Ok. First the bad news. This sale is only going on for 3 more days! Yikes! But, the good news is that it's up to 85% off of accessories. So, if you are looking for ukulele strings or maybe a new case, I don't think it's going to get any cheaper than this. I wish I'd known about it earlier, so I could have given everyone more notice. Stupid non-ukulele-related real life and job are cutting into my uke time.
Got $900 burning a hole in your pocket? I'm sure you do, right? Well then, friend, you are in luck! Check out this rad Rock 'em Sock 'em Robot Tenor Ukulele (aka the Robolele).
Rock 'em Sock 'em Ukulele
Celentanowoodworks, from Ashville N.C., will build you one of these babies to order. Looks like the ukulele is mostly maple and can be made to different sizes, if you so desire. Can I get a "hell yeah" up in this piece? If you think this is rad, take a look at the other cool instruments the etsy shop.
The broken and rusty gears in my brain are definitely spinning now. You see, I have a good friend who also lives in Ashville (at least, I think that's where he lives). Maybe I can talk him into heading over to Celentanowoodoworks' house and southern-charming them down on the price. It's worth a shot, right? While we are talking about my friend, you should probably check out his rad Etsy shop for his ceramics and pottery and stuff. His store is called Mudstuffing.
Well, it looks like aNueNue has released U-900 Ukuleles. Yup, and the one for the bear is even an pineapple uke! These are just starting to trickle in, but we're likely to see more in the coming days and weeks.
Here check out a picture. This is what the U-900 Rabbit Soprano Ukulele looks like:
U-900 Rabbit Soprano Ukulele
And as if that weren't adorable enough, check out the case for that uke:
U-900 Soprano Ukulele Case
And, of course, the Bear needs his uke to be a pineapple shape, right? Yup. Take a gander:
aNueNue U-900 Bear Pineapple Ukulele
And here's the case for the Bear:
aNueNue U-900 Bear Pineapple Ukulele Case
So, if you are looking for one of these little beauties, then just check below. This page will update to show you which aNueNue U-900 Ukuleles are available on eBay at all times! Warm up your refresh button!
Oh yeah, and if you have my name for Xmas.... GET ME ONE OF THESE!
I just got word from Rich that these beautiful solid Koa wood ukuleles are now in stock. These are going to move pretty fast. People are snapping up just about anything that aNueNue is making these days, they can barely keep up with demand.
I haven't played one of these solid Koa models yet, but if the aNueNue banjo ukulele I own is any indication then you can expect these to be incredibly high quality. The top, back and sides of these ukuleles are all solid koa wood. The neck is mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard. The bridge is also rosewood and the nut and saddle are both made from buffalo bone. You can get these Oahu solid koa ukuleles in soprano, concert and tenor. Make sure you let them know I sent you.
Well, after my broken string problem yesterday (NOTE: you should probably triple knot your strings before you slip them through the tailpiece on these bad boys) I got this baby tuned up last night and then I ended up drinking wine, playing banjolele and singing too loud until about 1am. That would have been fine and dandy but my wife is out of town and I have both the boys. So, 7am came earlier than I remembered this morning. But blurry-eyed and happy, I still managed to get food in them, make a lunch and get them to school and Grandma's house (respectively).
To celebrate, over lunch, I made some videos with my new favorite possession. First off, I once again want to thank Rich of ABetterGuitarStore.com for the screaming deal on this banjo ukulele. Also, I think the aNueNue folks had something to say about it, so huge thanks to them as well! I would have gladly paid $500 for this ukulele! If you want to get one for yourself, check out my newly added aNueNue section on the website.
Anyway, here's the video introduction:
Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll make another video. I've also recorded a video of me playing Five Foot Two with this baby (because it really seems to lend itself to standards like that). After I post that video, I just remembered that I never posted the drunken escapade that became the escalating electric fence wager. So, just wait for that. It's barely ukulele-related at all, but it's pretty funny. Happy weekend all!
So I got an e-mail from a nice fella named Rich Cichowski. He runs an eBay guitar store (www.abetterguitarstore.com) and he's a big fan of Orcas strings. So, we get to talking and he's telling me about Orcas strings (which I will review now that I have some) and also about the new Tenor Banjo Ukuleles from aNueNue. I'm super intrigued especially when I see how pretty these things are. Check it out:
Click on the uke to go to their site and see what else they offer, but then come back here because they don't sell direct and Rich has the goods! The banjo ukulele in the picture is a concert, I believe, but the one Rich sent me to test out is a tenor. I literally just opened the package but I was so excited that I had to tell someone. Don't worry, though, videos and reviews will be forthcoming on both the aNueNue Banjo Ukulele and the Orcas strings. Although, I already broke a string with my stupidity, so I'm going to order another set from Rich as soon as I post this. Heh... no one has ever accused me of being the Ukulele genius, thank god.
Anyway, in the meantime, check out Rich's stuff. Here is his Orcas stuff:
Holy smokes. I'm freaking excited! My first banjo ukulele experience!
EDIT: Turns out the aNueNue Banjo Ukulele I'm testing out is a Concert, not a Tenor like I said above. I think I got it confused because Rich was talking to me about aNueNue's 6-string tenor ukuleles and I transposed it somehow. Anyway, I've got the aNueNue Concert Banjo Ukulele out of the case, I've got the floating bridge in place and I'm stretching the strings right now. The tone is soooo much more different than I'm used to. I'll tell you more once I get a video recorded.
So, I had a few beers last night and it started out that I was going to be searching eBay to find a replacement/upgrade for my Danelectro Hodad Guitar. I played an American Fender Stratocaster at band practice and, while I did enjoy it, I think I'm too used to my Hodad's whammy bar and I really like the thin sound it has (see, it's made of masonite). Anyway, that's how the evening began. I'm not totally sure how it ended but here is what I do know.
I had to clear more than 4 beer cans off of my desk this morning
I had about 30 eBay browser tabs open
I had e-mail from eBay saying that I had made an offer on a Banjolele
I discovered the Tahitian 8-Stringed Ukulele
I'm most excited about number 4. You see, I never knew there was such a thing as a Tahitian Ukuelele. What's awesome about them is that they are all carved into cool representations of sea creature. So, some have pairs of dolphins on them and others look like gigantic manta rays! The bad news about this discovery is that it's only a matter of time before I have to buy one of these. Regarding the Banjolele offer I made, though, I heard from a guy today that's going to let me review a Banjolele soon. If I like it, I'll probably buy it as well, so I'll make sure and show it off to you guys.
Apparently the downside to being hungover for three days after your birthday is that you apparently are prone to missing out on important announcements.
Take this one as a fer instance. Musician's Friend is having a HUGE sale on used items! I just checked out the sale and I see 13, count em 13, ukuleles! Quite a few Fender ukes and a Rogue ukulele for $10.50. Holy smokes!
BUT, the sale ends tonight! ACK! I promise to not be so damned hungover next time. Hopefully I can keep you guys better informed.
I have been meaning to post this for awhile, but freaking summer just gets busier and busier. Anyway, Rick from Kala sent me a press release about Kala's new "Round About" Ukulele Amplifier. I know I've talked about the Roland Micro Cube before and I do love that amp, but as far as looks go, the Round About is the winner. It comes in three styles: Black, Pink and Tweed! What great choices! The whole look of the amp feels really retro and fun. It seems like something a foxy lady in the 60s would carry around with tiny white earbud headphones. Or maybe something that Frankie Avalon would bring to a beach party. Here's some pictures:
Kala Black Round About Amp
Kala Pink Round About Amp
Kala Tweed Round About Amp
The amps are 10 watts with a 5" speaker. If you want more details, here's a YouTube video talking all about the Round About Amp:
The rule I use is Koa Ukuleles sound best with Aquila or D'addario Strings. Mahogany Ukes sound better with Worth. The exception to this is Koaloha. Spruce goes either way.
Laminates generally like Aquila Strings (except for Kiwaya) as well. I think Worths are so much better than Aquilas on Flukes and Fleas. Kiwaya laminates tend to like the fluorocarbon types, including Worth. The same rule applies for their solid ukes.
@hermanvdc had this to say on the subject of Ukulele Strings:
Indeed, Aquila helps give more brilliance to cheap ukuleles but on good the better ones Worth and especially Orcas sounds better!
So, I figured that I should post this so that everyone can make up their own mind and then give you some links to buy Orcas and Worth Ukulele Strings.
