Uke decor

Ame

Ame

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Hey guys, I was wondering if this was a good idea. I wanted to add something on my uke to jazz it up a bit, but I wanted something that could come off easily later if I choose to remove it. I came across this thing called "ConTact Paper", it's a self-adhesive vinyl that has a matte finish. Has anyone used this stuff before? Should I try this out?
 
Never heard of it, but I have stickers on my uke. Doesn't do a thing to the sound (which isn't too terribly loud acoustically anyway.)

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Ame said:
Hey guys, I was wondering if this was a good idea. I wanted to add something on my uke to jazz it up a bit, but I wanted something that could come off easily later if I choose to remove it. I came across this thing called "ConTact Paper", it's a self-adhesive vinyl that has a matte finish. Has anyone used this stuff before? Should I try this out?
Click to expand...

i use contact on my school books
 
Yep, I had to use contact paper before on my school books (years ago). From what I remember, getting it off tore the book covers to shreds (granted they were paper/cardboard). I'm not sure what it would do to an instrument finish.

As a test, you might try sticking a small piece of contact paper on the back of your headstock for awhile and then taking it off. If it mars the finish, at least it won't be too noticeable.

-John
 
DON'T DO IT! i talked to my uncle about this and he told me of one of his friends who did something similar to his fender 12srting and fubar'ed the finish.

do your uke a favor and never stick anything adhesive on it.
 
SamIAm said:
DON'T DO IT! i talked to my uncle about this and he told me of one of his friends who did something similar to his fender 12srting and fubar'ed the finish.

do your uke a favor and never stick anything adhesive on it.
Click to expand...

oh haha wow, that's a good enough warning for me. Well, what if I stuck it to the back side of my Fluke? Just a thought.
 
I wanted my cigar box uke (a gift from Deach) to have a beach/party theme. The stickers I wanted to use had clear backgrounds so I put them on white contact paper, cut to size, and applied to the ukulele. (More stickers—Side/Back pix)

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My Jenny I just wanted to liven up a bit with some flower stickers. I was afraid of damaging the finish, so as a test I put one near the strap button where it was hidden by the strap. After several months I took it off. Not a mark on the finish! So I decorated the soundboard and headstock!

picture.php
 
thanks sail, maybe I will try it. haha now to go buy some of that ConTact stuff. I wonder where I can get it near by instead of online.
 
I was actually thinking of getting something painted on mine (my dad does fancy airbrushing/painting stuff for a living and free things are great :D) but I can't for the life of me think of anything I wouldn't get tired of looking at after a while.

Before you do anything, make sure you aren't going to get sick of it.
 
SailQwest said:
/forum/picture.php?albumid=48&pictureid=405[/IMG]

My Jenny I just wanted to liven up a bit with some flower stickers. I was afraid of damaging the finish, so as a test I put one near the strap button where it was hidden by the strap. After several months I took it off. Not a mark on the finish! So I decorated the soundboard and headstock!

picture.php
Click to expand...

For a second there I thought you bedazzled your ukulele :eek:

Cool stickers though!
 
Ok so stickers are ok, but what about spray painting. I wanted to add some tribal designs to mine. Do you think it would ruin the wood or sound?
 
Yeah I'm a big fish freak so I've been wanting to either paint or decal my Flea with a fish design. I'm not very artistic so I'm afraid to do it myself. Does anyone know if vinyl decals (like you put on car windows) are ok?
 
As to whether stickers, paint, stain, etc will affect the sound, this will vary by uke. I've heard luthiers say they use an incredibly thin urethane coat on ukes so that it changes the sound of the wood as little as possible. So even the original paint on a uke affects sound.

A big factor is the thinness of the soundboard. The Flukes and Fleas have about the thinnest soundboards around and probably stand to have the sound changed more. A thicker wood soundboard with a thick coat of lacquer probably won't change as much.

All that being said, it's entirely possible that decor in the right place could restrict the vibrations in a good way and make some ukes sound better. As long as you're sure the stickers are easily removable and don't damage the finish there doesn't seem any harm in trying.
 
The physics of how a soundboard works sez that any time you add extra mass you're going to make it harder for the strings to drive said soundboard and thus make it a quieter uke.

Frankly, I've never understood the need to muck around like that with my ukuleles. If you really think that your act needs more decoration, get a tattoo. ;)
 
Howlin Hobbit said:
The physics of how a soundboard works sez that any time you add extra mass you're going to make it harder for the strings to drive said soundboard and thus make it a quieter uke.

Frankly, I've never understood the need to muck around like that with my ukuleles. If you really think that your act needs more decoration, get a tattoo. ;)
Click to expand...

I've got my Tribal Hawaiian Tattoo already. I just wanted to my uke to have one too. And with my uke being family its only right to give it its aumakua.
 
Those inlay stickers are pretty neat! I may get some for my Strat. :D

I'd try to avoid putting anything heavy and sticky on the top of an acoustic instrument, especially if it's a high-quality one with a solid top. A little sticker might not hurt, but contact paper would likely deaden the sound. If you want to paint it, stick to small designs rather than covering the whole thing.

Painting something nice on the back of the uke probably won't affect the sound as much. Of course, only you can enjoy it then. :p
 
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