I’m on the cusp of something brilliant… I can feel it!
The more observant amongst you may have realised that this blog is called the Ukulele Blog. That’s not by accident. I love ukuleles. Actually, I love musical instruments of all descriptions. I always have. I started teaching myself to play guitar some 28 years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. I guess it’s in my blood.
The Ukulele Furies! |
You may also have noticed that I’ve recently started getting excited about Electric Ukulele. It’s a fairly new obsession. Check out my post on fitting a piezo pickup to one of my acoustic ukuleles to see me dipping my toes in the water. A piezo pickup is all well and good, but wouldn’t it be cool if I had an actual electric ukulele with metal strings and a real pickup! And wouldn’t it be even cooler if I made it myself!
That’s exactly what I was thinking!
So, here I am dreaming of Electric Ukulele Land.
Check out Electric Ukulele Land for all your Electric Ukulele needs |
I’ve been here before.
There are lots of reasons why I’ve never actually taken the plunge in the past. Let’s name and shame a couple of them:
- I’ve never done it before…
- I don’t have any tools…
- Even if I did have tools, I don’t know how to use them…
- This is going to take bloody ages…
Oh come on… how hard can it be? I think I’ve convinced myself that I want to bite the bullet and give it a go. This isn’t a promise that I’ll get to the end, but right now, I’m prepared to start and see what happens.
The thing is, I’m going to need support. My plan is to post updates up on this blog and Google+ as and when I think I’ve done something notable or if I’ve hit a brick wall (I’m expecting more of the latter to be truthful). I’ll be as open and honest as I can. If you know an answer, or have advice, then please comment. Expect me to be unconventional, stupid, and to make all sorts of mistakes. That’s a given and it’s okay. I’ll try to share everything I learn.
Right… let’s get down to it Boppers…
My mock-up of a Danelectro-inspired Tenor Uke |
So here’s the first brick wall: What sort of electric ukulele should I make?
My first thoughts are: Tenor uke… solid body… steel strings… tuned low G… with one single-coil pickup. Sounds pretty specific, but I haven’t made up my mind yet… it’s all still up for grabs! More dreaming required!
For now, I’m not going to impose any constraints. I’ll be sharing my ideas on Google+ and inviting feedback. Let me know what you think or just say hello.
Watch this space!