Blackbird ukuleles - an all weather option?

Hello,

I'm wondering about blackbird ekoa ukuleles. Are they completely weather proof? Or do even they risk damage from extremes in hot and cold?

From the Blackbird website FAQ:
Humidity and temperature changes wreck nice wooden guitars. A Blackbird with either Ekoa or carbon fiber, this is a non-issue. If you could play in a tropical rain storm and be instantly teleported to a desert, the instrument would be fine (you'll need new strings and maybe tuners). These instruments need not be babied because both Ekoa and carbon fiber has several times the impact strength of wood. The Ekoa double top soundboard can be broken via a major impact and you will want your instrument in its gig bag when bush-whacking as it is not scratch-proof. Blackbirds endure heat better than wood guitars, but it is best that you treat your instrument more-or-less as you would yourself. So sustained temps of 150f (65c) and above are not advised- a temp that can be reached in a hot car in very hot conditions. In these cases, keep the guitar out of direct sun, in its case and detuned. Wait until the instrument cools down until you tune it back up. These are precautions and if the temp does not exceed 120f (50c) there will be no problem. Cold temps are never a problem after-all our guitars have been to Antarctica- thanks Henry Kaiser!
You can contact them directly for specific questions.

Note for emphasis: Blackbird site says "sustained temps of 150f (65c) and above are not advised...

I have a Blackbird Clara, and I can attest that it is amazing.

As I recall, they don't recommend that you have prolonged contact with water (so please don't submerge it), but most temperature and humidity issues are, well, non-issues. Super hot is not suggested (I suspect that it will eventually make the glues that hold it together come apart as most of those are heat activated) but any temperature *you* would be ok with should be fine.

For me, it's all about humidity. It is 10% humidity in here right now, and Clara doesn't mind at all...

Yes extreme heat may cause a problem. I’ve seen the effects it can cause on a Clara first hand.

John

70sSanO said:

Yes extreme heat may cause a problem. I’ve seen the effects it can cause on a Clara first hand.

John

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What constitutes extreme heat? 90/100*F day long? I do want a clara but would be good to know the tolerance.
For the record I believe the glues coming off due to heat is a good thing as it means the uke can be fixed if needed (wooden instruments are often put together in a way to be able to open them up based on the kind of glue from what I understand)..

70sSanO said:

Yes extreme heat may cause a problem. I’ve seen the effects it can cause on a Clara first hand.

John

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Please don't leave us hanging! Can you share your experiences with heat and the Clara?

Let me start off by saying that the people at Blackbird are great and their products are first rate. I always got very professional, timely, and informative responses to all of my questions. Also the Clara is a great sounding well made ukulele. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

The Clara I had was used and the soundboard had been repaired by Blackbird prior to my ownership. When I bought it, it had high action that I believed I could bring into an acceptable height, as I had done with other instruments. This one was a bit tougher but I got it to .090" at the 12th; but the neck just didn't look right and the playability was just not there. I took out a straight edge and the neck was bowed. The relief was .020" at the 6th fret. After a number of emails, it was surmised that the ukulele had probably been subjected to a high temperature. Blackbird offered to repair it at my cost, I was not the original owner and it was definitely not their fault. Another option was for me to build a jig of sorts and clamp it down, bring it to 180 degrees fahrenheit (temp provided by Blackbird) and re-set it (bend it back so-to-speak). That was not a good option for me since it would be trial and error on the amount of back bending and there is always a probably of some frets coming loose in the process.

I have no way to confirm that the ukulele was left in a car or some high temp environment, but the 180 degrees is doable in a car on a hot summer day. On a side note, anyone who has left a surfboard in a hot van or stored on an angle on the rafters can attest to how easily resin components and cloth can be impacted. As things turned out the soundboard repair didn't hold up and I ended up giving the ukulele away.

John

Thanks, John!

I appreciate hearing about your experience. Yeah, that sounds like it may have been a "hot car" issue.

My Clara came ordered direct from Blackbird themselves and the neck and action are just fine. I'll do my best to keep her out of extreme heat.

The Clara and Farallon are really nice ukuleles. I prefer the Farallon, but the Clara is a real cannon. Both are an answer for a high quality but impervious to most environments ukulele.

John

I had a chance to play a Farallon last night and was extremely impressed by the sound. Very rich and full, different from wood, but in a good way. Seems like a great alternative to wooden instruments, and one you don't have to worry so much about weather conditions.

On the other hand, I guess we don't really know yet how this material will stand the test of time, since it hasn't been around for very long.

Also, I've been wondering about the finish: while the material itself may endure extreme temperatures better than wood, does anyone have an experience about how the finish is reacting to a quick change from cold to hot, or from humid to dry?

Thanks everyone for their replies! I was wondering about a ukulele a person could leave in the car year round (UK climate, less extreme although last summer we hit late 30+°C)

I'm really picky about sound though too.

I have a Clara and have traveled to Florida with it many times. I leave it in the car sometimes in Florida but only for short periods of time. I don’t have to worry every second about it being in a car like a wood ukulele but I would never leave it in the car for hours. However, in New York I’ve Left the ukulele in the car for days during temperate periods. All with no issues.

I really appreciate reading about this experience... It does give me pause when looking for a used Clara...

70sSanO said:

Let me start off by saying that the people at Blackbird are great and their products are first rate. I always got very professional, timely, and informative responses to all of my questions. Also the Clara is a great sounding well made ukulele. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

The Clara I had was used and the soundboard had been repaired by Blackbird prior to my ownership. When I bought it, it had high action that I believed I could bring into an acceptable height, as I had done with other instruments. This one was a bit tougher but I got it to .090" at the 12th; but the neck just didn't look right and the playability was just not there. I took out a straight edge and the neck was bowed. The relief was .020" at the 6th fret. After a number of emails, it was surmised that the ukulele had probably been subjected to a high temperature. Blackbird offered to repair it at my cost, I was not the original owner and it was definitely not their fault....
I have no way to confirm that the ukulele was left in a car or some high temp environment, but the 180 degrees is doable in a car on a hot summer day. On a side note, anyone who has left a surfboard in a hot van or stored on an angle on the rafters can attest to how easily resin components and cloth can be impacted. As things turned out the soundboard repair didn't hold up and I ended up giving the ukulele away.

John

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It really doesn't take all that long for temps to rise in an enclosed car... These are average times. Can be significantly faster in direct sun.
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Wukulele said:

I really appreciate reading about this experience... It does give me pause when looking for a used Clara...
View attachment 115320

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Used is fine, just be more careful than I was. I know there have been design changes/improvements since the early ones. I think mine was a 2015. I would probably look for one produced at a later timeframe; maybe 2018. Hopefully someone here has better info on that.

John