Ukulele repair: top separating from sides

Here is my 1950's Favilla soprano ukulele.  As you can see, the top has started to separate from the sides.  In my last post, I showed you how to make your own spool clamps for this kind of repair.  If you missed that, check it out here.

Now that our spool clamps are ready to go, we can put 'em to the test and get down to fixing this little guy up.

Ukulele repair tools: diy spool clamps

The day that I walked into a local antique store/flea market and spotted a beautiful Favilla soprano ukulele is one that I will always be grateful for.  At the time, I didn't know anything about the Favilla company.  I looked at the price tag ($95) and went home and immediately jumped on the Ukulele Underground forum.  If you are ever wondering about any type of vintage uke, chances are that one of the nice folks on that forum will be able to provide information.  Of course, a few people pointed me towards some info about Favilla's and encouraged me to go grab it.  As it turns out, these little guys are worth at least twice that amount and are rising in price as more people realize how awesome they are.  As one UU member put it, "Go get it!  Run, don't walk".  I immediately hopped back in the car and raced to pick it up.  It was worth every penny.  This little guy has some battle scars (general wear and tear), but he still plays like a champion.  It's become my "go to" ukulele.

Well, one day horror struck!  I picked up my Favilla (aka - Flava Fav...yep, I give my ukes ridiculous names) and noticed that the top had begun separating from the sides!

Is your ukulele solid wood or laminate?

With most new ukuleles, the manufacturer will be pretty clear about whether the ukulele is made from solid wood or laminate...but sometimes they like to stretch the truth a bit.  And what about those vintage ukes that there is little info about on the web?  How do you tell if your ukulele is solid wood or laminate?

Barry Maz of www.gotaukulele.com suggests a couple of ways to check in this article.

Two of the solid wood "tests" involve looking at the grain on the inside of the sound hole and looking inside your ukulele with a flashlight to see if the inside grain matches up with the pattern of the outside grain.

Some generally good advice and it helped me determine that one of my vintage ukes is solid wood.  

Ukulele Acoustics - a guide to tonewoods

Every ukulele has a slightly different sound.  This principle even applies to two ukuleles built with the same materials and to the same specifications.  In this case, the differences may be very subtle, but nonetheless, there are differences.
Side note: this is the reason that I hate it when someone says, "I don't like this particular brand or that particular company".  I've heard Gibson and Martin ukes (two very respected companies) that I LOVED...and have also heard ukes from both of them that disappointed me.

While there are a lot of things that can affect the acoustics of your ukulele, the tonewood is central to how it