Category: Ukulele Instuments
I have been collecting Shimo instruments for a number of years now and consider his ukuleles to be the best on planet earth. I am lucky to be in Japan each year and this is…
Over the years I have become a genuine instrument collector and have spent many hours chatting to my good friend Martin Simpson about the joys of purchasing and playing great instruments. Many people will know…
Let me start by saying I have no problem with people strumming chords on the ukulele, BUT there’s so much more potential with this brilliant instrument. I totally fell in love with the uke three…
When people think about ukuleles, the stereotypical idea is often that a ukulele is a cheap instrument that is not really a musical instrument. On online forums, often people can insist that nobody should pay…
One of the best finds from my latest trip to Japan is the emergence of carbon fibre cases for ukuleles. I had heard about these previously but only saw one last year in Tokyo at…
This is a Sofla soprano by Shun Yamazaki. Brazilian Rosewood headstock, fretboard, bridge and pickguard. Body binding is Indian Rosewood. Nut saddle cowbone. Huron pine top, cuban mahogany back, mahogany neck. This is without doubt one…
This is my 16th trip to Japan and I continue to be inspired and delighted by Japanese design, especially with musical instruments. I’m very aware of whats available in the UK, Europe and USA, but…
This is the 16th time I have visited Japan and this visit reconfirms to me just how much the Japanese love the ukulele. In the last two days I visited 3 stores in Tokyo alone…
I just returned from Vienna after interviewing Gregor Nowak about his work We talked extensively about what makes for a great instrument and of course Gregor builds a range of instruments, not just ukuleles. I’m…
I’m discovering that in the ukulele world there are lots of opinions about ukulele strings and which ones to select. At one extreme some folks insist that “brand X” is “the best string choice”, while…