I have been curious about the 3-D printed ukuleles, which have been showing up on Etsy and eBay, for some time. I decided to take the plunge and purchase one of the soprano travel ukes from Blue Sun Instruments. I'm pleasantly surprised with the result and hopefully it will show up in some of my future videos.
Intro - 0:00
Unboxing & Overview - 0:47
Tuning & Handling - 2:33
Sound Sample - 3:53
Travel-ability - 4:55
Conclusion - 5:37
You can find Blue Sun Instruments on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/usr/bluesuninstruments
See more of my Unboxing Videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwIixlr7C6KVZ0q7Lj3-Ywpra2ywUzs67
Comments
Thanks John. I was pretty impressed too.
Better than expected!
I’m inspired guys! But I’m up to my ears in other projects at the moment. However I did download a travel ukulele and put in on the build plate just to check it out and fooled around with scaling the neck to see what is possible. The original scale length is 15”. I’m still thinking about how to improve the playability and still keep it small. Might even use a small cigar box. It will be a flourocarbon fishing line chugger with reentrant tuning high G and a low D. I have tried high G and high D and I did not care for it; too high and thin. The low D fattens up the tone some. I’ll put a carbon fiber rod in the neck otherwise it will probably bend, even with the short scale.
Thanks AD and Doug. We’ll see how it holds up.
Yep that one we exspected from the 3 D print guy Doug ,maybee you gave him a inspiration it does not look like one ,it does not play like one, But it sure SOUND like one !! a part from the practical carry part ,it looks like a crampy playebillety, and tuning ! but having fun whit it can put that all aside ! good luck whit it Kale & thanks for the update !
I appreciate the details Kale. I don’t think I have seen that particular travel uke at any of the free download sites. That “plastic” rod could be carbon fiber or, if 3D printed, a way to make the neck stiffer. The short scale length and one piece neck works to your advantage. I would like a longer scale length for a travel Chugger, but my 3D printer is not big enough and a multi piece neck provides challenges I have yet to resolve. I would imagine the multiple drag points on each string will make tuning more challenging than normal.
I figured you'd have something to contribute on this subject Doug. I know you liked 3D printing. I took it apart and the neck seems to have a small hole through the middle and there's a plastic rod in there. It's not truly a truss rod because I didn't see a way to tighten/loosen it but it probably provides some sort of support. I was wondering if there'd be an easy way to make it into a functional truss rod.
Fun video Kale! I have looked at various 3D printed ukuleles and actually printed a travel one which I strung up as a Chugger with friction tuners. It did not work so well. The other, a Banjolele, I remixed and it provided the inspiration for my current bolt-on neck CBGs. I will be interested in seeing how it holds up to string tension over time based on my limited experience. I went to the eBay site and the details were sketchy. Do you think there is any support in the neck besides plastic? Just curious.
It's funny you say that BrianQ. I've already got a few mods in mind. I should have another video posted soon. :-D
That’s almost too small, but it works! Maybe if they rounded the edges off more, the strings wouldn’t grab the body so much? I remember when that travel guitar style came out in the 70’s nobody wanted them, but now everybody wants them! :)