Friday Links
October 30, 2009
Pam ‘Nerd’s Eye View‘ Mandel has a lovely little story about travelling with a ukulele.
William King has been making some very sexy, solid body electric ukuleles.
The Bobby McGee’s crop up in the new Dizzee Rascal video (not the first time he’s had a uke in his video) thanks to cardboardfrog for spying that.
Whilst I was working on the updated Buy a Ukulele section, I realised I hadn’t seen a Black Bear ukulele for sale in a very long time. So I actually did some investigative journalism and got in touch with Duane. Turns out the eBay rules and fees got too high and he now sells them on Flea Market Music.
Rumour has it my version of Upstairs, Downstairs will be on Radio 4’s PM next week.
Help Ukulele Movement find 101 reasons to play the ukulele.
The Qatari royal family are learning to play ukulele.
Tiny Tim Overdrive are a new uke covers band from Vancouver. There’s a recording of their rehearsal in the sidebar (including covers of Sam Roberts and Eddie Vedder) and I can’t wait to hear more.
Photos: Sophie Madeleine shoot, Bongolele (thanks to byjimini), ukulele swimming pool (via Shelley).
Ukulele spotting: in the intro to Neighbours.
Billy Connelly has been uking it up with Jack Black and Emily Blunt.
Megg Farrell hooks up with the Beatles Complete on Ukulele guys.
Ukulele Window Shopping: German Electric Ukuleles, Pete Waterman
February 20, 2009
The Germans seem to be heading the field when it comes to great looking electric ukes. As well as RISA, there are these Rocktile FRAME ukuleles. They obviously take a few design cues from Eleuke, but end up looking more stylish. And on the subject or RISA, if you’re a fan of the ‘melted telecaster’ shape there’s this acoustic version. Which utilizes the Fluke headstock shape to have geared tuners without the ears.
Out of season it may be, but it’s not often you get a chance to pick up a Black Bear Christmas Bell ukulele.
A banjolele, “that once belonged to The famouse Pete Waterman.” He took it in to be repaired and never bothered picking it up again. Apparently.
Another new wood for the uke with Kanile’a using macassar wood. Certainly looks great.
A Spanish ukulele with an Isle of Man inlay*. You’d have to cover this on it.
If you’re bored of the standard ukulele hangers, check out this Tiki uke hanger set.
Kitsch-tastic hula girl print on this ukulele.
* According to Wikipedia, the same symbol is used in Galicia. But that’s the opposite end of Spain to Valencia – where the uke was made – so the mystery remains.
Ukulele Collection Sell Offs
July 25, 2008
Three cheers for the credit crunch. Hip, hip. Hazzah!. Hip, hip. Hazzah!. Hip, hip. Hazzah!.
While the papers are full of doom and gloom about job losses and repossessions, the real story of the credit crunch is that eBay is crammed with people selling off their vintage ukulele collecions. Duane Hielman is selling off a pile of vintage ukes from a private collection. All ukes start at $1. Pick of the current crop are a LeDomino and an unnamed koa concert ukulele.
This seller is also selling off the family jewels including a Kumalae 3K.
This seller is flogging a friend’s instrument collection. A number of tenor Martins have already been and gone, but there’s a soprano and a baritone still left.
Of course, if the credit crunch isn’t biting you at all, you could spend a few hundred dollars on a Hello Kitty ukulele. How can they charge that much?
You don’t see K Wave ukuleles on eBay very often, but there’s one up for sale right now here.
eBay Browsing: Black Bear, National, Blue Star
July 18, 2008
Duane Heilman of Black Bear has made some strange ukuleles in the past, but he’s completely lost his mind with his latest ukulele. Inspired by the equally nutty Novax guitars, it’s a tenor scale ukulele on the upper edge of the fretboard and concert scale ukulele on bottom. I hate to think of the maths involved in that.
Relatively tame by comparison are an electric Blue Star Konablaster, and a Flying V made by Bob Hurney. I’ve no idea who Bob Hurney is, but the turtle shaped hole makes guess he’s something to do with Kanilea (who use a very similar turtle design).
A couple of National Ukuleles: This rather lovely Koa National has already been sold, but there’s a banana hued National still up for grabs.
Sweetest ukulele this week is this Kamaka soprano.
Black Bear, Hudson, Ukulele Photos
June 20, 2008
A question to anyone who has ever played a harp ukulele, does that extra bit make any difference to the sound? I suspect the sound is rather besides the point since they look so great. Black Bear have come up with a great looking Concert Harp ukulele.
Another question: Does anyone know anything about Hudson ukuleles? They’ve been all over eBay UK. All being sold by the same seller (whose website you can visit here). They remind me of Kala ukuleles. Compare the Hudson HUK-SMC to the Kala KA-SC.
The Ukuleliana section of Buy a Ukulele has to be my favourite. There’s always some strange and wonderful junk in their (between the hula dolls and Lilo & Stitch stuff). Some of the photos are just great: chimp with uke, Oliver Hardy with uke, women with ukes, sailors with ukes. My favourite of them all, despite it being mislabeled ‘ukulele’, is this one. I’d love to know why the dapper gent on the left has a yo-yo.
eBay Ukulele Window Shopping
April 11, 2008
There seems to be an affinity between dolphins and ukuleles. I don’t know why dolphins are chosen so often over other animals. Makala ukuleles deck themselves out with dolphin bridges, there’s this custom ukulele from Todaro and this Tahitian ukulele.
Another animal on the uke: black bears. There are two new ukuleles from Duane Heilman of Black Bear Ukuleles. One’s a concert size the other a baritone. And there are also a couple of his old ukes available from other sellers a Kamaka style pineapple ukulele and a Lyon & Healy 5K Shrine replica with its distinctive bowed-out triangle shape.
After all their exposure from Jason Castro’s performance on American Idol, Oscar Schmidt are going all out with the koa OU280. At $649, it’s a big step up from the budget ukuleles they’re associated with. Also new from Oscar Schmidt is an electrified version of the OU5 (the ukulele played by Jason Castro).
Weymann ukuleles are best know for their banjos and banjo ukes but they also sold wooden ukes made, at certain times at least, by Martin. There’s one on eBay at the moment, and there’s not much argument that it’s a Martin.
Speak of the devil. There’s a rather fine Martin 5K up for sale at the moment… for $25,000. Seems rather excessive to me. Even David Bonsey didn’t go that far.
Christmas Gifts for Ukulele Players: Patterned Ukes
December 16, 2007
When you’re giving someone a gift, you do want it to be that little bit more special. Ukuleles with an added design give that extra ‘wow factor’. You could commission yourself a painted uke. Or, if you’re a bit more strapped for cash and time, buy off-the-shelf.
Flukes seem to be almost universally popular. Even more so when there’s a half naked dolly-bird holding one aloft.
Inspiration for Fluke designs ranges from Hollywood to Dollywood (with their cowboy fluke). Flukes sell for between $200 and $300. You’ll pay a bit of a premium for the design and also if you want a rosewood fretboard (rather than the standard plastic).
Black Bear Christmas Bell
At the other end of the price spectrum is the beauty.
Duane Heilman of
The auction eBay auction for this one has finished now but it didn’t sell so it may return. If you’ve got a loved one worth $2,000 to you, keep your eyes peeled.
Pahu Kani
Another heftily priced ukulele. I have no idea how these sound but ooooh pretty, pretty, pretty. And, at the end of the day, isn’t it what’s on the outside that really counts?
More Christmas gifts for ukulele players
Friday Links
September 14, 2007
It’s been a great couple of weeks for those of us who can’t get enough of the latest comedy ukulele sensation Jen Kwok and 
her sidekick Uke-icorn. She recorded a show on Midnight Ukulele Disco (check out the full show for the song Desert to the Sea, it’s incredible) and there’s a new edition of the Super Cute Sex Show (vaginas: “not just for tampons.”).
Duane Heilman’s latest Black Bear creation is this stunning soprano harp ukulele. There’s a great article about harp ukes that Ukulelia pointed up and you have to check out the Knutsens and their harp instruments. If you missed out on the harp uke, you could console yourself with a Martin 0 style uke he rebuilt which looks decidedly tasty.
Hot on the heels of the success of Night of 100 Ukes, comes the Sunset of 1000 Ukes: a flash mob singing of Waterloo Sunset in London. Check out their MySpace for more details.
Dirty Bronson have an mp3 of Bishop Allen’s Click Click Click.
In depth ukulele string analysis.
A recent thread on The Parlor Room has uncovered a few people who love the uke so much they feel the need to have one indelibly drawn on their flesh.
I don’t have any clue what’s going on with this page but it has some entertaining ukulele flashes.
