Video: First glimpses of the Eleuke in action!

Well, my Eleuke arrived on Friday and I've been as giddy as a schoolgirl ever since.  For those for those of you who don't know what an Eleuke is (shame on you, you mean you aren't hanging on my every word?) check out my "Everybody, meet Eleuke (and a rad Pedro da Silva video)" post.  I imagine that this will be the first of several videos talking about the Eleuke and showcasing what it sounds like.

I was in such a rush to do this video that I didn't even leave my office.  The down side to that is that the only amp I have in my office is a wimpy little guy, but it'll give you an idea anyway.  Tomorrow I'll run the Eleuke through my Fender SuperAmp and various pedals (Electric Mistress, Marshall Guv'ner, etc.)  Maybe I can even run through a song with my Heavy New Wave band, Volumen.  I'm thinking Misfits (Maybe Halloween?), but we'll see what I can talk them into.

Anyway, on to the Eleuke itself.  This is the model that I have in my grubby little mits:

Eleuke Solid Body Electric Ukulele Concert MP3 - Blue CCK100BL-MP3
Eleuke Solid Body Electric Ukulele Concert MP3 - Blue CCK100BL-MP3

Just holding the Eleuke is pretty soothing for some reason.  I think I am so used to playing Electric Guitar that the smaller body and weight of an electric instrument feels more natural to me.  So, if you spend more time on Electric Guitar than you do on Acoustic, then you might have a similar experience with this Electric Ukulele.

I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with the Eleuke, overall.  Sure, It's the first solid body electric ukulele that I've played, but to be honest, there aren't really that many of them out there.  It's well constructed, sounds great and the design is really interesting.  It's also hard to believe that it's only $220.  That seems like a scream of a deal.  Anyway, enough of my jawing.  Here's the first of what I hope to be a long string of videos showcasing this little number.

U900 Freaking Rad Video for “Walk Don’t Run”

Ya know I think Frank Zappa said it best when he said "You can't always write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say, so sometimes you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream."  To prove that the reverse of that is also true, I'm not going to say anymore.  Just let the goodness wash over you from this video.

P.S. Thanks to @Gmorks on Twitter for this one.

‘Dreaming of You’ by The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra

Somebody was nice enough to send me a link to The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra's web site recently.  However, they sent it as a Twitter Direct Message so it's a miracle that I ever saw it. 😉  Seriously folks, Twitter DM-land is just auto-responder-spammer hell.  I have to be pretty drunk to go there on purpose.  However, if you tweet @ukulele_guy, I'll pretty much always respond.

Anyway, I was check out the WIUO site and it looks pretty classy and professional.  Heck, they've got T-shirts!  Even kid's sizes, I think?  Awesome.  I always get pangs of jealousy when I see all these towns with their own Ukulele Orchestras, but I suppose I should just get off my ass and make the Missoula Montana International (because Canada is so close) Ukulele Orchestra.  Maybe one day it will happen.

Well, my jealousy was compounded after I watched this video.  I mean, they do The Coral covers?  I freaking love The Coral!  Any band that makes a video inspired by the 1973 version of Wicker Man is tops in my book.  Anyway, enjoy The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra doing The Choral's "Dreaming of You".  The claim the video was made in 11 minutes with a budget of $5.98.  But, for my $.02, I'd gladly watch this over and over again.

Everybody, meet Eleuke (and a rad Pedro da Silva video)

So, as you might have noticed this morning, if you follow me on Twitter that is, I discovered a rad little solid body electric ukulele.  Or, that is to say, I discovered a whole bunch of them made by EleukeUSA.  Frankly, I was a little embarrassed that I hadn't discovered them much earlier.  Especially considering that they sell them on Amazon and, again, if you follow me on Twitter you will know that I'm obsessed with tweeting random Amazon ukulele-related items.  (Ukulele Salad Tongs anyone?)

Anyway, I've talked with the good folks at EleukeUSA and they are going to send me one to test drive!  I think I'm getting the K-Series Blue Ukulele.  Here's a picture of this little beauty:

Eleuke Solid Body Electric Ukulele Concert MP3 - Blue CCK100BL-MP3
Eleuke Solid Body Electric Ukulele Concert MP3 - Blue CCK100BL-MP3

They have quite a few styles available, though, check out all of Eleuke's Solid Body Electric Ukuleles on Amazon. Another one that really dig the look of, is the Eleuke Mahogany Electric Uke.  It looks like something that Les Claypool would play (that is, if he played  Ukulele).  Here's a picture:

Eleuke MP3 Solid Magogany Concert Solid Body Electric Ukulele
Eleuke MP3 Solid Magogany Concert Solid Body Electric Ukulele

I know what you are thinking, though?  What does a $200-250 electric  ukulele sound like?  Well, here's an answer, in video form.  This is Pedro da Silva pretty much melting faces with an Eleuke (Mahogany, I think?).

When I get my hands on my Blue K-Series, I'll definitely make some videos for everyone to check out. Don't expect such proficient wizardry as Pedro, though. But, I think I will test drive it through my Fender SuperAmp and all of the effects pedals I use when I play guitar in my Heavy New Wave band. So, that'll be fun! It will surely be my loudest video to date, anyway. 😉

Anyway, expect more posts about Eleuke in the coming days.  I'm pretty intrigued by the MP3 input on the Uke.  I'm trying to think of weird ways in which to make use of that.  So, hopefully I'll have it figured out by the time I test drive it.

Here's more information for those who are interested.

EleukeUSA Website: http://www.eleukeusa.com
EleukeUSA Twitter: http://twitter.com/eleuke
EleukeUSA Facebook: http://facebook.com/eleuke

Kala Pocket Ukulele Video

Peter from Easy Music Center, in Hawaii, just sent me an e-mail with a link to a video showing off the pocket ukulele.   Seeing how small it actually is in the video is a little bit mind-blowing.  Especially when you see it next to the Soprano (which completely dwarfs it).  The guy who is playing the pocket ukulele looks like he is struggling a little bit, but I suppose that makes sense. It's probably a bit of an adjustment to get your hands used to that tiny thing [insert your own joke here].  But, at the end of the video, the poket uke player really starts kicking out the jams.  Anyway, enough of my yakking.  Check it out for yourself.