And for something completely different...

Just something I laugh about. I did something awhile back, that has sort of ended up a signature for me with my grand kids.. I only do this with my Solid Mahogany Uke. I love natural fragrances. Just something from my youth I guess. I am very aroma natured I guess. Call me weird.. I used to love the smell of my Dad's pipes when I was a kid (Lord rest his soul). Awesome memories for me. I been smoking a pipe for about 20 years now, my favorite pipe aroma being "Amaretto" which is an almond, vanilla scent. I also love the scent of Eucalyptus. Anyway, back to Ukes.. Awhile back, I started adding a couple drops of Eucalyptus oil in with the water in my humidor for my Uke case for "IZ" (my mahogany Uke). I did it really, because it combats mildew which sometimes can form in the Humidor during damper seasons. I also awhile back took a little hemp sack and stuffed it with my favorite blend of Amaretto Pipe tobacco. I put that little hemp sack of pipe tobacco inside my Uke body. So, now my wood Uke bastes in the aroma of Eucalyptus, and Amaretto when it's in the case. Now, every time I open my case, an awesome waft of aroma fills the air. My grandkids have gotten to love it when I break out the Uke. Sometimes I will be banging on one of my throw down Ukes, and my grand kids will bring me my case with my Mahog in it, and say "Granpa, play this one, I wanna smell it.. It smells purdee.." Anyway, indirectly, a thing I started awhile back has now turned into a Grandpa signiature, at the same time, I believe creating awesome memories for my grand kids, that will last long after I am gone.. I just think it's cool, and wanted to share.. Funny how the small things, mean so much to a kid..

That's a cool story. I never thought of adding scents to my case...I have thought about how to take nasty smells out of used cases though.

Great story. Now that I have two little ones of my own, I often wonder about things like what their lasting memories might be.

I always wonder that too. It is a proven scientific fact that smells do trigger memories, good or bad. I relate many memories of my youth to smells. Smell of Christmas, smell of my Grandma and Grandpa's house. The smell of the dirt outside Grandpa's garage where I used to catch these little funnel bugs. You know those bugs that form little funnels in sand to capture their prey? The smell of eucalyptus for some reason reminds me of those little green turtles you used to be able to buy for .25 cents at the local store for pets. What my dad smelled like when he got home from work. Wasn't a foul odor, it was a musky spicey odor. Not a good odor either, but for me, was the smell of safety. Oh yeah, and Grandpa's Old Spice, lol.. His bathroom always smelled like that, and I used to climb up on the sink as a kid and play with his shaving cream cup and brush, because they smelled like Grandpa.. Anyway, I am rambling, but again, I have always been very odor driven, and that is what keeps my memories, and apparently my kids, and grand kids too. Just a cool thought I think...

That is so cool! It's true, scents really do trigger memories like that. I remember at my grandma's old house she had this big vanilla scented candle that I loved, and now every time I smell vanilla, I think of being over at her house.
And pipe smoke smells really good, I don't smoke, but we have a neighbour who smokes a pipe and I love being outside when he's smoking. I bet the Amaretto stuff would make a good "uke scent".

hahhah.. Yeah, I guess it is, because the grandkids love the smell of "IZ". I laugh when they come running up to me when they bust in the house and yell "Grandpa, Grandpa, can I smell your little guitar again?" lol.. Like said, I am sure that is going to stick with them long after I am gone, and I like that.. hahhah

Mood therphy ukulele

Ha Ha,
I've been doing it for a few years now, I bought a used ukulele from my former neighbor and
it smelled so nice like roses, when I played my ukulele it acted like a pump because it would vibrate
and pump sweet smell of roses out of the soundhole and make my ukulele an even more pleasurable
experience. I realized then I had some other used ukulele's that I bought that had some tobbaco
smell that I wasn't fond of, so I went to the drugs store and bought those hanging car air fresheners
and stuck them into my ukulele cases for my old and new ukes. It's has been a very delightfull and continues to put in a very relaxing mood. Mellow music and aroma therphy!!!! You must give it a try
for those who have'nt tried it!!! the combination certainly works for me!!!

Great story. Reminds me when my grandpa would break out his guitar and the smell of pipe tobacco came rushing out. I have that old Martin now and it still has just a hint of tobacco smell.

This is probably going to kill this thread stone dead but....................

Just before my Mum died, aged 83, she had Gangrene in her leg. Believe me, that's a smell I will never ever forget.

Sorry,
Ian.
(I haven't made it up by the way!).

I lost my sense of smell in a military accident many years ago, but I still remember how certain things smelled. The sense of smell is a powerful thing....

Yeah, thats kinda weird. I have a good friend that lost her sense of smell while in the Navy. Not sure what happened to loose it, but we car pooled together for a long time. I embarrassed her when we got on the subject of farts one morning on the way to work. She confessed to me that she farts in the car all the time, and glad that her farts don't smell. I looked at her with that look and told her, "Uh, Tami, your farts DO smell horrible. Remember, you have no sense of smell, and I been just too polite to tell you.." hahah.. She was red in the face big time.. lol.. true story..

That is a cute idea. I never thought about making my uke smell good. Hmmm... what would my smell be? The thing I love is "soap" smells... like the lotions and what-not called "clean linen". The problem is a soap and wood smell does not seem like it would work. That will be an amazing memory for them!

My Ohana tenor has a solid cedar top.
Every time I take the latches off and open the case, I get hit in the face by that unmistakable cedar aroma.
It's brilliant.

In high school, I bought a brand new Rickenbacker 4003 bass (in 1982). I sold it when I was in college in '87. In 2001, I was visiting my sister, who still lived in the city where I sold it. I could remember the name of the 18-year old kid I had sold it to, and I decided I wanted to look him up to see if he still had it. I wanted to buy it back if it was languishing in a closet somewhere. He had a strange last name. But when I looked in the phone book, there were about 60 listings for that last name, so I gave up. I wandered into some random guitar store. The sales man asked if he could help me. I said "Probably not.... *sigh*". He laughed and asked what was wrong so I told him the story, as well as the name of the guy who bought it. He said "Was it a blue Rickenbacker?" I said it was, and he said "It's here. He brought it in to get a new truss rod. Do you want to see it?" Of course I wanted to see it! He brought it out and it was definitely my case, complete with the slightly crooked "Rickenbacker" sticker I had put on it. So I closed my eyes before I opened the case, and took a deep breath before I opened my eyes. The case and the bass still smelled EXACTLY like I remembered it, even after 14 years. He gave me the guy's phone number, and I called him after I got back home. He said he had 14 basses, but that one was his favorite ever. After that, I didn't want to try to buy it back anymore. It was enough to know that it was still being loved and played.
My dad smoked a pipe for a long time, and I have smoked and collected pipes since I was 18. I don't know that anyone (other than pipe smokers) would love the smell of my pipe tobacco though. I don't like the flavored stuff. The tobaccos I smoke smell more like a campfire, or smoky BBQ sauce. My wife hates them, even though I've smoked the same things since we met 25 years ago, and she didn't seem to mind them back then. So I don't smoke a lot anymore, unless it's not windy outside (which is rare) or my wife is out of town. But I have a bit over 500 pipes!

Hey Chris, that was a great story with a good ending. Thanks for sharing.
Nice to know your old bass is still being cared for properly.

Thank you. I got a little teary when I found it, and still do at times when I think of it. It was a really great day. I hated selling it back when I did, but needed the money for college.

Mim said:

That is a cute idea. I never thought about making my uke smell good. Hmmm... what would my smell be? The thing I love is "soap" smells... like the lotions and what-not called "clean linen". The problem is a soap and wood smell does not seem like it would work. That will be an amazing memory for them!

Click to expand...

Aloha Mim,
Just thought to add If you have multiple ukes as you have, Try different scents. LIke flowers for romance or relaxing and pine or ocean outdoors
relaxation. and citrus for fresh or a new day etc. Have a different scent for several ukes and cases. That way you can pull the one for whatever
mood you're at that moment. If the scent is too weak, for you try scented oils too. Dab a drop on cardboard or cotton ball. Hope it brightens
your life as it did for mine!!!! Aloha......

We have allot in common. My first Ric was an AWESOME vintage 4001 back in the 70s. I worked my butt off for a year for that bass that was hung up in a local music shop. It was an all black custom factory built one a customer custom ordered, but never picked it up. It was black body, black bindings, and pick gaurd, black knobs, even black perl inlays in on the fretboard. It was a beutiful ric. I sold it years ago and looked for that bass for many years, but never found it again. Wish I still had it, it was one of a kind as far as I know. Years later, I bought a blue 4003 like yours, and played it for years, but it was never, or could ever be that black one I loved..

BTW, I also collect pipes.. I served in Germany is the Air Force, and while over there, I bought many Euopean and turkish pipes (I spent time in Turkey while in Europe). I've always loved pipes, from my youth when my Dad smoked em..

very nice story Tudorp and does bring back a lot of memories of smells of our youth. I grew up on a farm, so I was privy to a multitude of great smells, hay in our old barn, mom's flower gardens, hog pens , and I am also a pipe smoker. Scotty's Butternut Blend is my favorite, and I definitely will start putting a couple bags of my blend in my cases. I have 8 grandkids, with only 3 still young enough to develop such a memory base, but not too late for them. Thanks for posting this. Lozark

never too late to make memories.

I have been pondering allot about memories, and especially with kids lately. Sounds kinda creepy, so let me elaburate some, hahhah..

I have an awesome relationship with all my kids, as I had with my own father. My dad was not only my dad, but he was also my best friend. He would whoop my ass when it was needed, and he also stood by me when it was needed. I lost my dad a couple years ago, and even though I have moved on, I still cry for him every now and then. He was an awesome man, and everyone that he ever met, he made an impact, and they just fell in love with the guy. He was tough, and he was fun. He knew how to have fun, and knew how to laugh, and make others laugh. The best memories of my life was with Dad. But, he was old, and it was his time to go. What got me spinning on memories, and especially memories for kids were not just my own memories. I have 3 grown sons, who all three have grown to be awesome men. I also have a late in life daughter who is now 13 years old. My daughter just lost her best friend since kindergarden last week. Her freind was a sick kid. She had Cystic Fibrosis, and had to fight for every breath she had taken, since birth. She missed allot of school due to it, and didn't have many friends because many people would't let their kids play with her, because they were afraid their kids might get sick from her. Ignorance... My daughter has so much fun with her friend. She would spend the night with us, and my daughter would spend the night at her house. They had a blast for years. I really admired this little girl. She was the sweetest spirit, and very soft spoken. But, not to be confused with weakness. This girl was stronger than most adults I have ever met. She had one of those silent strength personalities. If you looked, you would see it. She would run around the house, and have to stop, put her hands on her knees, and try to catch her breath. You could see it was a real fight for her. But, this kid never complained. Everything she said, was just sweet inosence. She had an ifectious, sweet smile. I would worry about her during her bouts of breathlessness. She would cough a cough you only hear from heavy smokers. I would go over to her and ask "Orchid, you ok hon?". She would look up at me, with the sweetest smile, through blood shot eyes and say "Yes, Mr. Huguley, I'm ok.." This was such an awesome kid. She passed away last week, and was only 12 years old. Her family just burried her yesterday. My 13 year old daughter has been beside herself since her friend's death. And taking it kinda hard. But, we all knew, and so did she, that Orchid would probably not ever see adulthood, even though she was so much more grown up than many adults today. I can not thank the good Lord enough for all my kids. I have been blessed with 4 of the healthiest kids. All, very strong, healthy, and good people. They all have expressed memories to me of their childhood that make me proud. They express their appreciation for me, and the memories that all have. Stuff that I have never thought about until now. Little crap, that I took for granted, are now memories for them. And I am proud and happy to say, most are good memories that will be with them for a lifetime, long after I am gone. I will do whatever I can, to make more for them, as well as my grand kids..

Anyway.. Nuff of that fluffy stuff.. .If there is a message, it would be to make memories not only for yourself, but for those around you, because you won't be here forever..
Rest in peace kiddo. You are loved and will be missed by many..