Interview w/ Jake Wildwood of Antebellum Instruments

"They don't make 'em like they used to".  It's an old cliché that rings particularly true with Jake Wildwood of Antebellum Instruments.  Jake spends his days fixing up and reviving pre-WWII instruments out of his family's Rochester, Vermont store.  He certainly picked a good name!  The word "antebellum" is a Latin phrase that literally means "before the war".

On the Antebellum Instruments site, you can check out what Jake is currently working on via his running blog (something that I spend WAY too much time looking at).  You also have the opportunity to buy one of these pieces of musical history - ukuleles, banjos, guitars, mandolins, etc. 

There is a group of people in this world that are absolutely fascinating to me - people who have stories and anecdotes to pass along to you...people who seem like they've done it all....people who are just plain interesting.  From my brief correspondence with Jake, I would have to put him in this category.  I enjoyed every bit of his responses to my questions and I hope you will too!

Where to buy your next ukulele

Before you jump the gun and grab your next ukulele from a random retailer on Amazon, consider this....a good setup can make a world of difference in sound, intonation, and overall playability.  Don't know what a setup is?  Check this blog post for some helpful links about ukulele setup.

There are a couple of online sellers that have become notorious for the awesome job they do setting up your instrument.  And as kind of a bonus, I've included the link to an Etsy shop that many folks aren't aware of that sells vintage ukes and banjo ukes.  Us Etsy shop owners have to stick together!

Uke Republic

Just ask anyone in the ukulele community about these guys.  Not only do they have some great deals on some sweet ukes, but the setup they perform on all their ukes is