Yikes! Dropped my uke!

atofu

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My poor uke fell off a nightstand the other day, and I felt like one of those super-strength adrenaline moms

Luckily, no damage!


Nightmare stories, anyone?


I know one of my friends had their ukulele fall out of an unzipped gig back all the way down a flight of stairs. Yikes
 
My Makala has taken a couple spills, but fortunately it's a trooper. Nothing but cosmetic damage.
 
I opened my case and my Kamaka Vintage gold label tenor bridge ripped off.....sheesh...really sick about that one...
 
My uke has bumped into a few things, but it survived. but heres an awesome story...

My friend was at a party. He brought his uke, like always. He leaves the party, then realizes he left his uke inside. Steps out of his car, and automatically pushes the lock button. but he failed to realize the car was running, so his keys are locked inside his 'stang. Hes flipping out, sets his uke on top of his car and calls his dad to get the spare key. by the time his dad gets there to unlock the car, he's so stressed... he forgets that his uke is on top of the car in its gig bag. He drives off, gets home... no uke. He is absolutely crushed. his uke is honestly his best friend xD so... hes sad. very sad. BUT WAIT THERES MORE!! The next day, a mutual friend calls him and says, "oh uhm are you missing your uke? Yeah, I was driving off from the party and I saw something in a black bag beside a stop sign, next to the road, and there was a uke inside..." and guess what? perfectly unharmed ^.^
 
All my ukes have been bounced off of something- I figure that it is best that I play the heck out of them and ding them, rather than worry about them.
When the lacquer started flaking off my 70 year old Martin I was a little disturbed, but whatever- it is 70.
I guess the worst of the bunch are the ones I hand to 7 year olds at recess-
 
One time my Kanile'a super soprano fell out of its case as I grabbed it from the passenger seat of my car because I had forgotten to close the latches. (uh, no comment on why the latch was open...) It hit the floor of the car but I caught it before it hit the parking lot. It sustained a couple of chips to its UV cured finish on the back edge, but no other major damage. I had been planning to sell this uke sometime down the road, but those chips probably shaved at least a few hundred bucks off its potential selling price, so I decided to keep it as a beater.
 
Wow, having a uke fall from a car and not get damaged is nothing short of a miracle. I havne't dropped my uke yet, but when I got to work today, my motor scooter started to fall, and I caught it, but I wrenched the hell out of my right wrist. I've taken pain meds 3 times, but it still hurts like hell, and I have my first gig a week from Saturday. Even typing hurts. I feel so stoopid.
 
My Reno fell out of my backpack onto ice. It was brutal.. I was sure it was cracked. But my lil laminate trooper came through without a single crack or injury sustained. Damn it's a real beater.. :D
My other two are solidbodies so I'm pretty much not worried about them at all..
 
I was walking home from work the other night and strumming my uke to pass the time, and tripped over something, to find myself crashing to the ground. Of course, what do I save? The ukulele. Somehow I managed to subconsciously restrain myself from throwing the hand holding the ukulele out to catch myself. Felt both silly and lucky afterwards =) My (insignificant) scratches will heal... the ukulele wouldn't. (Don't worry, I did sort of half-catch myself with my other hand and my knees, so I didn't totally faceplant)
I think I'd cry if my ukulele got damaged... only have the one.
 
I got the strap of one gigbag tangled in the strap of another, and when I took one out of the closet, the other one followed and landed on my foot. Wood uke wouldn't have been a problem, but it was a four-pound banjo uke, so the neck came off!

Anyway, after my initial horror, I realized nothing had cracked. Reset it, tightened it, and I was done. For about two days later, my foot was killing me.
 
Of course, what do I save? The ukulele. Somehow I managed to subconsciously restrain myself from throwing the hand holding the ukulele out to catch myself.

How did you save the ukulele without just falling on top of it? That sounds impressive.
 
I was coming out of a SEUkers' meeting at Starbucks one night, and had about 3 ukes and a few song books in tow. I didn't have my Lanikai tenor in a case, but had it slung over my shoulder on a strap. As I wrestled with my car keys, I felt the strap slip off the strap button on the bottom of the uke.

It fell straight down and the bottom hit the pavement with a loud percussive sound. Fortunately, I had just installed a JJB pickup a few weeks before and it landed right on the button, then fell over. Amazingly, there was only one small dent on one side's binding. I think the strap button both caused the accident, and saved the uke.
 
How did you save the ukulele without just falling on top of it? That sounds impressive.

My hands automatically went out to break my fall, but I swung the ukulele hand up again so that it never hit the ground. All subconsciously... I didn't realize until after that my gut reflex had been toward protecting the ukulele.
 
I play a bog standard Lanikai tenor with a pickup for gigs.
I looked at picked it just the other day and suddenly noticed all the wear on it. A couple of dings and scratches on the headstock, a circular scrape where tightened the nut on the cable plug, a shiny shiny patch where my right forearm rests on the bout, pick scrapes, wear on the fretboard, even a dink in one of the tuning pegs.....I kinda like it like that! I'm sure if it was a $kascillion custom job I'd be a bit concerned. But it ain't. It's my music tool. I love it.
 
I was coming out of a SEUkers' meeting at Starbucks one night, and had about 3 ukes and a few song books in tow. I didn't have my Lanikai tenor in a case, but had it slung over my shoulder on a strap. As I wrestled with my car keys, I felt the strap slip off the strap button on the bottom of the uke.

It fell straight down and the bottom hit the pavement with a loud percussive sound. Fortunately, I had just installed a JJB pickup a few weeks before and it landed right on the button, then fell over. Amazingly, there was only one small dent on one side's binding. I think the strap button both caused the accident, and saved the uke.

If they have grolsh beer with the flip top where you live. Buy one drink, it, save the rubber washer and slip it over your strap button after you put your strap on.
 

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Not a Uke horror but a string horror anyway. It was years ago when I played bass in a Jazz band. It was my baby of that time, a vintage factory custom Rickenbacker 4001. It was back stage just before a gig, and my Ric was laying flat out on a couch safe in it's case. I was playing it sitting on the couch an hour or so earlier, and put it back in the case until the show. I thought I latched it secure, but the latches closed, but didn't latch well. In a rush as we were getting ready to go on, I grabbed up my case on the fly and heard the "phyco" theme playing in my head as I felt time slow down, and I felt the case lurch. Still at a double time stride, looked down as I watched the case flop open and my baby roll out of it's nest tumbling on the floor, tripping me up as I hopped to try and not kick and step on it as it tumbled down my hip and legs. I managed to avoid stepping on it as I did my avoidance jig but watched in horror as my baby hit the floor in what sounded like a train coming off the tracks (to me it did anyway). Everyone stopped in their tracks and I knelt down cradeling up my Ric throwing my head back with mouth wide open in a slow motion "NOOOOOOOOooo TAKE MEEEEEEEEE"...

Anyway, enough of the drama. My Ric was fine, not a scratch, and played better than ever that night..

I haven't trusted hard cases with those latches since.. I like zippers..
 
One time my Kanile'a super soprano fell out of its case as I grabbed it from the passenger seat of my car because I had forgotten to close the latches. (uh, no comment on why the latch was open...) It hit the floor of the car but I caught it before it hit the parking lot. It sustained a couple of chips to its UV cured finish on the back edge, but no other major damage. I had been planning to sell this uke sometime down the road, but those chips probably shaved at least a few hundred bucks off its potential selling price, so I decided to keep it as a beater.

A Kanile'a for a "beater"......sigh, some days I wonder if I'm in the right place. LOL
 
I tried to make a soundhole humidifier that went terribly wrong and it dripped water all onto the little Kanilea sticker in the uke. It got all bleeded out and smeared. Then days later my 11 month daughter decided to throw the TV remote into the sound board and put a nice little dent. Gives the uke character and I know when she leaves for college I will look at the dent with loving memories. As long as nothing affects the sound I really don't care, instruments are meant to be played and in doing so will incure superficial damage.
 
I had a bag full of ukes as I was getting the bus back from teaching uke in a school. somehow my bag became unzipped and a uke fell out. Found out later that it was only a dolphin but I'd managed to chip the paint off the headstock. Tippex solved that problem :p
 
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