Family Photo 2011
January 1, 2011 at 5:48 pm | Posted in Family Photos, General | 2 CommentsTags: banjo, banjolele, BugsGear, cheap, cigar, cigar box, DIY, Electric, Eleuke, home made, Laminate, laser, Oscar Schmidt, OU-2, posts, uke, ukulele
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! And what a year!
Just like last year I am posting all the ukes that are at my house currently. Some are my personal ukes, while others are reviews pending or have not been sent back or given away…..yet.
Click to make it bigger
* The blue one is my customized Oscar Schmidt OU-2
* David Gill Concert Pineapple (Link to review)
* Lanikai CK-S
Eleuke EAS-C – I actually have 2 of these, funny story that I will tell later
Kiwaya KS-1
BigIsland KT-SP (Link to review)
*Papa’s Boxes Concert cigar box (Link to reviews)
*Nameless soprano banjo ukulele (Link to articles)
*Bushman Jenny Concert cutaway – Will be leaving next month, she is sold
Paulele KBUS – Review almost done
Kala KA-SSTU (Travel soprano)
* Makala Dolphin that I got for the Reddit secret santa
* Early Papa’s Boxes cigar box uke (Link)
* Grizzly Kit- will throw in fire at UWC
* Risa soprano Solid – Sitting in front of the lat 3
Cordoba 25CB – Review very soon
Ohana SK-21 – better known as the sopranino
Cordoba 10CM (Link to review)
aNueNue Papa II concert (Link to review)
__________________________________________________
Luna Honu & Tattoo Full Reviews
November 15, 2010 at 4:08 am | Posted in General, Luna, Soprano | 9 CommentsTags: cheap, Full review, Laminate, Luna, posts, review, uke, ukulele
Luna Honu Soprano
On this review you are getting such a great deal!! 2 for the price of 1!!! that is like 100% more review for the same price, what a deal right?
You ask how this could be done? Well I will be reviewing the Luna Honu and the Luna Tattoo ukuleles…..wait for it……….AT THE SAME TIME!!! WOOOHOOOO. can you stand it?!!!
All kidding aside, I will be doing the review of both in this one review. When it comes down to it they are pretty much the same, but in their own way they are different. So for the scores I will be Putting an H in front of the Honu and a T in front of the Tattoo, and at the end you will find them separated into 2 separate boxes. Clear as mud? Good.
Part of my charter for this site is to try and find good ukuleles under $300, and I try to focus on the really inexpensive ones when possible. A lot of the time the companies will not send the lower end ukes. I understand that they want to put their best foot forward, but I have found that if a company can’t make a “good” soprano then it is unlikely they will have a very good line up from there. The Honu and Tattoo ukes from Luna are on the lower price spectrum coming in under $70, but the question is; What do you get for your $70?
Honestly I would love to find a sub-$100 uke that sounded like a $500 uke, but really in the end you get what you pay for, sometimes.
Keep reading (or scroll to the bottom) to find out.
Luna Tattoo Pineapple Soprano
Specs:
Soprano : 12 Fret
Tuners: Open Geared
Plastic nut & saddle
Top: Laminated Mahogany (laser etched)
Sides: Laminated Mahogany
Back: Laminated Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany with a Rosewood fretboard
Finish: Satin
Case: gig bag
Full Specs:
http://www.lunaguitars.com/acousticproduct/honuuke.php
http://www.lunaguitars.com/acousticproduct/tattoouke.php
Looks
First look: (H:5 T:5) Let’s face it, most ukes look the same. These will catch most people’s eye. Luna is known for making nice looking instruments that are aimed at the female market. Part of that is going beyond the normal look and doing more inlays and laser etching. Both of these have some really nice Polynesian designs that have been laser etched on. I really think they are cool and fun. I do have a small concern. I know that people with tattoos like these get a little perturbed when they see a gangly white guy with tattoos like these. So it begs the question; would anyone get mad about these? I would think not, but you never know. As far as what I can find, these seem pretty standard designs that are not considered sacred.
Laser Etching Detail
Glue on Fret Board
Fit and Finish: (H:4 T:3) Keep in mind these are $70 ukes, I would not expect techniques that are used on much more expensive ukes like slit kerfing, but I do expect them to be built nice and finished well. My issue on both is that I see glue on the fretboard and sanding marks by the frets. Also all the edges on the body are very sharp and there are nicks and dents all over. The Tattoo has an added issue, they etched the full design in and it goes under the bridge. It may not be a big thing but I feel that it could be a problem in the future since the bridge is not completely glued down. To end this section on a positive note, it has inlayed triangles for the fret marks which is a nice touch.
Kerfing
Sound:
Sound Type: The Honu is Bright, The Tattoo is more mellow
Head and Nut
Intonation: (H:4 T:3) I know they are inexpensive ukes and that usually equals poor intonation, but it does not have to. I have an Oscar Schmidt OU-2 that came with perfect intonation. Even my Rogue was pretty good and it was $20. Both Luna have the same issue, it is just that one is worse than the other. The nut is way too high. I know this is done so there will not be any buzzing issues when they make it here. The high nut makes it so that when you play anything on the first fret it will be sharp if you try to go all the way down to the fretboard, and let’s face it most people who would buy one of these would be first time players who will do that exact thing and be very frustrated that it sounds wrong. One thing I would say is that if a small music shop owner gets these they could really make them shout with a little working of the nuts. (Actually they should shave the nuts) – For some of my friends who just read that last part, yes work and shave the nuts.
Volume: (H:5 T:4) For laminate these are really nice and loud once you give them time to settle. I have had them for about 6 weeks and they did open up a lot in the last week. I would have to say the Honu is louder than the Tattoo.
Sustain: (H:4 T:4) Not long, but ok.
Fret Board with Triangle Inlay
Feel:
String Height: (Medium) What you would expect. playing the first fret is a little high, but overall it is pretty standard.
Neck Radius Depth: (1/2″) Standard neck, feels like a normal C Neck.
Frets: (H:4 T:4) They did an ok job. You can still feel the frets on the side, but your fingers will not get caught on them. I would round off the nut a little on the edge to make it less sharp.
Tuning: (H:5 T:3) Notice the different scores? The Honu was perfect. it stayed in tune, easy to get to the notes without going over. The Tattoo on the other hand was weird. Never wanted to stay in tune and the C string would always go over and refuse to go back down. With a little love it could be fixed (New strings, some filing of the string slot at the nut) These kind of things can be attributed to the tech who set it up or just bad strings, but as of this review it was not the same from one uke to the other.
Comfort: (H:4 T:4) I only ding them on one of my biggest pet peeves, not rounding off the edges on the body. I get a nice line in my arm when I play from holding it against my body. It is light and balanced, even with the geared tuners.
Sound Hole Smell: Like Elmer’s glue
Whole Package (Box, Gig Bag, song book, Pitch Pipe)
Final Thoughts
For $70 these are great ukuleles. The bottom line is that they are mass produced in China to compete with the likes of the OU-2 and the hundreds of other sub-$100 ukes on the market right now. I think they did a really good job, I would just play them before buying one, since they can vary so much. I had to play a bunch when I bought other inexpensive ukes to find the “best” one. You could also buy them from shops that you trust. All I can say is that if you buy one online be prepared to spend another $20 to have it setup, you could get lucky and get one that is good..
In the end I give them my seal of approval for people who want a really inexpensive ukulele (I did not use the word cheap) to tool around with, once you adjust it, or a first uke if you are not sure, this is a great uke.
Stay tuned for a special Giveaway of these ukes!
All Rating on a scale of 1-5
Click here for an explanation of reviews
Luna Honu Soprano Luna Tattoo Pineapple
| First Look | 5 | First Look | 5 |
| Fit and Finish | 4 | Fit and Finish | 3 |
| Sound Type | Bright | Sound Type | mellow |
| Intonation | 4 | Intonation | 3 |
| Volume | 5 | Volume | 4 |
| Sustain | 4 | Sustain | 4 |
| String Height | Medium | String Height | Medium |
| Neck Radius Depth | 1/2″ | Neck Radius Depth | 1/2″ |
| Frets | 4 | Frets | 4 |
| Tuning | 5 | Tuning | 3 |
| Comfort | 4 | Comfort | 4 |
| Sound Hole Smell | Elmer’ glue | Sound Hole Smell | Elmer’ glue |
Honu Soprano
Tattoo Pineapple
Places to Buy
Luna is distributed by Dean guitars. If you know a shop that sells Dean then you can get Luna there also
-
- Laser Etching Detail
-
- Fret Board with Triangle Inlay
-
- Glue on Fret Board
-
- Head and Nut
-
- Luna Honu Soprano
-
- Kerfing
-
- Whole Package (Box, Gig Bag, song book, Pitch Pipe)
-
- Luna Tattoo Pineapple Soprano
_______________________________________________________
Gold Tone GU-100 Full Review
October 21, 2010 at 1:02 am | Posted in Brands, Gold Tone, Soprano | 3 CommentsTags: cheap, Full review, Gold Tone, posts, review, Solid, uke, ukulele
This is short because I was just like “Meh” about this uke. I just could not get excited about it. Gold Tone is known for making the premiere banjo uke, This is not their strongest product, It was the only one under $300 they make. I know that I am not going to be invited to do another review for them anytime soon either after this. But this is what I thought. I struggle with reviews like this, but if a company is willing to send something then I should be honest.
Specs:
Soprano : 12 Fret
Tuners: Open Geared
Wood nut & compensated saddle
Top: Solid Mahogany
Sides: Laminated Mahogany
Back: Laminated Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany with a Mahogany fretboard
Finish: Matte
Case: Hard case
Full Specs:
http://www.goldtone.com/products/details/w/instrument/85/GU-100-UKE
Looks
First look: (3) Not a looker by any means. Looks like a cheaper ukulele. Just a flat finish. that really does not show any grain pattern at all. I would pass it by if I saw it in a store. The top is really thick and is noticeable at first glance.
Fit and Finish: (3) Well made with no real issues that affect playing. They did sand down the fret board a little when they dressed the frets. beside that no glue marks. Over all it is well made and sturdy, I know it would last a really long time, it just looks cheap. Seems like a quick factory built uke that is set up in the states.
Sound:
Sound Type: Quiet and mellow. With a really thick top it hinders the sound output.
Intonation: (5) This is where I think it really shines. Someone took the time to make a bridge and saddle that made each string perfect all the way up and down the fretboard. The saddle was set for each string.
Volume: (3) It came with some GHS strings on it and I replaced them with Aquilas and it was still pretty quiet. Although it has a solid top, it is really thick.
Sustain: (4) Not long, but ok. Nothing to write home about
Feel:
String Height: (Medium) Not super low, but felt ok to play.
Neck Radius Depth: (7/8″) A little bigger radius depth for a C shaped neck.
Frets: (5) Low and rounded. Near the nut they sanded down the fret board a little. just a sign of an inexperienced tech, or someone did not care. Could not feel them from the side which is good.
Tuning: (5) With the geared tuners it makes it very easy to tune. It stayed in tune pretty well after it was humidified properly and the strings settled.
Comfort: (4) A little heavy but the corners are nice and rounded. No sharp edges.
Sound Hole Smell: Like Elmer’s glue. nothing inspiring
Final Thoughts
When I saw the uke at NAMM I thought it would be a good instrument, hell it is made by Gold Tone. But I guess they just don’t have this one dialed in or it is there to round out the catalog.
All Rating on a scale of 1-5
Click here for an explanation of reviews
| First Look | 3 |
| Fit and Finish | 3 |
| Sound Type | Quiet and mellow |
| Intonation | 5 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Sustain | 4 |
| String Height | Medium |
| Neck Radius Depth | 7/8″ |
| Frets | 5 |
| Tuning | 5 |
| Comfort | 4 |
| Sound Hole Smell | Elmer’ glue |
HD Sound Sample
Places to buy on the web:
Amazon $179 – It says concert, but it is the only one I found. The GU-100 is a soprano.
_______________________________________________________
Fleamarket Ukulele rebuild
October 3, 2010 at 4:01 am | Posted in General, Projects | 3 CommentsTags: Care, cheap, DIY, home made, learning, Play, posts, sale, seconds, uke, ukulele
Some would say there is a special place in hell for what I did to this uke. The first rule when finding a vintage ukulele is to never, I mean never ever strip the original finish off. So I did it anyways. In my defense the name on the head was gone, head was torn, and the tuning pegs were shot. Not to mention that there was no bridge or tailpiece.
Go HERE to see pics of it before I “restored” it.
So here is the list of what I did:
- Pulled it a part
- sanded it down
- stained it reddish purple
- Sanded and repainted the ring that hold the head
- Put a new head on (Here is the post on how)
- changed the tuners for some smaller ones (Had to do a washer to cover the hole from the banjo tuners)
- Made a new bridge from maple
- Stole the tail piece from a mandolin I purchased several years ago
- Strings and all is done
- Made a case from cardboard duct tape (A post after the head replacement post)
I learned a few things while doing this and made a few mistakes along the way. I wish I would have not sanded the fretboard as much as I did, I scalloped it a little. The good thing is that it makes it faster, I just have to remember not to go all the way down to the fretboard sometimes. I did find a really cool micro file set to make the notches for the strings on the bridge. As a whole Aaron Keim played it and said I did a really good job when I brought it to the Milwaukee Ukulele fest.
I could not have done this with out Aaron, he was the only person who replied to me when I asked them how to replace the head. His instructions gave me the right basic steps on how to replace a head like that.
Please stay tuned for the next 2 posts about the head replacement and my cardboard case.
Sound Sample
Fleamarket Banjo Ukulele
August 15, 2010 at 6:30 pm | Posted in Banjo, Projects | 2 CommentsTags: banjo, banjolele, cheap, DIY, Fix, posts, uke, ukulele
My wife and I try to go to the Third Sunday Market a few times during the summer here in Bloomington IL. When I am there I am always on the look-out for ukuleles. Last year I found a 1920′s Richter with the big 10 flags on it. Plays great and I got it for $40, put very little into it to get it to play. This year I found one that was not in as good a shape but it was $30. What I know about it is that it is a banjo ukulele, looks like maple body, but I have no clue who made it. I am hoping in time that I will and that it will be resurrected and playable. I will update this as I know anything and as I “restore” it.
Take a look at the gallery and please comment on what you know about it.
-
- Head is off, but some remains
Oscar Schmidt OU-26 Full Review
July 22, 2010 at 9:19 pm | Posted in Concert, Oscar Schmidt | 6 CommentsTags: cheap, Full review, Oscar Schmidt, OU-2, OU-26, posts, review, uke, ukulele
As some know, my first uke was an Oscar Schmidt OU-2 and I still play it. On a whole it is an in expensive ukulele and it is very sturdy. I will admit for a little while OS had quality issues but since they moved the production from China to Indonesia it seems to have solved the issues.
The OU-26 is basically an OU-2 with 6 strings. The C and A Strings have an octave string with them (C is up and octave, A is down an octave) Other than that they are identical.
Specs:
Concert
Body: Laminated Mahogany
Saddle : Bone
Nut : Bone
String : Aquila
Peg : Closed Gear chrome
Looks
First look: (4) The newer laminates from OS seem to be more red than before. I would almost say that the color is more of a cedar red. It is obvious that it is not an expensive uke since it has a plain white silk screen logo and it says “Aloha” at the top. I wish they would leave that off, it is really cheesy. One of the things that I think shows that it is at least of some quality is the binding on the fret board and the fret markers are actual inlays. The satin does not do much for it either. I have seen much nicer looking ukuleles. The fact that it has 6 strings will make most uke players pick it up above all other aspects.
Fit and Finish: (4) For the price it is really well made, saying that, it is a tank. The finish is very smooth and there are no glue marks or weird wood patterns that you may find on some other cheaper ukuleles. The laminate they use is very thick and makes it a bit heavy but sturdy. I would give this to any kid and not worry about serious damage. With a basic 3 piece neck with a nice smooth finish it is nice to play. The saddle could use a little work, it seemed kind of rough to the touch. One of my big gripes is that the edges are very sharp, not like a knife, but if you play it for an extended period it will leave a crease and become uncomfortable to play. Over all it is straight and all the parts that you would want someone to pay attention too are taken care of such as the nut and saddle are really well done and the frets are nice and dressed. I know that having the instruments setup in the USA helps with the end product.
Sound:
Sound Type: Fuller than any 4 string ukulele. The extra 2 strings make it almost lute sounding and give that base note that helps round out the sound without having to have another instrument like a guitar helping to boost the sound or having to have a low G string.
Intonation: (5) Intonation is perfect. The compensated saddle may have something to do with it. Also OS is constantly improving their ukes. Tom Ferone seems to always be tweaking the different ukuleles in the OS line to make them the best production ukes he can make.
Volume: (4) With the extra strings it is louder, but still not as loud as many of my other ukuleles. I think the thicker top is to blame for volume.
Sustain: (5) I like the way that it sings. The Wrapped A it seemed to die sooner than the others. Not a big deal.
Feel:
String Height: (Medium) Very playable. The neck is nice and straight so the strings are at a really good height
Neck Radius Depth: (3/4″) Average radius depth for a C shaped neck.
Frets: (5) I really like it when the fret board has binding on it. It is a cheat in some ways, but you can’t feel any frets on the side of the neck. All the frets are dressed nicely. Not too low or high.
Tuning: (4) This is one of those instruments that if one string is off you will notice right away. Since there are an extra 2 strings it is harder to tune and only hit the one string you want to tune. I ended up using a pick to hit each string.
Comfort: (4) HEAVY but you almost don’t notice it. Unlike the OU-2 it is very balanced. Usually the geared tuners make the head really heavy but not on this one. I think that since you know it has 6 strings you excuse that it is heavy. What bugs me is how the edges are not rounded at all. It can make it uncomfortable to play for an extended period of time.
Smell: (Elmer’s Glue)
Final Thoughts
I think that anyone who wants to have some fun and have a very different uke then this is a great addition to any ukulele players collection. I would not recommend this as a daily player though. I found that there are many songs that don’t sound right when played with it, like most songs. I really liked it for a list of Beatles songs like Let It Be, but beyond that it takes some trial and error to find the right songs to use it for. The other thing that I found is that I had to use a felt pick to get the full sound out of it, otherwise I was not hitting the low A and it sounded weird. Other than that I did like it a lot, too bad I had to give it away.
I figured that not very many people would be super excited about an Oscar Schmidt uke as a give-a-way so while I was checking out the Bluestone Folk Schools Uke building class I met Spencer, Joni’s son. Joni was nice enough to let me stay at her house so I would not have to rush home that same day. Her son Spencer is very talented and the night I stayed over we pulled all the ukes I brought to show people, I brought 6 in total, and Spence seemed to gravitate toward the OU-26. So the next morning I got up and took some pics of the ukulele and then handed it over with the promise that he would make a video. The rest is history.
All Rating on a scale of 1-5
Click here for an explanation of reviews
| First Look | 4 |
| Fit and Finish | 4 |
| Sound Type | Fuller than a 4 String |
| Intonation | 5 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Sustain | 5 |
| String Height | Medium |
| Neck Radius Depth | 3/4″ |
| Frets | 5 |
| Tuning | 4 |
| Comfort | 4 |
| Smell | Elmer’s Glue |
Places to buy on the web:
Elderly Music : $75
David S. Gill Ukuleles
July 19, 2010 at 8:05 pm | Posted in Brands, Concert, D.S.Gill | 4 CommentsTags: cheap, Concert, D.S.Gill, Divid Gill, fest, festival, Gill, Pineapple, Play, posts, Solid, Spalted, uke, ukulele
Accounting System
Every so often you find something that seems too good to be true. You may find $20 on the ground or you get something for half off and you feel lucky. When I found D.S.Gill ukes at Weed Patch Music in Nashville, IN I could not believe that there was a guy making ukuleles in his garage out of solid wood for only $350, and they sound awesome.
Please don’t get me wrong, they are not made of super high grade lumber that is purchased from a high end luthier woodshop, but they still look, sound, and play like most any high end ukulele that you will find. At $350 I am hard pressed to find anything in the $1200 range that has the quality and sound that his ukes have. I will get into more about the wood, but first a little about David S. Gill.
David holding my baby
I first met David during the Ukulele World Congress (UWC). It was kind of by chance that I was able to meet him. The Saturday morning of the UWC is left open so people can explore Nashville and buy ukes from Mike at Mainland. I decided to go into town to eat breakfast and to find Weed Patch Music; I was told that there were these great ukuleles that they had that are made in Columbus Indiana. So after some searching I found the place and was absolutely amazed. I played a soprano and then picked up a mahogany concert pineapple; I said to myself “this would be great if it had a spruce top”. Also at the time I did not have $350 to spend on a new ukulele (that and my wife would kill me, 15 ukes is her limit). I went back to UWC and ran into a few friends that also played a few of the Gill ukes and told them that I love the concert pineapple but would love it with a spruce top. By chance one of my friends had called David Gill to see if he made tenors (He does not……Yet) and said I should call and ask, so I did, and he did have a concert pineapple with a spruce top at his shop. Now I did not have $350 to buy it and I figured that he would not have one, but I had to at least see it. I asked if my two friends and I could come and see it and also his shop, he said “Yes, I love when people come by and talk uke” and away we went on our 45 minute drive. We get there and we see a sign that says Handmade Ukuleles and an electric car out front.
"router"
We had heard that David is very unique. When we got there we did not know what to expect. We heard that he had not purchased gas in several years and he drove a golf cart everywhere, and both are true. David has not purchased gas in 3 years. He has geothermal heating and cooling and his “car” runs on electric, and this works for him just fine. He does not need to go very far for anything. Mostly people come to visit him, like us. David is a retired injection engineer which makes sense why his ukuleles are so spot on in every way. Every piece is precisely measured and he has jigs for every part to make sure that it is made just right, down to the micro-meter. His 2 car garage is filled wood working equipment, jigs, and wood. One of the tools he uses to make the dovetail joint for the necks and cut the body pieces is this weird looking router thing that he used to own the patent on that he invented in the 80’s. How it works is still a mystery to me, I could have asked but figured that I had too many other things I wanted to ask.
Davids Car
One thing that many do not know about Gill ukes is that they use to be sold by Bushman under the name of Bluebird and a few other models. They were new wood ukes unlike the ones he makes currently. I actually played a bluebird and loved it, but I could not afford a $400 ukulele at the time and had to pass. But it was very nice. In the end John Hall did not want to sell them anymore and stopped.
Lineup
My Spruce Top Concert Pineapple
That brings me to my ukulele. Yes I did buy it; it just was another trip a few weeks later. But we went to his basement that he has the ukuleles that he has finished. I picked up the spruce top concert pineapple (They are rareish, you can find them from a few makes like Mele and Oscar Schmidt, but you will not see many concert pineapples) It was love at first play. It is light as a feather even though it has geared tuners and it sings. Basically I love it. I am hard pressed to find anything wrong with it. What you will notice is that it is not super decorated with nice purfling or binding; this is because David feels that it weakens the joint. He also does a few other things that most builders do not do. The lining is put in backwards to add stability and he also has thinned out the bracing so that it will vibrate more with the top. Also he makes a 3 piece neck. Not in the way that most do, but it is one continues neck out of one piece but he cuts it in half and puts a strip of walnut between to reinforce the neck. He builds like an engineer and less like an artist like Geoff Davis of Hoosier ukes and the Bluestone Folk School (BSFS). Geoff will make a Ukulele and fine tune as he goes, always adjusting and trying to work with the wood. David knows every aspect of what the size will be and how each part fits and can guarantee it is made exactly to spec.
As I mentioned earlier, the wood that David uses for his ukuleles is a little bit different than most ukulele builders. For the most part David does not buy wood for his ukes, it is all recycled or reclaimed in one way or another. The mahogany that my uke was made with comes from old patterns. (A pattern is a large piece of
Aromatic Cedar Uke
wood that is carved to make molds for casting things. Mahogany was popular since it is so stable) the spruce is from some furniture, I think, and the walnut stripe in the neck if from another pattern. Some of the other woods I saw were the aromatic cedar (That uke smells awesome) that he gets from a place that makes veneers and he gets the pieces that cannot be sawn any thinner due to limitations of the machine, and they come about 1/8 of an inch thick, so perfect start for any instrument. Another place he gets wood is from is friends who happen to find really neat pieces like the spalted maple that he is looking at making into the sides and back of a pineapple.
One of the funny things about David is that there are no models per say. Yes he makes sopranos, concerts, and concert pineapples but the woods that he uses are on a whim. He loves to experiment with woods, like the spalted maple, to see how it will sound. Good or bad that is how it is. For the most part you will find he works in African mahogany and is currently on an aromatic cedar kick.
Spated Maple
In the end if you are looking for an awesome one of a kind ukulele that is made in the USA, then this is the one I would recommend. Visit Weed Patch in Nashville, IN ASAP to experience a true gem for very little money.
HD Sound Sample:
Side
More Pics
The 3 Piece NeckBackNice Butt!
Nice Butt!
BackNice Butt!
Papas Boxes Concert Build
December 4, 2009 at 7:16 pm | Posted in Brands, Concert, Papas Boxes, Products, Reviews | 2 CommentsTags: cheap, cigar, cigar box, DIY, home made, learning, posts, tuners, tuning pegs, uke, ukulele
New Kit from Papas Boxes
A month or so ago the kind folks at Papas Boxes sent me an e-mail saying that they were back to taking orders again. On a whim I e-mailed them and told them about my blog and they responded really quickly and asked what size, I went with concert. Not very many people have seen the soprano cigar box ukulele that I made 2 years ago, but I found the kit on EBay and it was basically a fret board, rough neck, floating bridge, and zither pins for tuning, Very basic and well-made kit. It played ok and the tuning was a little hard to do, so I bought the tuner kit and also replaced the bridge that came with it with a Grover 4 string banjo bridge. Now it plays really well and is a ton of fun. That is one of the best things about the kit. You can either put it together and play, or keep changing it and adjusting it until it is what you want.
Neck
I do not have the tools to make a full ukulele at my house which is why I bought the first kit. The new kit I received from Papas Boxes is a major upgrade from the first one that I made. The fret board has really nice light wood inlays and it is already glued to the neck. Another big thing that they did that I like with the neck is the little head piece. If you use a clip tuner this makes it possible to clip it to the head and not on the floating bridge. The L bracket is still there but recessed along with the floating bridge. I did not go with the zither pins for tuners on this kit and got the tuners and they also included the pickup (I think they make the pickups, looks kind of steam punk inspired). They also sent a cigar box but I really wanted to find something that was all wood and did not sound so dead. I ended up finding out that almost no one makes nice sounding cigar boxes big enough to make a concert sized ukulele, so I ended up buying a plain box at a craft store. Trust me the box will not look plain Jane when I am done with it!
Bridge, L Bracket, and Drill bit
The great thing about the kits that I have received from them is that they come with everything except the drill, screw drivers, and saw. The drill bits, templates, and many other little doo-dads are included so you can make the best instrument you can. How far you take the build is up to you.
The build will be several posts in the next few weeks, hopefully done by Christmas, and will begin with prepping the body (cigar box) then putting it together, and ending it with tweaking it. My end goal will be a full review and then next summer giving it away at a ukulele festival.
Stay tuned.
Other Pics.
Dry Fit of Bridge and Neck
Pickup and Another Drill Bit
****UPDATES****
The building of the box is posted!! Click HERE
The Post on final assembly and a video is posted! Click HERE
Oscar Schmidt OU-2 Deal $49.99 Shipped
November 6, 2009 at 1:57 pm | Posted in Oscar Schmidt, Products | Leave a commentTags: cheap, Oscar Schmidt, OU-2, posts, sale, uke, ukulele
Oscar Schmidt OU-2 Deal at JR.com
So….I got an e-mail from JR.com about black Friday deals. I guess they are doing “deals” on every Friday of November. Well today they happen to have a ukulele. This is a place where I buy a lot of my electronics, but hey its a pretty good price. $49.99 Shipped
NOTE: This is one of my first ukuleles, I love it. They did have some issues back in the day with quality, but they have been resolved. Go to my other post on Oscar Schmidt to read more about it.
DEAL LASTS UNTIL SUNDAY AT MIDNIGHT SO HURRY!!!!
Ukuleles on the Cheap
August 4, 2009 at 6:26 pm | Posted in General | Leave a commentTags: cheap, sale, seconds, uke, ukulele
As we all know we can find inexpensive ukes on Ebay, but there are many more places to find great deals! You just have to know where to go and sometimes who to ask.
Wait and See Deal
MusiciansFriend.com Stupid deal of the day- Every so often there are ukuleles that come up for sale on their site. I bought a Rogue a couple of years back for $17 with free shipping (Not bad with $10 Worth strings on it). just look everyday and you may get lucky. I will post if one does show up.
Seconds
Seconds are a good way to get a pretty good deal on instruments that have minor cosmetic flaws. Usually they play just great. Just be aware of what you are buying and ask what is actually wrong with it before purchasing.
Risa – Risa has a section on their site for seconds and demos. I purchased a black soprano solid 2 years ago, and it came from Germany in no time. I have seen many great instruments on the site.
Ukuleleworld.com – I am always looking on this site. I love how many ukuleles they have at a very good price, but you can get some even cheaper. They have a section called Luthier’s Flea Market. As of right now there are 2 ukes on it, but I have seen books, cases, gig bags, bulk tuners, just everything.
Flea Market Music Store - While I was doing the review of the Fluke I asked if they had seconds that they sell, the answer is yes, you just have to call or e-mail to see what they have. Dale said that they can be up to 20% off the prices you find on the website store. Just contact them here for inventory requests.
Mim’s Ukes - I met Mim at summer NAMM 2010, she is the person holding the Ohana sopranino in this post. She owns a Hawaiian Snow/Ukulele shop in Charlotte, NC. While I was talking with her she told me that she sells seconds. All you have to do is call her and ask what she has and she will give you a great deal. Tell her Tim from Ukeeku sent you.
On a sad note; Kamaka use to have seconds for sale at the factory, but no more. I guess they stopped it a few years back. Just keep in mind that it never hurts to ask any place or manufacture that sells ukuleles about their stock of seconds.
Forums
Flea market Music Market Place – I love to take a look every so often on this site. You will see some good deals and some not so good deals. I can guarantee that you will see a huge variety.
Ukulele Underground Forum – On the UU forums there is a section called market place. It has a ton of great ukuleles for sale at great prices. Take a look, you will be surprised on what you find.
If you know of any others please leave a comment for all to see. I hope this helps people who want a good ukulele but don’t care if some person in a factory put their fingerprint into the finish or may have dropped it…a few times.
.
Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
