The Ukuleles of "One Ukulele" #2: Beardco

Beardco of ukuleleunderground was the first member to respond to my call for stories about the ukes featured in One Ukulele. His Oceana Ukuleles custom made uke is even more special than I imagined, but I will let beardco tell the tale:

"In May of this year I was at the Seattle Folklife Festival & happened across Oceana Ukuleles, a relatively new luthier. My only knowledge of ukuleles was seeing Tiny Tim play in the '60's, but all of Oceana's uke's looked really nice so I had to stop in. The one I picked up looked great & sounded very guitarlike. Zac Steimle, the owner, was pretty patient with me and didn't even laugh at my questions. I thought it was such a great size guitar for my soon-to-be life in a campervan traveling around the U.S. & Europe, so I bought it on a lark. It wasn't until a few weeks later when surfing the internet for music that I understood I had stumbled onto a very popular instrument, and then I saw Jake's famous Youtube video. My respect for my impulse buy had just increased substantially.

"Zac spent several years in Ecuador working with a small-guitar luthier and recently came back home to the pacific northwest to make ukuleles full time. Mine was made in Ecuador completely by hand with no power tools. It is all Bolivian rosewood, a mahogany neck, balsamo fretboard, walnut binding, bone nut & saddle, and Gotoh closed gear tuners. The great part is that the mahogany neck came from a house in L.A. built in 1903. The wood was taken out of the house and put in dry storage for 40 years, and then shipped down to Ecuador for my tenor ukulele. Every time I pick it up, I smile at my 100 year old neck and think about the minor part I've played in that wood's life.

"How does it sound? I don't have anything to compare it to but, I was recently visiting someone with a cat that scratches and bites anyone that gets near her. I was playing a simple tune I learned from Ukulele Underground & the cat came out from under the sofa, laid down at my feet, and started purring. I'm taking that as a positive sign but, the cat IS a little crazy.

"I actually do own just one ukulele. For now."

One ukuelel is all it takes, especially when it's as special as this one. Beardco's beautiful Oceana appears at 2:45 in "One Ukulele."

Mike

The Ukuleles of "One Ukulele" #1: My Jake Cordoba

Every ukulele has its own story - well, that's what this "One Ukulele" concept is all about. My plan is to contact the members of the ukuleleunderground who contributed images for the video and have them write a little something about their ukuleles. As I wait for the stories to come in, I'll talk a little about the few of mine that made it to the final cut. And that first one, pictured to the left, is my Jake Shimabukuro signed, highly modified Cordoba 20TM-CE all mahogany tenor.

The most unique thing about this ukulele, of course, is its "Aloha, Jake" signature, which I got after seeing Jake for the first time in November 2009 at the Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan. While I did not see a lot of people toting ukes to Jake's 2010 concert there a few weeks back, sad to say there were about six of us "Middle Aged Guys with a Ukulele" who sought to sharpen their axes under Jake's pen. Being such a wonderful person, Jake signed every one of them, along with the CDs and shirts and any other items us fans could think of.

Maybe a ukulele with Jake's signature demanding being something more than a $179 Guitar Center special (not to say anything bad about either Cordoba or Guitar Center), but a short time later I was awakened to a very strange pinging sound - as I looked around in my darkened room, there sat my Jake Cordoba in an ill-fitting guitar stand, his rosewood bridge separated from the sound board and dangling from the strings. Oh, no! I'd never seen anything like this.

Fortunately, I happen to know Dan Voight, an up-and-coming, super-talented mandolin maker who I knew could easily reunite body and bridge. As we talked a little more, Dan suggested we make an entirely new bridge (at something like $40, which is incredibly cheap for a custom made bridge). Dan also did not like how the undersaddle transducer separated the saddle from the bridge's surface, so he took the transducer and its connectors out, leaving the "unplugged" preamp and phono jack alone but inoperable.

Because it was so hard to see the fingerboard markings, I also had Dan put some nice pearl dots along the side of the neck. That, along with the bridge, a new bone nut and saddle, and an upgrade to Worth clears worked out great. It was an all new instrument worthy of its famous signer.

While the instrument had more sustain and felt better than stock, I still wanted the action a little lower. Living very close to Dave Talsma, I took it to him; he shaved down the saddle and re-worked the nut and now it plays like butter. Dave also put my electronics back in but, being the cheap stock setup, I really need to upgrade to a Mi-Si, if I can ever afford it. Oh, and the stock tuners, which are horrible (at least on my model) need to be replaced as well, but I could use some help here with suggestions for a good brand. I ordered a set of Grovers but was very disappointed as one of the four was much too sticky as it turned.

While it's still a work in progress, my simple ukulele has become a relatively super work that has been touched by three masters - Jake, Dan, and Dave. I used it in my "Tip Toe Redux" video and was very, very happy with the sound and playability. Once I get that Mi-Si, it will no doubt be my axe of choice.

MBK

PS: I should note that the actual picture of my Jake signed Cordoba in the video is the one taken with it snuggling up with my Lanikai S-TEQ spruce top tenor, signed by Danielle Ate the Sandwich, who I saw a few weeks ago at the Ark.

Helping Another New Uker

Going to Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan is never just about looking at ukuleles and accessories that I can't afford. It's also about the people you meet. Indeed, I've never gone there without talking music with at least one or two people, whether it was the couple from Chicago a few months ago who taught ukulele, the two ukulele players a while back who were visiting from Nova Scotia, or the guy a couple years back who was stopping there on his cross- ountry motorcycle trip.

Yesterday's trip to Elderly was no exception. I had just got done talking with the repair department about a Mi-Si undersaddle pickup (very cool) and returned to the wall of ukuleles when a guy about my age (Middle Aged guy, but without a ukulele) stopped me and asked me for help. I don't know if he thought I worked there or he could just sense my ukulele knowledge, but I was glad to answer his question, which was "What makes a good ukulele." Seems his son, who is about 11 or so, wants to get one.

Before I had the chance to get too philosophical, his son came over with a Lanikai koa wood concert ukulele, all nicely packaged with a gig bag, tuner and chord booklet. I told the two that Lanikai makes a great product (I own an S-TEQ myself) and that we should open this one up and take a look. True to form, the Lanikai played wonderfully, had good fit and finish, and, due to the koa, had a wonderfully traditional tone. I told them this would be a fine first start and they should not think twice about buying it (and, like real Elderly salepeople, I'm not on commission, so this was an honest opinion - heck, I don't even work there).

I don't think the father was ready to buy that day, but I think he will, and, more importantly, I think it means we have a new ukulele player in the making. I asked him why he wanted to play ukulele, and he said because of a person he saw in Alabama who uses it on some of their songs; I am assuming he meant the band, but is there a famous ukulele player in Alabama he could have been talking about? Does it really matter; someone inspired him to play and the father is doing the right thing encouraging that interest and making a small investment in what will most likely be a very happy pairing of young man and ukulele.

There's another thing I really like about this story. In a room full of guitars and a store that has even more acoustics and some of the coolest electrics around, here is a young man choosing to start with ukulele. A sign of the times, I guess, a part of our culture. Another ukulele and a turn I like to see taken.

MBK

"One Ukulele" Video is Live!

Mike Kassel's new video, "One Ukulele," is now live on YouTube. Comprised of pictures of ukulele's owned by members of www.ukuleleunderground.com played over an original song by Mike, the video speaks to the positivity and beauty of the ukulele. Images of Jake Shimabukuro, Brittni Paiva, Abe Lagrimas Jr., and Victoria Vox also appear in the video. You can also get an MP3 of the "one Ukulele" audio track (only 99 cents, what a deal) and check out the new One Ukulele website.

Get the MP3 of "One Ukulele"

The new MP3 version of "One Ukulele" is now available as a downloadable single from cdbaby.com. Only 99 cents!

Tiptoe Through the Tulips Redux

Well, this morning I got out my ukulele and my little Samsung video recorder and headed downtown Flint to my favorite location and recorded me a little dity I've been working on for the past few weeks now. Took a lot of takes to get to this one and I'm pretty proud of it.

Peace Love and Ukulele - Seeing Jake

I had the pleasure once again last night to see Jake Shimabukuro play at the Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In addition to revised versions of his classics, like "Blue Roses Falling," "Five-Dollars Unleaded," and an all new head and finish for his famous "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" cover, Jake played some of his new songs including "1-4-3," which is pager- speak for "I love you," and "Go for Broke," which is dedicated to the Japanese Americans who served in World War II. The highlight of the evening, however, was his cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody." I saw him do it last year, and it was amazing, but now it has become a much more mature tribute that is less of a "Wow, he's doing this on ukulele," and more of a new anthem for the ukulele itself. I see this as becoming, like "...Weeps," one of Jake's signature pieces. No video of him doing at the Ark, of course, but here is an excerpt of the song from the upcoming documentary about Jake set to premiere in 2011.



After the show, Jake made himself available to meet and greet all of us who cared to. I and the group I went with got our picture taken with Jake and I also introduced myself as the person who interviewed him online last summer. Like last year, he was gracious and sincere.

The crowd, like all Jake crowds, represented a range of people from kids to people in their 70s and 80s, and, of course, a full compliment of Middle Aged Guys with Ukuleles, who seem to be the most fanatic about Jake. Seeing Jake is wonderful, but seeing him in such an intimate venue - the Ark only holds about 400 people and there is no such thing as a bad seat - is truly special. I hope Jake comes back next year; it's wonderful to see him and hear his music as it keeps evolving. Until that time, his new CD, "Peace Love Ukulele" comes out in January.

-Mike Kassel