No,it doesn't involve candles,bat wing or anything of the sort.
Last year,in December,I purchased a new open box pineapple uke. As the year progressed,the tone hit me as really flat and I had begun to regret buying it- to the point I was considering selling it,tho the craftsmanship is excellent and it's made of mahogany.
I play fiddle,and have learned over the years how important it is to keep them humidified. It hit me to use the humidifier I have for small instruments on the pineapple uke I have and see if it helped. I placed the uke and humidifier in a plastic grocery bag for about 30 min and then removed them from the bag.
The result was absolutely astonishing. Suddenly this instrument had a beautiful rich tone and great volume! It had just gotten too dry.
So,with winter coming and some areas already dealing with snowfall, I heartily suggest picking yourself up a humidifier made for ukuleles or small instruments and buying distilled water at the store. This is the only type of water to be used on instruments. Never,ever,use tap water!
Leave the humidifier with the instrument in a plastic bag for about half an hour and remove. I also do this with my mandolins. Using heating in the house when the weather gets cold can really dry the wood out. This is what causes heat cracks in the wood.
Another solution to this is getting a humidifier for your home and keeping your uke in that room most the time. Humidifiers are also good for people as well,so research it a bit and see which sounds best for you- an instrument humidifier,or getting one for a room.
And last but not least Halloween is coming!!!! How many of you plan to play your uke for the trick or treaters? (It also helps pass the time if you don't have a lot of children out trick or treating-my neighborhood,sad to say,doesn't have a lot of Halloween traffic) I'll be playing my Kala Waterman this year. I do suggest using a more casual or "beater" instrument for this so you won't worry about dropping it,or getting a ding in it.
Last year,in December,I purchased a new open box pineapple uke. As the year progressed,the tone hit me as really flat and I had begun to regret buying it- to the point I was considering selling it,tho the craftsmanship is excellent and it's made of mahogany.
I play fiddle,and have learned over the years how important it is to keep them humidified. It hit me to use the humidifier I have for small instruments on the pineapple uke I have and see if it helped. I placed the uke and humidifier in a plastic grocery bag for about 30 min and then removed them from the bag.
The result was absolutely astonishing. Suddenly this instrument had a beautiful rich tone and great volume! It had just gotten too dry.
So,with winter coming and some areas already dealing with snowfall, I heartily suggest picking yourself up a humidifier made for ukuleles or small instruments and buying distilled water at the store. This is the only type of water to be used on instruments. Never,ever,use tap water!
Leave the humidifier with the instrument in a plastic bag for about half an hour and remove. I also do this with my mandolins. Using heating in the house when the weather gets cold can really dry the wood out. This is what causes heat cracks in the wood.
Another solution to this is getting a humidifier for your home and keeping your uke in that room most the time. Humidifiers are also good for people as well,so research it a bit and see which sounds best for you- an instrument humidifier,or getting one for a room.
And last but not least Halloween is coming!!!! How many of you plan to play your uke for the trick or treaters? (It also helps pass the time if you don't have a lot of children out trick or treating-my neighborhood,sad to say,doesn't have a lot of Halloween traffic) I'll be playing my Kala Waterman this year. I do suggest using a more casual or "beater" instrument for this so you won't worry about dropping it,or getting a ding in it.
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