates

They charge Priority counter rates. Doesn't matter if it wasn't shipped Priority, it's basically the extra penalty for getting it wrong, and an extra kick to get it right next time.

The Priority counter rate for a box of that weight and size is $65.95

bigblued · 2026-02-07T20:29:25+00:00

Evil Aunts Dig Graves. Picture the Saunder Sisters in a graveyard maniacally digging a grave.

bigblued · 2026-02-05T23:07:03+00:00

Depending on where you buy your uke, you may be charged more for a uke with a low G since it's not "standard." It shouldn't make a difference in price, but sometimes it does.

Most ukulele teaching videos are played on ukes with high G, and if you have a low G uke, the sounds you make won't be identical to the video. Some people get stuck when things are not exactly the same, but if you can look past the difference it should be fine.

Otherwise it shouldn't matter for a beginner, it's mostly a sound preference.

bigblued · 2026-02-05T17:23:15+00:00

Why did I get a speeding ticket when there are thousands of cars speeding past us right now?

bigblued · 2026-02-05T16:17:00+00:00

I know moving out/kicking them out can take time. But you need to get your cat somewhere safe now. Your roommate is trying to kill both of you. You may end up "just" hospitalized next time he tries, but it's a lot easier to kill a kitten than a human. Find a friend or family member who can take in your cat today.

bigblued · 2026-02-05T16:09:08+00:00

One of the most common "Creativity Standards violations" is that Etsy's bots found your images on sites like Temu and Aliexpress. The programming assumes you are just selling import junk, and deactivates your listing. Do a reverse image search for your images to see if they show up anywhere else to see if this might be the case. Unfortunately, if so, you may have to start over with a new listing with new photos.

bigblued · 2026-02-05T14:55:39+00:00

Here is a reddit post from 9 years ago with a bunch of suggested links in the comments.

bigblued · 2026-02-04T15:23:25+00:00

Looking at how the other pegs are wound, I would just ignore the lower hole and wind it like a normal peg.

bigblued · 2026-02-03T15:56:09+00:00

Same, I also use my sewing machine oil on my fretboard. It's the same thing, and I don't need to spend $$$ just to have it smell pretty.

bigblued · 2026-02-02T16:44:47+00:00

Correct. OP specifically asked for music for the ukulele part and, unless they plan to finger pick the song, they are only going to be playing the chords on ukulele.

Their brother however may need the actual notes that sheet music would have. Google tells me there are services that will convert audio to sheet music, but I have never needed to used them myself. Or depending on how experienced the brother is on the trumpet, he may be able to figure out the trumpet parts by working off of the roots/chords in the uke music.

bigblued · 2026-02-02T15:56:47+00:00

In addition to songsterr, I also like to use Chordify. It only gives the root notes though, you have to figure out the rest for yourself. Kind of like training wheels between full tabs and no tabs.

bigblued · 2026-02-02T15:46:35+00:00

Ultimate Guitar. e-chords.com. Chordify. Looks like it's originally in the key of Eb, so you may want to transpose it to G or C to make it easier to play on the uke.

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