Ukuleles in the car?

Chopped Liver · Jan 29, 2012

Ukulele JJ said:
My car uke is a Lanikai LU-21. So far it's held up just fine.

JJ

See, the thing is I just want a ukulele everywhere I am! These little boogers are so ... hm ... comforting, fun, relaxing .... :music:

tigersister · Jan 30, 2012

I have a Dolphin as my car uke too. I don't leave it in the car all the time, but it does sometimes sit in the car for hours/days. I figure it's inexpensive enough that I won't be too sad if it doesn't survive being left in the car for long periods of time. I like being able to keep myself amused with it while I have to wait in the car, like picking up my kids from their after school activities. Or a situation like the other day when I went to get my oil changed and there was a bit of a wait; I picked up my uke and happily strummed away until it was my turn. Also, it's nice to have available when the opportunity to play presents itself and I wasn't planning on playing (so didn't bring one of my more favored ukes) when I got to where I was going.

bongolele · Jan 30, 2012

kaizersoza said:
heres some pics of me on the banks of Loch Lomond ukeing and camping last summer

So did you take the high road or the low road?

kaizersoza · Jan 30, 2012

bongolele said:
So did you take the high road or the low road?

I took the high road and she took the low road and she was in Glasgow before me lol Bongolele

haolejohn · Jan 30, 2012

I'm different. I have a mainland red-cedar uke that I use as my beater uke. It was cracked so I just converted it. I don't leave it in the car in the hot summer or really the cold winter b/c of the extremes swings but I do leave it in the car if it will be more than 30 degrees and less than 80 degrees. Of course, My commute to work is very short and I literally carry a uke with me everywhere. Nothing like a stroller to carry the uke around

janeray1940 · Jan 30, 2012

I leave my Kiwaya laminate pineapple in the car for hours at a time, but it doesn't live there permanently. So far so good. I'm not sure that I'd leave any uke in the car 100% of the time.

dancingflee · Jan 30, 2012

Allow me to share my two cents worth. I am not familiar with the dolphines so no comment on those but if you have a wood, solid or laminate, I will not leave a ukulele in the car for a prolonged period of time. Solid wood dries up and warps. Pease consider the fact that solid or laminates are put together by glue. Extreme temps will definitely affect the glue. Aside from this, the neck is also made of wood that it may shrink or expand either way and will have adverse effect on the fret wires. In so many words...store the ukulele in a gig bag or hardcase and bring it with you when you leave your car.

Just my two cents worth....an experience with one of my classical guitars.

dancingflee

strumsilly · Jan 30, 2012

UkeMania said:
The only partial plastics I know are the dolphins. Are there others?

These vintage Islanders are all plastic, as are others of the great plastic era[ TV Pal, Flamingo, Carnival, etc.] I own an Islander and they are nice little players. heres a great site for all things plastic.
I would definitely play it in the shower but I would not leave anything of value in a hot car.
http://www.catfish1952.com/plastics.html

SailingUke · Jan 30, 2012

I think a dolphin is a good car uke.
The bridge is attached with glue and screws.
In heat the glue gets soft and causes bridges to fly off and ukes to fall apart.
Dolphins are also inexpensive enough you can easily replace them.

byjimini · Jan 30, 2012

I bought a Mahalo Les Paul for the car. It's been through 2 very cold winters and still stays in tune.

MrKempo · Feb 2, 2012

kaizersoza said:
i don't get any problems at all with my dolphin other than to tweak the tuning when it gets too cold or too hot and as Lori says the fluke/fleas are also good, but a lot more expensive than the dolphin, when i go camping i take my fluke and my dolphin, when i go hiking i only take the dolphin but only coz of the space i have in my rucksack, dolphins for the price are bulletproof and cheap enough to replace if they should get damaged
heres some pics of me on the banks of Loch Lomond ukeing and camping last summer

View attachment 32959 View attachment 32960

That's not the campsite at Gartocharn by any chance? There's a lovely spot!

Also, what's the Fluke like? I hear lots of good things about them, but it seem awful pricey for a plastic uke?

kaizersoza · Feb 2, 2012

janeray1940 said:
I leave my Kiwaya laminate pineapple in the car for hours at a time, but it doesn't live there permanently. So far so good. I'm not sure that I'd leave any uke in the car 100% of the time.

me neither, i don't want to attract the criminal fraterity, they see a case in the car, think its something of value and you get a £200 bill for glass they get a £25 uke

kaizersoza · Feb 2, 2012

MrKempo said:
That's not the campsite at Gartocharn by any chance? There's a lovely spot!

Also, what's the Fluke like? I hear lots of good things about them, but it seem awful pricey for a plastic uke?

No Mr Kempo, i was at Luss just outside Glasgow, literally 5 yards/metres away from the Loch, as for the Fluke it is my go to uke and it gets played the most, out of my collection, not because it is my favourite uke or any thing but simply because it is easy to play has massive room between frets, making it really comfy for me to play, the intonation is spot on and it sounds so sweet, the weather was really good in Luss last summer and it got really hot in the tent, all the fluke needed was a tweak to tune it, no drama, you don't need a stand for it either, and truth be told if it broke tomorrow or got lost, i would buy another one coz it sounds great as well, the strings are starting to go off now and i have got some Fremont blacklines to try on it to make it all NINJA-like lol

view from my tent, breathtaking

haolejohn · Feb 2, 2012

dancingflee said:
Allow me to share my two cents worth. I am not familiar with the dolphines so no comment on those but if you have a wood, solid or laminate, I will not leave a ukulele in the car for a prolonged period of time. Solid wood dries up and warps. Pease consider the fact that solid or laminates are put together by glue. Extreme temps will definitely affect the glue. Aside from this, the neck is also made of wood that it may shrink or expand either way and will have adverse effect on the fret wires. In so many words...store the ukulele in a gig bag or hardcase and bring it with you when you leave your car.

Just my two cents worth....an experience with one of my classical guitars.

dancingflee

Understood. I think most of us are aware of the potential danger. My uke doesn't stay in the car forever. But I have left in there over night in 30 degree weather. It is still fine. I know I run the risk of damage to it but I have accepted the fact that it may get damaged.

I would just much rather have my beat up mainland vs. a cheap dolphin (which I do have in my classroom and it was knocked across the room and dropped twice this week, but survived with just some chipped wood).

haolejohn · Feb 2, 2012

haolejohn said:
Understood. I think most of us are aware of the potential danger. My uke doesn't stay in the car forever. But I have left in there over night in 30 degree weather. It is still fine. I know I run the risk of damage to it but I have accepted the fact that it may get damaged.

I would just much rather have my beat up mainland vs. a cheap dolphin (which I do have in my classroom and it was knocked across the room and dropped twice this week, but survived with just some chipped wood).

of course I'm not right in the head.

Here are some pics of my other travel ukes
either a mele or vineyard mahog is in this pic

haolejohn · Feb 2, 2012

haolejohn said:
of course I'm not right in the head.

Here are some pics of my other travel ukes
either a mele or vineyard mahog is in this pic

and a curly koa kamaka hf-3 in this one (It was a Mid-Summer thunderstorm in the south):

dancingflee · Feb 2, 2012

Hey haolejohn, that is a good looking bike. I miss taking those beautiful coastal relaxing spring rides.

I threw in my two-cents worth because I thought the initial question was the safety of a ukulele in a car until i realized it was leading to the dolphines which now seem to be soooo popular. Not to sound pedantic, I just meant to share an unfortunate experience I had with my GRVasquez Rubio last year. I left it in the trunk of my car for about a hour or even less .. temp was 95F and the frets felt a little sharp on the edges and a minor buzz on the low E side.....loose brace.

Okay..sorry I keep forgetting that most in this forum are a lot more experienced in this field than this starving student...LOL!

ukucuckoo · Mar 10, 2012

I don't go camping, but sure do drive a lot here in LA. Red lights, waiting, traffic jams; the minutes add up, and I could be practicing a strum, or a progression! I wasn't looking for a uke that would live in the car, just one that that was easy and comfortable to play behind the wheel. My most important need was safety: to be able to pull it over from the passenger seat when the car is stopped/parked, and to put it away immediately to drive with both hands. Tenors are my preference but even the thinlines were unwieldy because of their length. A thinline laminate soprano has solved my needs beautifully. It lives in the house, so I grab it as I leave, but don't worry about it being in the car during the day. Pretty crazy; nice to know I'm not the only one!

haolejohn · Mar 10, 2012

dancingflee said:
Hey haolejohn, that is a good looking bike. I miss taking those beautiful coastal relaxing spring rides.

I threw in my two-cents worth because I thought the initial question was the safety of a ukulele in a car until i realized it was leading to the dolphines which now seem to be soooo popular. Not to sound pedantic, I just meant to share an unfortunate experience I had with my GRVasquez Rubio last year. I left it in the trunk of my car for about a hour or even less .. temp was 95F and the frets felt a little sharp on the edges and a minor buzz on the low E side.....loose brace.

Okay..sorry I keep forgetting that most in this forum are a lot more experienced in this field than this starving student...LOL!

LOL!! No worries ( i know I am late responding). I doubt it is experience. It could just be more crazy?

I used to mock those that always humidified instruments and were worried about weather swings. Then I accidently left a $1000 ukulele out in my classroom. We had an ice storm, which for Georgia is rare, and I left my uke out to take some stuff to my car. I wasn't able to return to my classroom b/c all doors were locked. The leave schoolearly thing turned into 4 missed days and my district turns heat off at night to save money (10 million short on budget). Needless to say i returned to a solid koa ukulele with a few cracks in it.

Then yesterday, I grabbed my favorite pineapple and I have kept it either in the car (twice, but usually take inside with me but it travels with me all the time) or on me and the bridge was popped off. I had no idea. I did leave it in the car one day for a whole school day. Temps were high 60swhich means maybe 80s in the car. This had to cause the bridge to pop off. I can't think of anything else that would have led to this. So....I'm not so much of a "leave your uke in your car" guy now. I still have one in the car while i am in the car but it leaves vehicle when I do.

ckellogg · Mar 11, 2012

I have a car ukulele and LOVE IT. Let me describe my madness. It's a Dolphin, free from CraigsList, neck was broken off, I glued it back on, and left the crapola black strings on it (no idea what those are). Stuck a tiny http://www.command.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/NACommand/Command/ Command Hook on the end and put on a strap (old ID badge holder). There's a box in front of the passenger seat that I can quickly put it in and the neck sticks up for fast access. While driving, I practice strumming by putting it on the center console with the neck on my knee, and strum away. Around my neck, I practice chord changes without strumming, hammering on works. At stoplights - whoo hoo! I've got some 'Crazy G' stoplights where I can play the whole song! This beginner has improved an incredible amount due to car practice. I should add that I live in the Washington, DC area, where traffic is bad.
I've had this Dolphin in the car since last fall with no problems, I give it no extra care. I have a bumper sticker from Gerald Ross - "If you can hear my Ukulele then you're driving too close". Oddly, I've yet to see anyone notice I'm playing (especially the cops).

Ukuleles in the car?

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