DIY Ukulele Strap w/ no permanent hardware

Awhile back I posted a blog about a few different ukulele straps that you can buy.  I really like the design and idea behind the Uke Leash.  Well, I was thinking about that one day and realized that it is very possible to make your own diy uke leash out of a couple materials that you probably already have lying around the house.  I still like the Uke Leash better, but if you're in a pinch or just don't have the cash right now to buy one, here's what you can do...

Ukulele repair: top separating from sides

Here is my 1950's Favilla soprano ukulele.  As you can see, the top has started to separate from the sides.  In my last post, I showed you how to make your own spool clamps for this kind of repair.  If you missed that, check it out here.

Now that our spool clamps are ready to go, we can put 'em to the test and get down to fixing this little guy up.

Ukulele repair tools: diy spool clamps

The day that I walked into a local antique store/flea market and spotted a beautiful Favilla soprano ukulele is one that I will always be grateful for.  At the time, I didn't know anything about the Favilla company.  I looked at the price tag ($95) and went home and immediately jumped on the Ukulele Underground forum.  If you are ever wondering about any type of vintage uke, chances are that one of the nice folks on that forum will be able to provide information.  Of course, a few people pointed me towards some info about Favilla's and encouraged me to go grab it.  As it turns out, these little guys are worth at least twice that amount and are rising in price as more people realize how awesome they are.  As one UU member put it, "Go get it!  Run, don't walk".  I immediately hopped back in the car and raced to pick it up.  It was worth every penny.  This little guy has some battle scars (general wear and tear), but he still plays like a champion.  It's become my "go to" ukulele.

Well, one day horror struck!  I picked up my Favilla (aka - Flava Fav...yep, I give my ukes ridiculous names) and noticed that the top had begun separating from the sides!

How to pronounce "ukulele"

In my neck of the woods (northwest Missouri), the common pronunciation of "ukulele" is "yoo-ka-lay-lee".  When I started getting more and more into the ukulele, I discovered that the actual Hawaiian pronunciation is "oo-koo-lay-lay".

So...I started to try to pronounce it "correctly".  To be quite honest, I felt completely ridiculous saying it the right way.  On top of that, if I go to a local music store to ask for "oo-koo-lay-lay" strings, I tend to get a strange look coupled with a reply of, "Do you mean yoo-ka-lay-lee strings?".  So I gave up trying the right way and just settled for the pronunciation that I've always known and heard around here.

How to Make a Ukulele Wall Hanger

Awhile back I posted a blog called "Make your own ukulele wall hanger".  In that post I linked up to a Ukulele Underground article and video showing you how to make a multi uke wall hanger. 

Well, I decided to put that into action and make one myself using the same formula, but with a few variations.  Here's how I did it.

Materials

- (2) 4 ft. long 1x4 boards
- (2) #8 1 1/2" wood screws
- (3) #10 2 1/2" wood screws
- (4) plastic coated U shaped tool hangers

Total cost = $10.72

For those of you searching the hardware store for these materials, let me just give a couple tips so you don't waste a bunch of time (like I did).  First of all, look for the tool hangers in the storage area of the hardware store.  Odds are that they are probably there.  I spent an

Homemade Resonator Ukulele w/ instructions

Well, I got bored one day and after watching a couple Youtube videos of people playing their own homemade resonator ukuleles, I decided to take my old laminate Harmony ukulele and try this idea out.  This old Harmony uke isn't worth much, so it's become my experiment ukulele...you might have seen this same ukulele show up in some other posts like this one, or this post, or even this post!

Basically, this uke has been through a lot and I am grateful to it for putting up with me.

Anyway, here's what I did to turn it into a resonator ukulele of sorts, complete with a video below of what it sounds like.  In retrospect, I wish I would have found a larger resonator.  While the sound does have that

How to make a ukulele hard case

Some ukuleles just don't come with a hard case....and some hard cases are just too expensive.  For those of you that are handy with tools, here are a couple of options to make your own ukulele hard case that I've stumbled across. 

A very nice DIY case made out of some 6mm thick plywood.  Check out the blog post here for more pictures and plans.

How to Package and Ship a Ukulele

So...you're an awesome gift giver and you found a sweet vintage ukulele at a flea market or an antique store?  Or maybe you just sold a ukulele on ebay?  And now you need to package and ship that ukulele across the country or across the world, right?  What's the best way to pack and ship a ukulele so that it arrives promptly and without injury?  Anyone can throw something in a box with some packing peanuts and write an address on it, but with these special little guys extra special care and precautions need to be taken!  Here's a few tips that will hopefully help you sleep a little easier at night after you drop your package off.

Make your own ukulele wall hanger

Tired of tripping over all the ukuleles strewn about your living room floor?  You and me both!  Here's an awesome idea from the fine folks at Ukulele Underground for making your own multi uke wall hanger.  It just requires some very basic tools and a few dollars.  Check out the one that I made in this post, complete with some instructions.

If you're not very confident in your wood working skills and would rather pass on this project, there are some really cool wall hangers out there.  Like this....

How to "setup" your ukulele

Whether you are new to the ukulele or you're an experienced player, a bad setup (or no setup at all) can often times be the difference between playing beautiful music and auditory pain for both the player and those listening.

In my own experience, I have learned that there isn't a cookie cutter approach to a good setup.  Believe me, I wish it were that simple!  But because every ukulele is different, the setup of each one will be a bit

Vintage Harmony ukulele: replacing a broken bridge

This is sort of a good news/bad news post.  The  good news is that the original tuning machines on this Harmony uke didn't need to be replaced as I originally thought.  They just needed a little tightening up.  The bad news is that when I went to string this sucker up, I heard a brief cracking sound and then a very loud SNAP!  The front part of the bridge must have had a crack that I couldn't see and it gave way under the tension of the strings pressing down and ever so slightly forward on the saddle.  But I guess it's not all that bad...at least now I get to show you

Vintage Harmony Ukulele: replacing the nut

need to do some sanding to get this old glue off

There we go!  Sanded, cleaned up, and ready for a new nut.

The next step to getting this old Harmony uke back into playing condition was to install a new nut.  If you need to replace the nut on your uke, taking off the old one is pretty simple.  Any nuts I've taken off in the past haven't been glued on super well and easily popped off with a pair of pliers and a little bit of force.  There was no nut on this one, which allowed me to skip that step.

As you can see in the first picture, there is still a bit of dry glue where the previous nut was sitting.  This needs to be sanded off before installing the

Vintage Harmony Ukulele: replacing the saddle

with the old saddle removed

Sliding in the new saddle

Just a little bit more....

Hurray

 The first thing that I tackled on this project was replacing the saddle.  The original saddle (not pictured) was a black piece of plastic and was pretty worn.  Not the most desirable saddle choice.  


 I'm happy to have found this uke in a local antique store for $20...but I also don't want to sink a ton