Do's and Don'ts of playing in the sun

specialmike

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So I was playing the other day in the sun and I found it extraordinarily enjoyable. I live in GA, so the heat from the sun was immense, but the environment I play in is always humid and stuffy. :eek:
Considering that those two conditions are ideal for a Koa Tree, does it still follow good ukulele practice to allow the ukulele to be put in that condition. I read a thing on G-String Ukulele website that says different and stated that you should not keep your ukulele in the sun for more than two minutes. I find that hard to believe, considering that the ukulele's state of origin is known for high humidity, immense sunlight, and uncomfortable weather.

Any ideas?

(If this is a re-post, I apologize in advance, I couldn't find the older post)
 
I'm no expert but i don't think it's great for your uke to be in extremely humid conditions and intense sunlight for extended periods of time. i know hot/dry weather can cause cracks etc. over time so i'm guessing that hot/humid weather may also have some bad effects. glue could come loose on the bridge etc. i'm not sure for certain but no doubt someone more knowledgable will be here to answer in depth for you soon!
 
When we first got our pono's we read voraciously and learned that we should play it in a uv proof room, at a perfect 68F and 50%humidity, touched only by pure cotton items made from yarn spun by the virgin nuns of Guadalupe, never to be breathed upon, and certainly never to be looked at directly as the human gaze alone could cause damage.

Yeah, so a couple years later, and we drag these things EVERYWHERE! Trips to Hawaii (80F/80% ), Bonaire, Mobile (85F/95%) We don't leave it in our black car in direct sun for hours at a time, obviously, but figure if the conditions are such that we can be outside, so can the instrument. If we have to wear a parka and mittens, obviously we won't be playing so that rules out the cold stuff. And for us, anything over 80 is too hot for direct sun. and we are laying out trying to stay cool by hangin under the trees. So problem solved.

Ukes are like your children. Your first one you obsess and protect. By the 4th kid you let them eat high fructose corn syrup and run with power tools.
 
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2 minutes seems like a tad paranoid but maybe for warranty reasons. "Were you playing your uke in the direct sunlight for over 2 minutes before it started cracking? Well then the warranty is void." My photo session with my baby Honu and Koa Kumalae was 15 minutes in direct sunlight and da buggah nevah melt or explode.
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If you have a healthy coat of protection covering the wood be it lacquer, Trueoil, polyurethane, etc. it should handle anything the human body can. I rather play under the shade of a tree on a sunny day anyways. I fear rain more than the sun. One note though is your 'ukulele can get sunburn where the UVs will fade the beautiful grains and contrasting colors of the wood into a more muted tone over time when exposed to direct sunlight. Purpleheart will turn a brown with exposure to UVs too over time. Some woodworkers actually rub sunscreen into the wood before finishing to help protect the grain colors.
 
When we first got our pono's we read voraciously and learned that we should play it in a uv proof room, at a perfect 68F and 50%humidity, touched only by pure cotton items made from yarn spun by the virgin nuns of Guadalupe, never to be breathed upon, and certainly never to be looked at directly as the human gaze alone could cause damage.

Yeah, so a couple years later, and we drag these things EVERYWHERE! Trips to Hawaii (80F/80% ), Bonaire, Mobile (85F/95%) We don't leave it in our black car in direct sun for hours at a time, obviously, but figure if the conditions are such that we can be outside, so can the instrument. If we have to wear a parka and mittens, obviously we won't be playing so that rules out the cold stuff. And for us, anything over 80 is too hot for direct sun. and we are laying out trying to stay cool by hangin under the trees. So problem solved.

Ukes are like your children. Your first one you obsess and protect. By the 4th kid you let them eat high fructose corn syrup and run with power tools.


You must be a long lost member of my family! :rofl::rofl:
 
This is an interesting conversation.

I recently put on a big music festival on the beach and concerns were aplenty as this was in sunny FL.

It seems to me that an ukulele player who gets paid to do a 2 hour show on the beach (albeit on stage) should be able to do this. Uke players have done this from the dawn of time in Hawaii, n'est pas?
 
I think we take to overprotecting our ukes like we over protect our youth. You hear people only wanting perfect used ukes. It is an instrument that is meant to be played and sometimes scratches happen. I carry my uke outside all the time. I never leave it sitting in my car bad idea and i never leave it sitting in direct sunlight (another bad idea).
 
A couple of things worth noting:

  • Yes, trees depend on sunlight for growth but the wood itself is protected from sunlight by the bark.
  • Wood is photosensitive and most woods will change color over time if exposed to sunlight. Some woods darken (such as walnut), some lighten (such as mahogany), some stay the same (such as maple). The amount of change depends on the amount of sunlight and the type of finish.
  • The biggest problem with direct sunlight is heat, which can soften the glue holding your uke together.
  • If you do play outside, make sure you wipe down your uke completely when you're done playing to get any sweat and sunscreen off the finish. (If you have a non-gloss finish you may even want to wipe it down between songs or avoid sunscreen on any part of your body that will be in contact with the uke.)
 
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Musical instruments are far hardier than we sometimes give them credit for. Do you think that those precious 17th and 18th century instruments lived their lives in climate controlled homes? They lived in special containers during their months and years at sea being played by officers of ships? Riiiiiight. All those years of what we would call abuse today made them the instruments they are now.

Reasonable care, don't leave it in a snow storm, don't drop it in the tub then put it in the microwave to dry it out, and don't put it in the freezer to cool off after playing it outside. Wood and finishes do fine in environments if you introduce them to it in increments. It's the rapid changes that cause the problems.
 
We do virtually all of our playing outside, in the cockpit of our boat. It's a very stable environment 80-85F, 70-75%RH, year-round, and our ukes seem to like it very much.

We try to keep the ukes out of direct sunlight. If they are in the sun they get really hot, and that causes them to go out of tune, as well as being bad for the glue, etc.

When we are in New Mexico, it's a whole different story. We still spend a lot of time playing outside, but with the dramatic temperature changes throughout the day (sometime 40F changes between day and night) and almost no humidity, our ukes are not quite so happy and demand frequent tuning and lots of humidifiers.
 
Wear a hat an apply sunscreen. As a kid I never used the stuff. Only used zinc oxide on the nose when it got raw. I'm now paying for daily sun exposure without sunscreen. I'm sure I've helped put my dermatologist kids through college! Oh, as far as playing your uke in the sun: play until you're exhausted, make a double MaiTai, sit in a shady, cool place. :D :music:
 
And here I thought this was going to be a thread on "special playing in the sun techniques"...

Lots of people play who own instruments more expensive than our ukes play them in the sun.
 
So I was playing the other day in the sun and I found it extraordinarily enjoyable. I live in GA, so the heat from the sun was immense, but the environment I play in is always humid and stuffy. :eek:
Considering that those two conditions are ideal for a Koa Tree, does it still follow good ukulele practice to allow the ukulele to be put in that condition. I read a thing on G-String Ukulele website that says different and stated that you should not keep your ukulele in the sun for more than two minutes. I find that hard to believe, considering that the ukulele's state of origin is known for high humidity, immense sunlight, and uncomfortable weather.

Koa trees also thrive for years planted in the dirt and exposed to the elements of direct sunlight, rain, and wind. Do an experiment with your G-String and see how it plays after some time in these conditions.
 
So as long as you don't run from your house with air conditioner to your yard with Georgia's heat you'll be ok Mike:)

I'm with John on this one.

We (my friends and I) play outside here at my house most every weekend. While we do play in an unattached garage, it's not air conditioned (yet). So when I bring my instruments (guitar, bass, uke, what-have-you) out I do give them time to get used to the changes in tempurature.

I also like to keep a uke handy on the deck as well. I'm ok with it being outside as long as it has some shade. I never leave them in the direct sun.

And when you're ready, give me a holler and you can come jam with us! We'll set you up under a nice shady tree!
 
A good rule of thumb is if you can stand it, the uke can. I wouldn't leave it sit in direct sunlight by itself while while you do something else. But playing it, if you can stand the conditions it can.
 
Koa trees also thrive for years planted in the dirt and exposed to the elements of direct sunlight, rain, and wind. Do an experiment with your G-String and see how it plays after some time in these conditions.

i have a koaloha, not a g string
 
This is why I hate expensive ukes, even though I have one and pull it out on rare occasions. 95 percent of the time I play beat-up junk (albeit nice beat-up junk). Play it in the bathroom, drag it into bed with me, tie it onto my backpack and head into the mountains, leave it lying (in the shade) on the floorboards of my car. Take it everywhere and play it everywhere. I figure that by virtue of doing this I've logged hundreds if not thousands of more hours playing than I would have had I only my cherry 60s Martin locked in its plush hard case. (And btw, some of my beaters have spent whole days in the sun on the trail, and are none the worse for wear.)
 
When we first got our pono's we read voraciously and learned that we should play it in a uv proof room, at a perfect 68F and 50%humidity, touched only by pure cotton items made from yarn spun by the virgin nuns of Guadalupe, never to be breathed upon, and certainly never to be looked at directly as the human gaze alone could cause damage.

Yeah, so a couple years later, and we drag these things EVERYWHERE! Trips to Hawaii (80F/80% ), Bonaire, Mobile (85F/95%) We don't leave it in our black car in direct sun for hours at a time, obviously, but figure if the conditions are such that we can be outside, so can the instrument. If we have to wear a parka and mittens, obviously we won't be playing so that rules out the cold stuff. And for us, anything over 80 is too hot for direct sun. and we are laying out trying to stay cool by hangin under the trees. So problem solved.

Ukes are like your children. Your first one you obsess and protect. By the 4th kid you let them eat high fructose corn syrup and run with power tools.

How often do you go to mobile? I'm living there now...
 
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