This is a method of making chordophones, (not usually Ukuleles though there are some), with a soundboard that is rounded from side to side, (and usually from front to back as well). This rounding makes the arch which makes for a structurally stronger top that needs a lot less bracing and is suppose to make a purer sound. There are two ways of making the Arch, carving a thicker piece of wood out to produce the curve, (expensive), and pressing a, usually laminate, piece of wood to produce the curve, (cheaper and quicker). Whichever way the curve is made Archtop instruments usually have a tailpiece and a floating bridge
This is a term used by Ukulele, (and other), retailers to describe new items of stock the are being sold at a reduced price.
There are two reasons why retailers will describe something as '''B Stock'''.
One is if the new items have arrived from the supplier/factory with some kind of noticeable blemish. Usually the blemish will be something cosmetic like a chip or a scratch, even something that has gone wrong with the finish, but whatever it is it is not something that affects the performance of the item in any way.
The other, and this is especially the case with online retailers, is if an item is purchased but then returned within a very short period because of reasons other than it is not working properly. The item will have been opened, and possibly even used a little, before being returned but will still to all intents and purposes, be new.
Chordophones are instruments with strings. The strings may be struck with sticks, plucked with the bare fingers or a plectrum, bowed or (in the Aeolian harp, for instance sounded by wind). The confusing plenitude of stringed instruments can be reduced to four fundamental type: zithers, lutes, lyres, and harps. In this case the Ukulele counts as a kind of lute.
In most string instruments, the vibrations are transmitted to the body of the instrument, which often incorporates some sort of hollow or enclosed area. The body of the instrument also vibrates, along with the air inside it. The vibration of the body of the instrument and the enclosed hollow or chamber make the vibration of the string more audible to the performer and audience. The body of most string instruments is hollow. Some, however that rely on electronic amplification may have a solid body.
A luthier (/ˈluːtiər/ LOO-ti-ər) is a craftsperson who builds and repairs stringed musical instruments, (chordophones). The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute.
Luthiery or Lutherie, (alternate spellings for the same word), is the term for the work the Luthier does.
A term often used to describe early, (before 1930), Ukuleles made in the Continental US rather than in the Hawaiian Islands, especially when they were made to try and counterfeit their place of origin.
Not to be confused with the modern US Brand, Mainland
Throughout the history of the '''Ukulele''' there have been manufacturers who made '''Ukuleles''', (or other musical instruments), for distributors, music shops or other people to brand. Usually the actual maker does not leave any makers mark on the instrument so it can be a matter of guesswork as to who is the original manufacturer, so they are often referred to as the '''OEM''', an abbreviation for '''Original Equipment Manufacturer'''.
This practice is still as prevalent today as it has always been