I never seem to get quite over the hump with musical instruments. I am struggling to play one guitar, while restoring (and considerably improving) another. My instinct for(an delight in) materials tends to overwhelm my enthusiasm for practice. I'll have a beautiful guitar soon that I won't be able to play very well. The next instrument reinvention I'm considering is reworking a saz baglama with a set of even-tempered permanent frets (or maybe some sort of just tuning) and four strings. Not sure this will survive the dream stage.
I have no technical abilities when it comes to "restoring" anything, yet alone a guitar. My hats off to ya. You should post pics of the restoration process and final outcome. I'd be interested to see that.
Thanks, I can't imagine a life in which I didn't play. The last gig I had was the most important one of my musical career. I played for my almost 3 year olds pre-school classroom. It was a blast! Good luck with that uke, that is quite the gift.