So...What was your first major ukulele 'acident'?

cocohonk

cocohonk

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
421
Reaction score
0
I guess I should consider myself lucky in many respects, as I've been playing the ukulele for more than 1.5 years, and only yesterday did a ukulele accident finally happen to me.

I was hanging out with my nephew, and everything was dandy, right up until he accidentally stepped on my backpacker (which I do admit, was partially my fault since I had it on a chair inside only a cloth bag) and broke it. I think right now I'm still kind of in denial that it happened at all :D, though the disconnected neck and a 1.5 inches break/crack on the soundboard says otherwise. *heartbreak - especially since this is a pretty new ukulele, and I've barely just broken it in to exactly how I like it*

It's my first pretty ghastly self-inflicted (or in this case, family-inflicted) damage (and not say, a vintage one that's already damaged when I bought it) for any of my ukuleles (and hopefully my last), and I've just contacted the luthier who made it to ask if I can pay him to repair it, so hopefully my poor ukulele will soon be fixed, but it got me curious (or at least, it'll be a distraction from staring at the ukulele and wishing I could turn back time) -

When and what was your first major ukulele accident, and how did you take it? :D
 
Last edited:
Aloha CoCo Honk,
You damaged Captain backpacker....sorry to hear that....Bevan is really good on service and I'm sure he'll bring it back to life......Good Luck!!!Happy Strummings....MM Stan..
 
Dane said:
My first major accident was buying a uke. I'm addicted and it has consumed much of my time. ;)
Click to expand...

I'm another 'major accident victim' in the same sense.

Sorry about yours, and I hope it can be fixed up for you.
 
I just had mine yesterday. I forgot that the case for my Kanile'a super soprano was not latched and picked it up. Out tumbled the ukulele and it sustained one big dent on the edge of the back lower bout. The UV gloss finish kind of chipped and the area immediately surrounding the dent turned a bit white. I was rather upset because it was the first time I've ever dropped a ukulele and I felt like a complete moron for not latching that case before picking it up.

This ukulele actually had been on the chopping block as the next one I sell off for quite some time. But I haven't brought myself to sell it because it has some rather rare curly figure on the wood. I guess that dent just cost me $200-300 so it probably doesn't make sense to sell it anymore. Maybe that's a good thing.
 
GX9901 said:
I just had mine yesterday. I forgot that the case for my Kanile'a super soprano was not latched and picked it up. Out tumbled the ukulele and it sustained one big dent on the edge of the back lower bout. The UV gloss finish kind of chipped and the area immediately surrounding the dent turned a bit white. I was rather upset because it was the first time I've ever dropped a ukulele and I felt like a complete moron for not latching that case before picking it up.

This ukulele actually had been on the chopping block as the next one I sell off for quite some time. But I haven't brought myself to sell it because it has some rather rare curly figure on the wood. I guess that dent just cost me $200-300 so it probably doesn't make sense to sell it anymore. Maybe that's a good thing.
Click to expand...

I think everyone has picked up their case and forgotten that it was not latched. I've done it several times in fact.
 
Yep, that happened to me, with my beautiful Mango tenor. Thanks goodness it was the Kala, not the Mya-Moe.
 
I guess mines not that bad...but bad enough to bang my head on the wall....I was changing a the "C" string and had a old wound around that I wanted to put on my new gloss finish
uke, and since the used wound string was curled at the end it made an deep half inch scratch on the headstock by the post.....I was sick...I've learned now, when using old wound
strings to put tape around the area, just in case....wish I was more carefull and known better before.....
 
Been playing fifteen years - it hasn't happened, yet.

(Where's the "fingers crossed" smilie?)
 
Playing about 1.5 years. Nothing yet. Learned my lesson with some nice classical guitars many years ago. So upsetting when it happens.
 
howdy cocohonk

mine came about 4 months ago after I'd just finished putting up 20 stringswing uke hangers in the sunroom for my display...of course I was so excited I got all the ukes out of their cases to parade them for the wife and kids....take pictures etc...problem was it was the middle of winter and the room has almost no insulation so violent extremes of temperature...went to bed feeling very self satisfied and left em up on the wall...in the morning the wood on 2 of my vintage ukes had shrivelled up and their backs looked like the rolling hills, they had waves in them like the sets at waikiki, completely misshapen...(thankfully all the others were pretty OK)

thanks for helping me to confront such a painful memory :eek:

hmmm...come to think of it I feel a little better having got that off my chest...this thread could turn out to be a UAA gathering (Ukulele Abusers Anonymous) :)
 
I've only had a minor accident, but I've only been playing four months...

The day after I got my Ohana, I didn't have a case for it yet and instead of putting it in the box it came in, I left it sitting on my desk and a kitty (not sure which one as we have four) knocked it off in the night and now it has a chip in the bottom, nothing major and it's barely noticeable...but man I felt stupid!

Hope yours can be fixed!
 
The day I received what is now my "main" ukulele, I was wearing a sundress with lingerie hooks all the way down the front.

After playing for a few minutes, I stopped to gaze admiringly at my new beauty, only to discover that the hooks on my dress had made a handful of long, deep scratches all over the back of the uke.
 
I remember I had my first Ukulele and it was this old beat up thing that wasn't worth much at all.... but it was my first and only at the time and he was my baby. so i was walking by my piano, Ukulele in hand, when I cut the corner around the piano a little too sharp. my uke was at my side where the piano was and I my uke ran right into the corner and the was this hole about an inch wide in one of the sidewalls. I was so upset I just didn't know what to do.
 
SailQwest said:
The day I received what is now my "main" ukulele, I was wearing a sundress with lingerie hooks all the way down the front.

After playing for a few minutes, I stopped to gaze admiringly at my new beauty, only to discover that the hooks on my dress had made a handful of long, deep scratches all over the back of the uke.
Click to expand...

Ooh yeah I've got a few snake trails too, but at least they're on theback and it shows that you've been enjoying it.
 
That's really sad...I hope it can be fixed.

I dont think I have really ever had a major uke acident. There was one time when I fixing up an old cheap uke that needed some help and I acidentally broke the nut. But I think that's about all...Thankfully:)
 
Nothing earth shattering but I dinged mine on the door frame the first week that I got it so it has a small crack on the back edge. I did it again a few weeks later and it has a tiny chip from that. I'm normally so careful with my things but I'm a bit of a clutz when it comes to door frames for some reason.
 
thisnthat said:
Nothing earth shattering but I dinged mine on the door frame the first week that I got it so it has a small crack on the back edge. I did it again a few weeks later and it has a tiny chip from that. I'm normally so careful with my things but I'm a bit of a clutz when it comes to door frames for some reason.
Click to expand...

I was just about to mention this-- I do that all the time! For some reason I hit the headstock almost every time I walk through a door while I'm playing. It usually elicits an "Ooh..." from me, temporarily stopping to check for a mark, then going along on my merry way. :)
 
Luckily, in fifteen years as a musician, I haven't had a major catastrophe. I've had trombones, guitars, ukuleles, trumpets, euphoniums, drums, a violin, and countless other small instruments. Nothing has happened to make them unplayable. That all said, I have not owned an instrument worth more than $800 in my life time. My wife bought a $2,000 instrument not long ago and it stays in the case mostly because of the fear that something will happen!

I don't like to tempt Murphy so I tend to not live with him. I take very special notice on my instruments and make sure to keep them well maintained. I don't put an instrument in a case unless that case will be latched (very important). I don't let others I don't trust (or who wouldn't trust me) handle my instruments. I avoid playing in situations where the instrument may get wet (even brass; except in high school marching band).

I've had my share of dings, though. I look at those as ways to remember an event. I know where all of the scratches and dings in my old trombone came from and it is a hell of a walk down memory lane when play that thing!

~DB
 
cocohonk said:
I guess I should consider myself lucky in many respects, as I've been playing the ukulele for more than 1.5 years, and only yesterday did a ukulele accident finally happen to me.

I was hanging out with my nephew, and everything was dandy, right up until he accidentally stepped on my backpacker (which I do admit, was partially my fault since I had it on a chair inside only a cloth bag) and broke it. I think right now I'm still kind of in denial that it happened at all :D, though the disconnected neck and a 1.5 inches break/crack on the soundboard says otherwise. *heartbreak - especially since this is a pretty new ukulele, and I've barely just broken it in to exactly how I like it*

It's my first pretty ghastly self-inflicted (or in this case, family-inflicted) damage (and not say, a vintage one that's already damaged when I bought it) for any of my ukuleles (and hopefully my last), and I've just contacted the luthier who made it to ask if I can pay him to repair it, so hopefully my poor ukulele will soon be fixed, but it got me curious (or at least, it'll be a distraction from staring at the ukulele and wishing I could turn back time) -

When and what was your first major ukulele accident, and how did you take it? :D
Click to expand...


I suspect on a tuesday or wednesday (my days off) I could fix that for you.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Ad-LowG
New Uke Day (NUD) TYDE Koa Pocket Uke - It was meant to be!
2
Replies
21
Views
482
richntacoma
richntacoma
Canada Jim
"If I'd known I was gonna live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself." Eubie Blake
Replies
1
Views
91
Canada Jim
Canada Jim
U
My progress on the uke - u/ukudancer aka Arvin's Electric Ukulele Land (which I thought was a fun play on the Hendrix album)
Replies
4
Views
221
ukudancer
U
U
I read a listing today, and I was like- what?
Replies
3
Views
321
Bad_Astronaut
B
TimWilson
When was the last time you changed your strings?
2 3
Replies
53
Views
2K
Wiggy
Wiggy
Top Bottom