Hi Curt,

Great question. I actually have a very nice tenor uke that I purchased in Honolulu when I lived there for a while. As you may know, nearly all ukulele’s are made from koa backs, sides and tops. There are a special few that use spruce for a top and they sound nice too. As for the bracing for tops, there is about as much experimentation for the ukulele as there is for the guitar – and about as many opinions for that manner. The most basic pattern is to use 2 main braces – at the upper bout and one at the waist and they are parallel to each other and pretty much straight across. Then the tone braces are a modification of a classical guitar fan brace. There are usually 3 to 5 or anything else depending on the maker.

I think it would be real interesting to make a ukulele based on the acoustic guitar X-bracing or even on the Torres or ramirez classical fan braces. I bet you would wind up with a dynamite sounding instrument.

Arching a back can benefit any instrument – the ukulele included. If not for sound, it can counteract the adverse effects of exposure to dry air. Only a slight arch is necessary. For a ukulele, I wouldn’t arch more than 2mm across the lower bout.

Thanks for the great question.
David

PS I am actually planning on providing ukulele plans on this site in the future. Not sure of schedule, but I will offer at least 2 different bracing styles. So check back.