So does anyone personalize their ukulele?

birdergirl

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I know folks may update strings, tuners, add pickups, etc. But has anyone here touched their ukuleles cosmetically to "personalize" them? I'd love to find a way to add the (other) important things in my like to my uke. Is it a matter of value? If my first uke had been under a couple hundred bucks, I'd probably already have an artist somehow adding a picture of my parrot. But since I jumped in with both feet financially on my first purchase I hesitate. The idea made me wonder about you folks that have been at this a lot longer than me. Do you, don't you? Just curious.
 
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I stickered a dolphin and then cleaned them off. Then was going to sticker a fluke with grateful dead bears but didn't do it and sold it instead. I tend not to be one who personalizes too much. I just got a Gold Tone Baritone Banjo Uke and don't know what I might do to it. Sounds pretty cool though.
 
Photo 29.jpg Did this to my stage uke for my band.....they are just stickers. (yeah, I know the pic is backwards.....taken a long time ago b4 I knew how to flip photo booth.)
 
Ussally, from subtle, to extream work. One, as little as a sticker of a gecko. And on my Tenor, it is a one of a kind, but before the new smell was gone, I had it completely sanded, nitro gloss finished, and converted to an acustic/electric. Not another like it..
 
Bling hanging from the headstock ala Aldrine. I have a very plain jane Kamaka (from a looks perspective - the sound is totally great) and have a little cell phone charm that a friend gave me that's an outrigger. Seemed like the just the thing to personalize my Kamaka.
 
I personalize mine. So far, one tiny scratch and one thumbnail mark.
 
Loving that design, ukeeku :)

I keep having urges to completely attack my first uke with art, and as it only cost be like £11, it won't be a terrible loss if I did somehow mess it up completely. But then I think of everything that it's given me, and I really don't want to mess it up.

So if i'd done a lot of planning on a design, maybe then I'd mess around with some paint :p
 
I have a sailor soprano coming that I had my dads name inlayed on the 12th fret.
 
Maybe I could hang my poo ka beads from hippy days on the headstock!!! I still have them somewhere lol.
 
When I restored my old '20s Regal mahogany/spruce tiple the original bridge had been bolted by some miscreant at one point or another, and when it finally came up under string tension, part of the top was somewhat ripped up, too. Rather than install a bulky bridge plate and reinforce the damaged area too much, I simply converted it over to mandolin-style floating bridge setup.

At the same time, to disguise the repairs to the top (and also the uglification from bridge damage), I painted a "bunnies in canoe" scene reminiscent of old canoe-decal ukes from the '20s. This fella has a pickup in it and to this day remains one of my most useful recording instruments. Huge voice.

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The instrument is relatively the same today, though it has a simpler tailpiece on it now and I've also fitted a different bridge. The one on it in the photos was just a quick scrap mandolin bridge that I set up to try the instrument out.
 
I got Dick Dale's autograph on my Risa Uke Stick. Which I really need to varnish or something, because my sweaty arm is rubbing the Sharpie off.

Also, when I was in a band, the band director put this incredibly tacky musical note sticker on the head stock of my Akulele. It's really ugly, and I've never had the heart to remove it. I think because it has the mojo from the only time I ever earned money playing the uke. I also have never removed the money from the uke case.
 
This is the only one I have done anything to. It is my OU-2
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When I restored my old '20s Regal mahogany/spruce tiple the original bridge had been bolted by some miscreant at one point or another, and when it finally came up under string tension, part of the top was somewhat ripped up, too. Rather than install a bulky bridge plate and reinforce the damaged area too much, I simply converted it over to mandolin-style floating bridge setup.

At the same time, to disguise the repairs to the top (and also the uglification from bridge damage), I painted a "bunnies in canoe" scene reminiscent of old canoe-decal ukes from the '20s. This fella has a pickup in it and to this day remains one of my most useful recording instruments. Huge voice.

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The instrument is relatively the same today, though it has a simpler tailpiece on it now and I've also fitted a different bridge. The one on it in the photos was just a quick scrap mandolin bridge that I set up to try the instrument out.

Love both of those!

I haven't got much artist talent in terms of drawing and I don't like the idea of something permanent that I could mess up, but I plan to buy a Dolphin for my six year old God daughter and personalise it with an Owl somewhere, my best friend (and 6 year old's mother) draws beautifully, so I plan to let her do it!
 
i usually attach a kazoo to my headstocks, and i have a "2/$3.50" sticker on my banjo uke.
 
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stickers
 
those are some awsome mods! the bunnies are so cute, and that bliue uke disign is so cool . Ive done things to many of my guitars. mabe I will sticker my red uke someday. i think value and existing design and condition. some intruments you dont want to tamper with.
 
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