The Gretch Roots collection was begun in 2012 as Gretch's return to the ukulele market.

This Gretch G9100 soprano was sold as is. A large hole where the bridge had been and a damaged top. There was a depression in the back. Also the Gretch logo had been removed from the headstock.
This defacing was easier to cure than I thought. Wetting the area darkened it sufficiently that it merged with the untouched part.

Rather than attempting the replace the bridge I decided to try for a tin lid resonator ukulele. A quart paint tin lid and a banjolele tailpiece provided the extra hardware.

The finished instrument looks OK and does sound “tinny” and not very loud. I think the tin lid is a bit too thick for the strings to drive it properly but I cannot find a suitably sized  aluminum cone. Apparently, I need to stretch the edges of the lid to add some tension to the steel. This means hammering a ring around the edge using a ball pein hammer

This use of a tin lid was a parital success. The output was not great. I have now found a providor who spins a proper cone from...tin lids!

I have fitted one and the output is much louder.

All told, a successful rescue of a doomed ukulele.
WORKSHOP PROJECT
GRETSCH SOPRANO RESONATOR
SPRINGFIELD UKULELE
Incorporating The Ukuleleist, Springfield Uketopians and the Lei-Abouts
SPRINGFIELD UKULELE
Incorporating The Ukuleleist and Springfield Uketopians
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SPRINGFIELD UKULELE
Incorporating The Ukuleleist and Springfield Uketopians