The
Fun
'Ukulele
Co.
The brother-sister team of passionate ukulele players who design and build the finest custom ukuleles from sustainable and reclaimed materials.
ISA & Fun. 2020 el año muy loco y 2021 del Noviembre Caléñe
Our journey of designing your signature ukulele together.
with different fonts for no reason
So far we have decided:
• Concert sized ukulele
• Hawaiian koa top
• Dalbergia 'indian rosewood' back and sides
• Paua abalone if at all possible
• 'Evo gold' fretwire - an alloy of copper, tin, iron, and titanium: CuSn15Fe1Ti0.1
•Grover chrome tuners with black buttons
<-- this is your signature inlay we are currently digging, but we are in the process of discussing fretboard and headstock wood/color options and the tuners that go with it. (That is, we were in that process - now your headstock overlay is dark rosewood - probably the best option anyway)
No toy seguro si fue algo que descutíamos, o si lo elegí yo, pero whichever way it happened I am building your fretboard and its markers the same configuration I have on my main uke, side markers only. Beyond that I am secretly sneaking my own designs into your ukulele wherever I can...
Dark secrets almost nobody knows about me:
I used to be a tattoo artist. Sortof; it was terrible.
I used to be a rapper. My biggest show was in Ecuador in 2004 (05 maybe) with about 1200 in the audience. I really hope this never comes back to haunt me.
I used to own a skateboard company. I tried many silly business ideas before I stopped trying to be cool and just did what I enjoyed instead. Skateboards was the most successful of the bad ideas. I didn't lose or gain any money haha
I once was arrested in a case of mistaken identity after I ran a stop sign. I spent the night in jail but they let me go home the next morning, no harm no foul.
Where I buy most of my parts and stuff, just in case you want to daydream about building ukus:
Some houseplant ideas we talked about:
Chamaedorea palms (elegans for example)
El secreto para cultivar plantas en contenedores es usar una mezcla de suelo de drenaje muy rápido que, sin embargo, retenga algo de humedad. La piedra pómez es la mejor, pero puede ser costosa y difícil de encontrar. La roca de lava triturada es muy buena, y cualquiera de estos ingredientes se puede mezclar con corteza o perlita, dependiendo de lo que esté disponible. Algunas plantas quieren un suelo más resistente a la humedad, como el ‘coconut coir’, pero muchas plantas son mucho más felices con al menos el 50% de la mezcla del suelo que es algo así como roca de lava. If you can't access these materials, creativity always saves the day. Just know that drainage is very important in pots. If one investigates some of the more difficult and refined horticultural techniques, such as orchid culture, bonsai, and naturalistic terrariums, one discovers that all emphasize the use of large-particle, high-drainage, well-aerated substrates. The ubiquitous peat-based "potting soil" sold in garden centers around the world is cheap, but simply not suited to long-term plant happiness in pots indoors.
We tried!
You decided to go with Grover tuners over the Ratios. I agree; I think the tuners sticking out the sides looks kinda cute.
I inlayed pãua abalone shell on 10/13/2021. It ain't perfect, but I like it. The process involved drawing the design on paper, adhering that to the headstock overlay, routing that design using a 1.5875mm carbide downcut flush cutting bit by hand with a tiny router base. Then I prepared the pre-cut shell strips by cutting them to length and slightly rounding their ends. They are then insterted into the channels (pictured to the left) and cyanoacrylate glue is seeped into the voids.
Its shiny!
Your ebony fretboard is thicknessed and slotted. We had a fun conversation that turned into a discussion of how much detail goes into making an ukulele.
el siete de enero :D 2021!!!
"joining the ring"
this is when it starts to look
like a uke!!!
The neck is taking shape. (Photos obscured to hide detail) (•:
By the end of August I was sick of not having an end in sight for your ukulele, since the end is just the beginning! I had a family trip in Seattle area in the beginning of September, and as soon as I got back I started researching flights.
American Airlines has better reviews, but Avianca was the cheapest direct flight from Miami. I'm happy to give Avianca a chance to make a good impression, since they are moving in the direction of lower-cost flights with more options from the US and Costa Rica.
By early October we had nailed down the first week of November as the perfect time.
Throughout this process you have showered me with gratitude. I accept your kindness, and in so doing I am double-dipping. I get a deep intrinsic reward in losing myself in this kind of work and pouring out the effort and energy that flows naturally. It is hugely enjoyable.