Ukulele for the automobile

LisaD

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Hi, long time lurker, but I've got bitten by the uke bug, so time to ask some questions.
I tried to search for car ukulele, but it's too short and automobile didn't pop up any titles of posts.
Anyhow, I live in Michigan, and was wondering what people leave in the car in extreme weather. Would a Kala Waterman hold up, or would the cold make it brittle? With the wind chills, it's been 10 degrees below zero a couple of times lately. I get an hour lunch break, but it's too far to go home, and sometimes, I just have to get away and go park somewhere to decompress after I eat lunch.
So any ideas, other than buying a cheapie wood and hauling it in and out with me?
I see those tiny, cheap tourist ones that are around 18" that I might spring for. I'm a home care/ hospice worker so I'm already carrying a big work bag around, and I can't haul a ukulele into client's homes with me, so some days, I wouldn't be able to have one with me, I got too much to carry as it is.
I've bought an old Supertone that's on the way right now, but that's going to stay at home.
Thanks, Lisa
 
Outdoor Ukulele!!
I have a green tenor that lives behind the passenger seat. It has survived several years of New England temperature swings.
 
Outdoor Ukulele here as well. Love, love mine.

However, for two years, I did use those little $18 plastic First Act ukes with no problems with weather.
 

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I have a concert Flea strung with Martin M600 strings. It has been to three continents and presently lives in my car, enduring 115° summer temperatures and subzero winter temps. It hasn't warped, come apart, popped a bridge or a string, and it sounds better than you might expect, certainly better than a Waterman or Outdoor Uke.
 
Hi, long time lurker, but I've got bitten by the uke bug, so time to ask some questions.
I tried to search for car ukulele, but it's too short and automobile didn't pop up any titles of posts.
Anyhow, I live in Michigan, and was wondering what people leave in the car in extreme weather. Would a Kala Waterman hold up, or would the cold make it brittle? With the wind chills, it's been 10 degrees below zero a couple of times lately. I get an hour lunch break, but it's too far to go home, and sometimes, I just have to get away and go park somewhere to decompress after I eat lunch.
So any ideas, other than buying a cheapie wood and hauling it in and out with me?
I see those tiny, cheap tourist ones that are around 18" that I might spring for. I'm a home care/ hospice worker so I'm already carrying a big work bag around, and I can't haul a ukulele into client's homes with me, so some days, I wouldn't be able to have one with me, I got too much to carry as it is.
I've bought an old Supertone that's on the way right now, but that's going to stay at home.
Thanks, Lisa

I’m not in the USA but guess that Michigan experiences cold winters and warm summers. This might represent typical weather for the area : “Michigan has a temperate climate with well-defined seasons. The warmest temperatures and longest frost-free period are found most generally in the southern part of the lower peninsula; Detroit has a normal daily mean temperature of 49°F (9°C), ranging from 23°F (–5°C) in January to 72°F (22°C) in July. Colder temperatures and a shorter growing season prevail in the more northerly regions; Sault Ste. Marie has a normal daily mean of 40°F (4°C), ranging from 13°F (–11°C) in January to 64°F (18°C) in July. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the state is –51°F (–46°C), registered at Vanderbilt on 9 February 1934; the all-time high of 112°F (44°C) was recorded at Mio on 13 July 1936. Both sites are located in the interior of the lower peninsula, away from the moderating influence of the Great Lakes.” Read more: http://www.city-data.com/states/Michigan-Climate.html .

To me it sounds like you don’t experience the worst extremes of the USA’s weather and on that basis I wonder whether you would be best advised to try out a cheapish 2nd hand and well set-up laminate beater to see how you get on - if it breaks you will not have lost much of financial value and if it doesn’t you’ll have avoided a more expensive purchase. For what it’s worth my beater is a second hand $20 Dolplin, but I have the skills to set it up properly so it sounds and plays much better than most others. As far as I know the way Ukes fail in cars is due to humidity changes and excessive heat, humidity can cause solid wood instruments to distort and split and excess heat can cause the glue to soften and then give way. A laminate Uke is more robust against humidity changes and your car might be cooler in the summer than in some other and more southerly states - so excessive heat issue is probably less of an issue for you.

The Waterman Ukes aren’t popular with players, the Outdoor Ukes are liked but a bit dearer - definitely worth the extra though - a Flea is more money again but will sound better again too.

https://www.outdoorukulele.com/collections/ukuleles/products/outdoor-ukulele-soprano-brown-1
https://www.magicfluke.com/product-p/flea_standard.htm

A part of your decision is budget and you haven’t suggested what you might feel comfortable with. Another part of your decision is size and you haven’t (I think) given that detail though Waterman and Supertone imply Soprano to me. For use in a car I’d suggest a Soprano and a late model Soprano Outdoor Uke is a simple choice that seems to tick most boxes - as a cost saving they are sometimes available second hand but be aware that the design improved a few years back.
 
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I, too, think a laminate may well fit the bill, just keep it in a gig bag, but me being me, I'd suggest a long neck soprano, it will allow you to keep the size down, whilst giving you the comfort of a concert scale, & a low G if , like me, you prefer it. :)

Check out the Kala KA-SLNG.
 
You might try a Flight TUS or Mahilele--they are the same. Very similar to a Flea in construction and sound, but with an ABS neck, so only the top is wood. I keep one in the trunk and it can be well over 100 F. here, for over a week at a time. They only cost about $50, so in the same range as a cheap laminate.
 
For Michigan winters, I'd recommend the Outdoor uke. Temps below zero (Fahrenheit) can be common and summers are downright hot and swampy. Even a laminate standard uke would have trouble surviving the extremes.
 
Thanks for all the responses so far, it’s very helpful to me, and any other beginner looking for a hardy uke for the automobile.
I live in Marquette in Upper Michigan, about two blocks from Lake Superior. I’m about 450 miles north of Detroit, so think Canada or Minnesota as to our weather.
Hendulele has it right, extremely cold in the winter, average temp for January is 18 degrees with about 12 feet of snow a winter. Summers are swampy, in the 80’s, but with very high humidity.
I think I’ll be looking at a plastic type of material, wood just isn’t going to survive. I’ll keep my eyes open for a used Outdoor brand, but maybe take Laura’s advice for the time being, and get a cheap plastic First Act. If nothing else, it’ll help toughen up my fingers and build hand strength during my lunch break. I’m not looking for amazing tone, just something to get some skills built up, I’m hoping the ancient Supertone I purchased will have a pleasing tone. I play dulcimer a little, but it has fine, metal strings and super low action, it’s not hard to press down at all. Sometimes I use a “noter” a little wooden dowel to press the strings down instead of my fingers, as it traditional, so right now, I got soft baby fingertips and pads, lol.

Again, thanks for all the responses, I feel very lucky that there is such a responsive forum to help me out.
Lisa
 
For Michigan winters, I'd recommend the Outdoor uke. Temps below zero (Fahrenheit) can be common and summers are downright hot and swampy. Even a laminate standard uke would have trouble surviving the extremes.

I’d have thought a Soprano Outdoor Uke was the logical way forward. Buying a first act ($20?) as a stop gap probably isn’t money particularly well spent - ‘he who buys cheap buys twice’, etc. - so if the OP can defer her purchase and save towards an OU then that would make sense to me. My own route would be to just use my cheap 2nd hand plastic bodied Dolphin until it broke, I’ve yet to hear of one breaking easily or in cold weather, YMMV.

I’m kind of puzzled by the idea that a laminate Uke couldn’t stand up to the Michigan climate ‘cause judging by the number of Uke Clubs that I easily find there there must be a lot of Uke players in Michigan: http://www.motorcityukes.com/michigan-ukulele-groups . Wonder what they played before the Outdoor Uke was made, to me something doesn’t seem quite clear here.

I guess it’s just some form of misunderstanding about wood not being durable in cold weather, you really don’t have to look far to see all types of wooden items being used in very tough conditions and lasting many decades. As with all things subtle details make the difference.
 
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As a resident of the British Isles I cannot add much to this debate. We simple do not experience great extremes of heat, cold or humidity. For many years I kept a cheap painted Mahalo soprano in my car. I would guess that the lowest temperature it endured was just below freezing, but the highest, in a car, parked in direct summer sunshine, with all windows closed, would have been lethal to most life forms - as we know them, Jim.

The uke itself survived (I still have it) but the high temperatures were enough to ruin the strings. They became so soft and stretchy that they were useless.

I now have a very cheap Chinese soprano (made of HPL) in the car. It is a better uke all round than the old Mahalo, and looks very much better.

John Colter.
 
I’m kind of puzzled by the idea that a laminate Uke couldn’t stand up to the Michigan climate ‘cause judging by the number of Uke Clubs that I easily find there there must be a lot of Uke players in Michigan: http://www.motorcityukes.com/michigan-ukulele-groups . Wonder what they played before the Outdoor Uke was made, to me something doesn’t seem quite clear here.

I guess it’s just some form of misunderstanding about wood not being durable in cold weather, you really don’t have to look far to see all types of wooden items being used in very tough conditions and lasting many decades. As with all things subtle details make the difference.


I think the problem with leaving a laminate uke in the car during extreme temps (both cold and heat, as you get in Michigan) and not removing it is that things like fretboards and bridges which are made of different materials than the body and glued on could be compromised. Even the folks at Magic Fluke recommend keeping their instruments with solid wood tops and wooden fretboards away from forced-air heating registers. The Outdoor solves this problem because, except for the tuners and strings, it's all molded plastic.
 
An Outdoor Uke it is should be then, keeps things simple and risk free. If it’s any help to the OP then a 2nd hand Soprano OU sold on eBay recently for $60 delivered (a bargain), it was only a few months old and fault free.

John’s suggestion of a cheap HPL Uke (Formica type material, perhaps Enya Brand, 2nd hand) seems OK to me here and in general. However, bar a very cheap second hand Enya, I think that I’d stick with the Outdoor Uke - keeps things simple and the quality is both well known and liked. Decisions, decisions, having checked on Enya I’m now aware of their Pineapple and it tempts me, there’s a standard Soprano too ( https://www.amazon.com/EUP-X1-Pineapple-Soprano-Ukulele-Polishing/dp/B07488S4SR , https://www.amazon.com/Official-EUS-X1-Soprano-Ukulele-Polishing/dp/B0749JBYD1 ) - I think that the alternative circle type body is not as good. Anyway I already have too many Ukuleles, or so I’m told.

I suppose it’s a case of the OP seeing what’s available, what might work and what is within their budget.
 
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Do you have a cell phone?

Crazy idea try a phone app, always with you and no one would suspect you are carrying an ‘uke’.
 
You might call up KLOS Guitars. And ask if they have any "seconds" (blemished finish) of their carbon Fibre ukes with neck stiffener. I love my KLOS. I would have no worries leaving it in a hot car or snow covered car.
 
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