This has got to be the most alien-looking uke you'll ever see... BUT IT SOUNDS INCREDIBLE! Simply put, the Styrofoam Cooler Ukulele is nothing but a neck without a body and a huge cooler screwed to the butt end.
Watch the video to hear it for yourself:
Here's the parts I used:
- 1x2 plank of maple, 33 inches long
- A separate thin plank of oak for the fretboard
- Small piece of maple for the floating bridge
- Medium/Medium fretwire
- A four pack of Shane Speal signature tuners
- A pack of standard ukulele strings
- a used styrofoam cooler
- One drywall screw and a large washer to anchor the cooler to the neck.
This is a very easy project!
- Scoop out the headstock and drill for the tuners.
- Make the fretboard separately (I chose a 13.5" soprano scale) and attach it to the neck.
- Create a floating bridge that is high enough for proper string height.
- Drill two holes for each string, 2 inches behind the placement of the floating bridge. These will be your string anchors where you feed the strings through and tie them tight.
- Drill a pilot hole at the end of the stick for the cooler screw
- String up the ukulele.
- Attach the cooler to the end of the stick using a drywall screw and washer.
Note: This ukulele was inspired by Bart Hopkin's seminal book, Musical Instrument Design: Practical Information for Instrument Design. (Purchase on Amazon here.)
Replies
I am a simple man. I see a cool way to make a uke and I hit like.
Mod 2.1b - a paint stir stick inside the cooler between the screw-washer and the Styrofoam. might improve the volume some and might improve the stability of the connection (oops, I bumped the cooler clean off).
Very little volume with just the stick. I tried them both and the difference in volume was staggering. The styrofoam is just the perfect low-tech resonator!