Boomerang Ukes!

OhioBelle

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Bonanza Ukuleles has a red laminate tenor in stock in the old retro boomerang pattern. That thing is too stinking cute! I'm not a huge fan of the red, but that Wilsonart boomerang laminate comes in many different colors.

Hmmmm... an HPL uke could be the answer to my office uke problem!
 
Not to be a direct enabler, but I've always wanted to try one of the Bonanza ukes. Shelley Mai is a wonderful person and very kind.

If your wallet is willing, why wait? Life is too short. Otherwise you are likely going to be looking at a Fluke or Flea, if not an Outdoor Ukulele. If you dont love it you can always resell it here in the Marketplace. (hint hint...)

In the first videos I saw on YT of the Bonanza Ukes, Petey Mack and Ukester Brown both had different intruments in the red boomerang pattern, which kind of reminds me of the older 1960s Art-Deco revival, and also kind like the Daddy-O chic of the Danelectro guitars...

Most of the other Wilsonart patterns, the granite and marble looking textures are not for me...and I wish they had at least one dark woodgrain or a carbon-fiber pattern...
 
Booli, don't you worry one bit about enabling! I won't blame you. I'm doing just fine on my own, ha ha!

You're absolutely right about the boomerang resembling the Daddy-O pattern. My office has a sorta-mid-Century vibe, so I can totally dig it! As much as I'm tempted by a Tenor Fluke, (and the Kanile'a Islander), I am honestly leaning towards the HPL for now. Petey's videos have convinced me that the sound is good, it won't be affected by my lack of climate control, and - the best part - it will look super cool.

Now to decide between the Boomerang patterns... Retro Mint, Retro Oxford, Retro Pop... or some combo of the three. :cool:
 
Thanks, Choirguy, that's the link! And your commission sounds great. What a unique idea. Would this be another "prize uke" for one of your students? An HPL would be a good, indestructible instrument for a kid.
 
I'd be looking at a heirloom for the choir room. Long story short...we're building a new building for our school and moving the name (and colors, mascot, etc.) to the new school. Granted, it is only a middle school (middle schools don't have the same identity as high schools) but I have tried to leave something special in each of the last three schools I have worked at in the district.

In this case, I want to have a cherry or walnut ukulele with the school song and choir logo engraved on. In my last school, it was a 3 foot wood-carved logo of the school logo. I still hear about that logo from people that don't know that I opened that last school...it is considered the "elite" school of the district and there is jealousy there, but "Did you see that wood logo in the choir room? It is awesome but so pretentious."

The funny part is that I was able to get that wood logo donated to the school. ;)

So the Bonanza Ukulele will hopefully stay with the new school, even if ukulele isn't a continuing factor after I am gone...and knowing music education, they won't be. But that's another story for another time!
 
Booli, don't you worry one bit about enabling! I won't blame you. I'm doing just fine on my own, ha ha!...

Well maybe you have become an enabler to me then, I spent a half hour going through their web site, and even longer than that watching vids on YT...

Much like this excellent demo by Petey Mack:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCCf3gatrsw

and now I feel a flare of UAS coming on...LOL. :music:
 
I'd be looking at a heirloom for the choir room. Long story short...we're building a new building for our school and moving the name (and colors, mascot, etc.) to the new school. Granted, it is only a middle school (middle schools don't have the same identity as high schools) but I have tried to leave something special in each of the last three schools I have worked at in the district.

In this case, I want to have a cherry or walnut ukulele with the school song and choir logo engraved on. In my last school, it was a 3 foot wood-carved logo of the school logo. I still hear about that logo from people that don't know that I opened that last school...it is considered the "elite" school of the district and there is jealousy there, but "Did you see that wood logo in the choir room? It is awesome but so pretentious."

The funny part is that I was able to get that wood logo donated to the school. ;)

So the Bonanza Ukulele will hopefully stay with the new school, even if ukulele isn't a continuing factor after I am gone...and knowing music education, they won't be. But that's another story for another time!

I have a soft spot for junior high schools, as mine was called the same name as my own last name! It makes me sad when I think about budget cuts forcing schools to cut things like music education. When you think of all that knowledge of music can give a person over a lifetime, I'd rather see them cut something like math! Ha ha! Yuck, numbers.

Good luck with your "memorial ukulele" project!
 
you know, HPL has some advantages as ukulele building material, design patterns being
one of them. What we need is a manufacturer who is willing to figure out a way to be able
to get ukulele-size blanks of HPL with custom-designs for one-off builds for truly customized
ukes :) (Actually, every custom build is truly customized, don't mean to ruffle any feathers).

Anyway, might be a niche someone could fill... sort of like the 'carbon-fiber' market that seems
to have dried up, aside from Blackbird :)

my 2 cents :)
 
Bonanza Ukuleles has a red laminate tenor in stock in the old retro boomerang pattern. That thing is too stinking cute! I'm not a huge fan of the red, but that Wilsonart boomerang laminate comes in many different colors.

Hmmmm... an HPL uke could be the answer to my office uke problem!

I have had a Bonanza for about 1 1/2 years and they are really nice! It would make a perfect office uke. As you can tell from sound clips, they have their own unique sound that is quite nice. Their playability is very nice as well. The almost endless laminate patters gives you the ability to make it yours! I got a blue pattern that gives me the feeling of water.

I don't really name my ukes, but this one got the name "Sky Blue" Not because it is sky blue in color, but more as a nod to the Hamms beer commercials I remember from my youth - "From the land of sky blue waters" Since Hamms was made in MN and Bonanzas are made in MN, it made for a perfect match!
 
Thanks for posting that video, Booli! What a good player and fun tune. That little soprano has such a great sound. It's so interesting to see how it evolved from the prototype. And those boomerangs! Drool! I want that same pattern, but in mint.

Just discovered their Facebook page where they have been posting their Deal of the Day and videos. Many videos of the wooden ukes, hosierhiver. The walnut is really lovely. Must resist and not stray from my quest for a durable office uke. I should remind myself that I have plenty of fabulous wooden ukes - including a couple of Mainlands ;)
 
you know, HPL has some advantages as ukulele building material, design patterns being
one of them. What we need is a manufacturer who is willing to figure out a way to be able
to get ukulele-size blanks of HPL with custom-designs for one-off builds for truly customized
ukes :) (Actually, every custom build is truly customized, don't mean to ruffle any feathers).

Anyway, might be a niche someone could fill... sort of like the 'carbon-fiber' market that seems
to have dried up, aside from Blackbird :)

my 2 cents :)

The Blackbird isn't actually carbon fiber, but a sustainable cloth like product, such as hemp or the like.
 
I'm not sure where the thread made it to Blackbird--but you do have to keep in mind that a Blackbird is five or six times the price of a Bonanza.
 
Which is why I bought a Bonanza and not a Blackbird!

Hear, hear! I love the idea of a ukulele made of hemp, and maybe one of those is in my future. But this will be Office-Uke. The HPL actually sounds very good from the clips I've heard. Very resonant. Sometime today Shelley is going to post some comparison vids on the Bonanza Facebook page of the three different tenor shapes they offer, to help me decide. When she does, I'll come back here and link it so y'all can see and hear.
 
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