Nov. Dec. 2023 Production Updates
Here is the latest information on what is happening and where things are at with the production of the new 'Season 3' DUKE10 Banjo Ukulele and hard case.
- The drums are currently been cut out of cylinders of 5-ply birch, which you can see in this video from the drum manufacturer.
- Here are the finished cut drums ready for the next step of sanding and lacquering.
- The drum heads have been made and screen-printed with the DUKE10 crown logo, and have just arrived at our banjolele factory in Shaanxi, in the north of China.
- Here is a photo of the inside of the drum showing the strings tied-off, the back end of the input socket for the pickup, and the way everything fits together.
- The input socket and wiring, as well as the new twin passive transducers have been completely re-worked and re-wired as shown here.
- The machine heads (tuners) are manufactured in Taiwan, and are almost ready to be shipped to our banjolele factory
- The necks have been made (using a 5-axis CNC router) and are shown here with the headstocks being drilled and shaped.
- The triangle cut through the side of the drum for the wooden spine to slot through is currently being worked on to refine the fit precisely. The new version of the DUKE10 has a slightly deeper drum, so the cut has to be modified from the way it was done on the last version. This part of the process is expected to be completed in the next few days.
- The fingerboards have been made and are ready for attaching to the neck.
- The maple veneer for the headstock cap has been chosen and for 'Season 3' is increasing from a mere sliver to a decent 1mm in thickness to give it more substance.
- Here is the maple headstock cap after being cut, and this image is showing a pyrolytic (laser cut) crown logo for testing purposes.
- There has been a slight change to the machine heads (tuners) due to a change in knob shape by the manufacturers. This is a picture showing the old knob on the right and the new knob on the left, with a horizontal ridge running across it.
- The awesome new hard cases are due to be completed at our specialist case factory by the end of November, which will include applying the B&W enamel nameplates with the Duke logo on them, and will then be shipped to our banjolele factory. Here are two images of the original samples.
- Here is the glossy enamel logo badge ready to be attached to each case.
- Here is a short video showing the outline of the mold for the new hard case.
- Here is a shot showing the raw headstocks and neck being created.
- We have just approved the logo printing on the leather ends of the new black straps, so bulk manufacturing of the straps will start very shortly.
- Awaiting sample of the small black strap ties/holders to wrap around the headstock and a tension rod of the DUKE10 in order to attach the main strap. Once samples are approved, these will be bulk made and shipped off, ready to pop into the cases.
Any questions, please contact us.