OK what's this black stuff.

[Timbuck]

I've seen this operation done on other factory videos including Gibson ... is it grain fill or something else ..a black paste brushed on liberally during this video at the Martin factory.

 

[dofthesea]

Definitely grain filler.

 

[VintageGibson]

I've seen this operation done on other factory videos including Gibson ... is it grain fill or something else ..a black paste brushed on liberally during this video at the Martin factory.

Interesting video.
The black paste does look like a grain filler.
Interesting use of the superfluous apostrophe in the opening title; "Martin Ukulele's".
The presenter can't seem to decide if it's Ookulele or Ukulele.
yours pedantically,
Vintage

 

[Pegasus Guitars]

I used to get my filler and mahogany stains from Martin. If it is still the same stuff, it is a Naptha based grain filler. Was easy to use. Of course, they won't ship it anymore. Not so easy to find paste wood filler these days. Used to be in every paint store. At least 1 brand, Mohawk, is still available. Normally it comes in a natural color and you tint it as needed.Most interesting part of the video is how they power buffed off the excess, instead of having to use the old fashioned hand burlap method. One of the really great things about color paste filler is that it highlights any sand ing scratches, making them easy to see and remove before you go on with the finish.-Bob

 

[Mike $]

Interesting video.
The black paste does look like a grain filler.
Interesting use of the superfluous apostrophe in the opening title; "Martin Ukulele's".
The presenter can't seem to decide if it's Ookulele or Ukulele.
yours pedantically,
Vintage

Martin makes Ukuleles (You-ka-leles) and the K brands make Ookuleles. That's probably the reason I didn't buy a Kamaka, I felt silly saying Ookulele.

 

[Pegasus Guitars]

Martin makes Ukuleles (You-ka-leles) and the K brands make Ookuleles. That's probably the reason I didn't buy a Kamaka, I felt silly saying Ookulele.

IMO, If you are going to play or make ukuleles, you might as well pay tribute to the Hawaiian language and pronounce the name as it should be. They were made here in Hawaii long before Martin made them. If you want to go all out, the K's, as you call them, make ukulele, not ukuleles. There is no "s" in Hawaiian. In Hawaiian, ukulele, singular or plural, there is a glotal stop punctuation mark before the first U, It is written as 'Ukulele. So, it would be written as 'ukulele and pronounced as "oo-koo-lele". All that said, when I came here in the early 80's, I did not know any better and added the S to my business brand. It remains there today as "Pegasus Guitars and Ukuleles". I also have no problem if anyone has a greater understanding of Hawaiian and chooses to correct anything I have said here.--Bob

 

[mikeyb2]

I believe it is a pore filler, but is intended to accentuate the grain by making the pores darker and not necessarily filling them to create a totally flat finish.

 

[EDW]

 

[Mike $]

IMO, If you are going to play or make ukuleles, you might as well pay tribute to the Hawaiian language and pronounce the name as it should be. ...--Bob

No thanks

 

[Pegasus Guitars]

No thanks

It was just an opinion. Because I live in Hawaii, people would think it was silly not to pronounce it correctly. I know people who don't know the correct pronounciation think "ookulele" sounds weird, I slip in and out of the correct pronounciation myself sometimes, so I understand if a person is embarrssed to use the Hawaiian. I was just saying there is a correct pronounciation and an incorrect one. Us Americans slaughter most foreign languages anyway.. Your choice. No big issue.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

It was just an opinion. Because I live in Hawaii, people would think it was silly not to pronounce it correctly. I know people who don't know the correct pronounciation think "ookulele" sounds weird, I slip in and out of the correct pronounciation myself sometimes, so I understand if a person is embarrssed to use the Hawaiian. I was just saying there is a correct pronounciation and an incorrect one. Us Americans slaughter most foreign languages anyway.. Your choice. No big issue.

As someone cautioned me in an earlier thread on the subject of uke pronunciation- “When in Rome…”, or, more to the point, “When in Hawaii…”. Along the same lines, when amongst native musicians in the US Southern Appalachians, I usually revert to pronouncing banjo as “banjer”.

 

[Pegasus Guitars]

And, I have been asked many times if I make "geetars" . I can do that!

 

[John Colter]

"Americans slaughter most foreign languages anyway"

English as well!

 

[bbkobabe]

Right... do you happen to live near the La Brea Tar Pits in downtown Los Angeles by any chance?

 

[Farp]

IMO, If you are going to play or make ukuleles, you might as well pay tribute to the Hawaiian language and pronounce the name as it should be. They were made here in Hawaii long before Martin made them. If you want to go all out, the K's, as you call them, make ukulele, not ukuleles. There is no "s" in Hawaiian. In Hawaiian, ukulele, singular or plural, there is a glotal stop punctuation mark before the first U, It is written as 'Ukulele. So, it would be written as 'ukulele and pronounced as "oo-koo-lele". All that said, when I came here in the early 80's, I did not know any better and added the S to my business brand. It remains there today as "Pegasus Guitars and Ukuleles". I also have no problem if anyone has a greater understanding of Hawaiian and chooses to correct anything I have said here.--Bob

If you want to be historically correct from a player's perspective, it's YOU-ka-lay-lee. Don't take my word for it, listen to the early legend Bill Tapia who died at 103 in 2011. Check out his video attached here, specifically at :40 and 1:10. He clearly says "youkalele." Good enough for Bill, good enough for me.

I find it unnecessary for people who say "ookoolele" to somehow feel the need to "correct" those who say it "youkalele.". Frankly it shouldn't matter, as we all enjoy playing the instrument. Use whatever pronunciation suits you and enjoy the day.

Link here:

 

[Red Cliff]

Most of us don't call a guitar a guitarra. And that is fine. But if I was in Spain and I wanted to buy a guitar I would get more understanding and probably help if I asked for a guitarra. But everywhere else in the world I would say guitar. Not to would almost be cultural appropriation.

Go to the ukulele I think the same probably applies. In Hawaii I would make an effort to try and pronounce it as the locals do, as that is the least I can do in another's country. The rest of the world it would sound a little strange...

 

[Farp]

Most of us don't call a guitar a guitarra. And that is fine. But if I was in Spain and I wanted to buy a guitar I would get more understanding and probably help if I asked for a guitarra. But everywhere else in the world I would say guitar. Not to would almost be cultural appropriation.

Go to the ukulele I think the same probably applies. In Hawaii I would make an effort to try and pronounce it as the locals do, as that is the least I can do in another's country. The rest of the world it would sound a little strange...

Umm... Bill was a Hawaiian. Google is your friend:

"Bill Tapia, a virtuoso ukulele player from Hawaii who learned to strum the instrument at age 7."

and

"Tapia was born in Honolulu on New Year’s Day in 1908."

and

"Bill continued to tour until this year (2008), playing his last show in February at a Hawaiian music festival."

Now, back to "What's This Black Stuff." Sorry, OP, I couldn't resist responding to correct the topic when it interrupted your thread.

 

[saltytri]

Umm... Bill was a Hawaiian. Google is your friend:

"Bill Tapia, a virtuoso ukulele player from Hawaii who learned to strum the instrument at age 7."

and

"Tapia was born in Honolulu on New Year’s Day in 1908."

and

"Bill continued to tour until this year (2008), playing his last show in February at a Hawaiian music festival."

Now, back to "What's This Black Stuff." Sorry, Tim, I couldn't resist responding to correct the topic when it interrupted your thread.

Is the preference in Hawai'i for "ooo" instead of "you" in some measure a result of the revival of Hawaiian culture and language that picked up in the 1970's and continues to this day? If so, consider that Bill Tapia was in his 60's when this renaissance was picking up steam and might not have been comfortable with adapting to a pronunciation that he hadn't used for his whole life up to then.

Be that as it may, I can confirm as a shark bait mainland haole that the use of "ooo" is preferred and appreciated in Hawai'i but often gets you a quizzical look on the mainland. But if "ooo" is culturally and linguistically correct, I'm all for using it beyond Hawai'i, and when necessary explaining it, until the rest of the world gets the message. Just like I don't feel bad about correcting people who pronounce the name of my state as "Orygone".

 

[Coast_Ukulele]

I find that playing and especially building an ‘ukulele is a wonderful way to connect with and share Aloha. Maybe we can start a separate thread on where we recognize Aloha in our practices around ‘ukulele.

 

[Farp]

In America, which includes the beautiful and great state of Hawaii, there is no oooniform way to pronounce words. Ooo don’t need to be a oooniversity graduate to understand we are all ooonique and ooosually able to pronounce words in our own way without someone trying to make us feel inferior with their “correct” pronunciation. Such action is not productive or oooseful; and it tends to divide us, rather than ooniting us as Americans.

To say any of us need to conform to their way of speaking is condescending at best. Still, the divisive talk remains ooobquitious in some areas. And it should not be tolerated in the Ooonited states of America.