An urgent Urge to deface my Uke.

UkeyDave

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Now I love my Ukulele. I have an Oscar Schmidt OU5 and a Ohana CK35S. The Ohana is the one that gets played ALL THE TIME and I love it with a passion. However, I have got the urge to personalise it by scratching drawings into the wood and filling the in with standard ink from a ballpoint pen with my own design. Am I mad or should I just do it. The only think that is stopping me is the fact that I paid more than £100 for it. What do you reckon fellow Ukuleleists?
Comments welcome.
 
Now I love my Ukulele. I have an Oscar Schmidt OU5 and a Ohana CK35S. The Ohana is the one that gets played ALL THE TIME and I love it with a passion. However, I have got the urge to personalise it by scratching drawings into the wood and filling the in with standard ink from a ballpoint pen with my own design. Am I mad or should I just do it. The only think that is stopping me is the fact that I paid more than £100 for it. What do you reckon fellow Ukuleleists?
Comments welcome.
Wow - I mean, are you artistic? Because, if I were to do that - it would be RUIN. And instantly regretted. But for somebody with real artistic ability running through their veins....the urge to personalise it must be pretty strong. And could be rewarding! I can understand it. I did it with my cookery apron at school - dyed it orange and embroidered "Elvis" all over it......but nobody else would wear it afterwards! If you do it - you'll have to show us! :D
 
Wow - I mean, are you artistic? Because, if I were to do that - it would be RUIN. And instantly regretted. But for somebody with real artistic ability running through their veins....the urge to personalise it must be pretty strong. And could be rewarding! I can understand it. I did it with my cookery apron at school - dyed it orange and embroidered "Elvis" all over it......but nobody else would wear it afterwards! If you do it - you'll have to show us! :D

No but I am a doodler and my idea was this uke is staying with me forever and a little doodle here and there, well, it couldn't hurt could it? When I was a school kid many many years ago my books were covered in doodles and my teachers weren't best pleased. Its the rebel in me I think. If I do decide to start scratching / doodling on it I know I could regret it but I also know I might actually like it. Its a real dilemma for me. I wonder if there is anyone out there who has actually regretted doodling on their Uke or likewise anyone who has actually dared to draw or etch into the wood and are actually pleased with it. Oh I really don't know. I almost feel like I "must" do it. Perhaps I am a doodle obsessive. lol
 
It's yours, you can do whatever you want with it. Just note that the resale value will go waaay down because it won't be in (near) original condition, and maybe no one will want the customization. So it will be your for life. Which isn't that bad. However, you have to make sure you do a good job, otherwise people might think you paid £10 instead of 100.
 
It's yours, you can do whatever you want with it. Just note that the resale value will go waaay down because it won't be in (near) original condition, and maybe no one will want the customization. So it will be your for life. Which isn't that bad. However, you have to make sure you do a good job, otherwise people might think you paid £10 instead of 100.
Good advice. It will NEVER be resold its mine for all-time so that isn't an issue. Good point about others seeing it too. I'm not bothered about how valuable or not it looks but I suppose would hate people to think I'd made a mess of it. Its all down to a subjective choice really I suppose. Thanks for your comments.
 
It's yours, you can do whatever you want with it. Just note that the resale value will go waaay down because it won't be in (near) original condition, and maybe no one will want the customization. So it will be your for life. Which isn't that bad. However, you have to make sure you do a good job, otherwise people might think you paid £10 instead of 100.

Hey MisterRios , just had to say your avatar is the best I've seen on this site. I've been wanting to say that since the first time I saw it.
 
I seem to remember someone drawing all over their Yamaha with a sharpie.

It's your uke, have fun with it. If you're afraid you'll mess up sketch it out on paper first.
 
My first uke was a OU2 and I painted it. of any uke you can go nuts on it would be the OU5. It is nice to play but has no resale value. I am not trying to make you feel bad about the OS, I love mine and many love theirs.
It is yours, do what you want to it.
 
Would say it's sort of like getting tattoos -- it's your body and you are the one that
has to live with it and enjoy it. If you enjoy it then why not. Go for the gusto.
 
I second (third, forth?) the thought that it's your uke, and who cares what others think. If doodling on the uke makes you happy, that's all that counts, ultimately. Heck, here's a picture of a guitar I purchased a few years ago. The original owner loved it, but couldn't sell it, so I took it off of his hands really cheap and restored it. Of course, he used paint marker and permanent marker, so it was easier to reverse, with the exception of an "etching" on the back, which I was able to somewhat hide with stain.

69H941_04.jpg


69H941_06.jpg


I have an OU2 as well. I love it. Recently, the top had just about caved in, so I took the back off of it, removed the cheesy bridge plate, replaced it with a maple one, and fan braced it. Then, while I had it apart, I added electronics with a built-in chromatic tuner. Hey, it's my uke, and though it's a cheapo, I don't see ever getting rid of it. It's a great uke.

Dan
 
My first uke was a OU2 and I painted it. of any uke you can go nuts on it would be the OU5. It is nice to play but has no resale value. I am not trying to make you feel bad about the OS, I love mine and many love theirs.
It is yours, do what you want to it.

I think it would have to be the Ohana as that doesn't have a lacquer finish unlike my OU5 so that really would be ruined if I started scratching it.
 
I second (third, forth?) the thought that it's your uke, and who cares what others think. If doodling on the uke makes you happy, that's all that counts, ultimately. Heck, here's a picture of a guitar I purchased a few years ago. The original owner loved it, but couldn't sell it, so I took it off of his hands really cheap and restored it. Of course, he used paint marker and permanent marker, so it was easier to reverse, with the exception of an "etching" on the back, which I was able to somewhat hide with stain.

69H941_04.jpg


69H941_06.jpg


I have an OU2 as well. I love it. Recently, the top had just about caved in, so I took the back off of it, removed the cheesy bridge plate, replaced it with a maple one, and fan braced it. Then, while I had it apart, I added electronics with a built-in chromatic tuner. Hey, it's my uke, and though it's a cheapo, I don't see ever getting rid of it. It's a great uke.

Dan

Thanks Dan. Yes this is the type of thing I had in mind.
 
I seem to remember someone drawing all over their Yamaha with a sharpie.

It's your uke, have fun with it. If you're afraid you'll mess up sketch it out on paper first.

Might be an idea to get a hold of a cheap uke to practice on.
 
I say go for it as well, as long as whatever you do to it doesn't affect the actual sound of the uke. You have already said it won't ever go up for sale, so you won't have that issue to be concerned with.
 
My one concern about your plan would be if you dug into the soundboard, which would probably weaken the soundboard (which is under a fair amount of tension, which is, in turn, why soundboards have bracing) and could affect the sound. Good ukemakers try to make the soundboards as thin as possible to maximize vibration, and digging into the soundboard might make the area where you dig too weak to withstand soundboard tension. I think digging ruts into the back and sides is probably less likely to affect the structural integrity of your uke.
 
My one concern about your plan would be if you dug into the soundboard, which would probably weaken the soundboard (which is under a fair amount of tension, which is, in turn, why soundboards have bracing) and could affect the sound. Good ukemakers try to make the soundboards as thin as possible to maximize vibration, and digging into the soundboard might make the area where you dig too weak to withstand soundboard tension. I think digging ruts into the back and sides is probably less likely to affect the structural integrity of your uke.

Good point and I'd actually considered that. I was thinking more of a scratch than a dig because I am aware of the thinness of the soundboard. I suppose it depends at what point a scratch becomes a dig though.
 
Well...if you do a "proper" job of it you won't ever have to worry about the uke growing legs at a meetup... :biglaugh:
 
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