avatar-me-color-64x

Curt Sheller | All Things `Ukulele and Jazz Guitar

facebook twitter google linkedin vimeo youtubeThe Basics and Beyond!!! Take your playing to the next level.
11AM, your time... It's almost time for lunch!

BC1UKE2-coverBC1GTR-cover_smAll UKULELE CLUBS and TEACHERS can bypass the middleman and get your ukulele books direct from me at a quantity discount of 20% off. [ click here for order form ]

Jazz Ukulele - Instruments

You can play jazz on any style ukulele.

Although you can play any style music on any ukulele. There are certain styles of instrument associated with particular styles of music. Think archtop guitars and jazz. Maccaferri and Selmer style guitar associated with Django Reinhardt and gypsy jazz styles.

With that in mind here a few builders that can build you an archtop or Django style ukulele. Kala makes a production ukulele that is in the archtop guitar style.

I think the Django style ukulele is really cool.

Kala
(pronounced Kah’ la )
P.O. Box 751149
Petaluma, CA 94975-1149
1 877 Uke Duke

Kala

Listing's Web Site Thumbnail Image

  • Over 120 Ukulele Models
  • UBass - Bass Ukulele
  • Tuners
  • Cases
  • Strings
  • Accessories

Links

Listing Info click here to show or hide more info

( from the Kala site ) - KALA BRAND UKULELES HAVE JUST BEGUN, BUT OUR ROOTS GO BACK A BIT.

Hawaiian Definitions of KALA (pronounced Kah’ la)

  1. v. To forgive, a prayer to free someone from any evil influence.
  2. nvs. Dollar, silver, money, cash, currency.
  3. n. Surgeonfish, Unicorn fish
  4. (Ono) Brand of Ukulele!!!

Hi, I’m Mike Upton, founder of Kala Brand Music Co. and Kala Brand Ukulele. I became acquainted with the charm of the ukulele at an early age as my Dad would strum the "uke" and sing old standards, entertaining the family, neighbors, and worshiping in Church. The sweet, soothing sound was the best pacifier for a fidgety child like yours truly, so as I grew up, you guessed it, I started playing the bass. Four strings like the uke, only much larger and able to rattle your teeth with the proper amplification i.e. Ampeg SVT 300 Watt Tube Head through a 8x10 cabinet. Anyway, back to the ukulele, I re-engaged with the uke while living on heavenly Lanikai Beach in 1991 with my lovely wife, Wendy. You were just starting to hear and see more and more people playing ukulele back then. My interest continued as I became the Hawaii Sales Representative for the Hohner Company in 1997. I found out very quickly that there were very few quality, affordable ukuleles available in the Islands. So with that in mind, I set out and with some help developed the popular ukulele line. In July of 2005 I went out on my own to start Kala Ukulele to continue to expand what is possible in the realm of quality, affordable instruments for the Ukulele Enthusiast and Novice alike.

top top.png

Kepasa Ukulele
Luthier: Kevin Crossett
PO Box 531
Montpelier, VT 05601
Phone: (802) 229-0295
Fax: (802) 229-0755

Links

information-lite.png Info click here to show or hide more info

(from the Kepasa Ukulele web site ) - Reason for Building Ukuleles- I can't think of a good reason not to build ukuleles! I got bitten by the ukulele bug in early 2004. One thing lead to another, and I figured if I could play them, I could build them. Easier said than done.

top top.png

Andreas Pendennis Köpke
PENDENNIS handmade Folk Instruments
Augustental 38
24232 Schönkirchen
Germany Tel./Fax: +49 (0) 4348 8385
Fax:

Links

( from listing's site ) - I specialize in custom made stringed instruments of all sorts...

Whatever You’d like to ask for - perhaps a jazz-mandola, bouzoukis, speciality guitars small or big, A or F mandolins, tenor guitars, ukuleles, a mando-uke, banjos, electric guitars and mandolins, carved tops and backs, fancy woods, custom inlays, french polish... whatever you’ve seen in the books or heard of... don’t hesitate to ask for your own special instrument. There will be a way to make your dream come true at a reasonable price!

top top.png

Po Mahina Ukuleles and Guitars
Dennis Lake
P.O Box 845
Na'alehu, Hawaii 96772
Phone: 808/929-9591

Links

Tiki King's Ukulele: Brand name database: Po_Mahina

(from their site) Island Jazz & Island Jazz Cutaway

Inspired by the Selmer Jazz Guitars made in Paris in the 1930's and made famous by Django Rheinhardt. Striking curly koa back and sides, spruce top, ebony fingerboard, ebony peg head overlay, bound top and back with grained ivoroid, Po Mahina inlay in peg head, abalone position markers at 3,5,7,10,12,15 and abalone inlay around small oval sound hole. Slightly longer scale than regular models.

top top.png

Marshall Stapleton Guitars
Mondo Mando
Providence Place
Lyme Regis
Dorset
Great Britain
Phone:
eMail: marshalluke@gmail.com

Click for a Google Map

Listing's Web Site Thumbnail Image

  • Acoustic Guitars
  • Electric Guitars
  • Mandolin
  • Ukuleles

link.png Links

Listing Info click here to show or hide more info

( from listing's site ) - I got my first guitar when i was about 13.A cheap and extremely nasty plywood model with metal strings about 1/2 " off the fingerboard (got me started on slide mind!) First thing I did was shave down the floating bridge to save my soft little fingers -it was the start of a long journey.

clink on image for a larger view

top top.png

UKEGTR-cover-rotated

Hard Copy Book: $12.95
PDF Download: $4.95

Ukulele for Guitar Players

This book is for current and former guitar players discovering the ukulele for the first time or returning to the instrument.

Ukulele for Guitar Players is a guide to transferring the accumulated experience and knowledge gained as a guitar played to the ukulele. Or exploring the possibilities that the ukulele offer. Covers chords, scale and an introduction to reading standard music notation on ukulele.

The ukulele is both a different instrument than the guitar and at the same time a lot like the guitar.

Guitar players that also play the ukulele find that it gives them a different and fresh look at how they also approach the guitar.

More info and complete samples of entire book.

Thanks for visiting and checking out my site!

Content is always being added and updated. So check-in often. Thanks, Curt

P.S. You may think from the look of it that Curt Sheller Publications is a slick, profitable business, but it's actually not (maybe a car payment a month, cheap car). I spend a lot and time money creating the content, lessons and books for this site (a labor of love), so if you dig my content and want to see more of it. I could use your help by spreading the word and maybe buying a book or two if you haven't already, to help defray the cost of running the site. Thanks in advance for your help. This is a labor of love and I'd do it even if I didn't make a lot of money, hey I don't!

You can also make a donation to the lesson-site fund. Button in the sidebar of the site.

If I'm not teaching, I'm working on this site and new lessons, books and goodies.

INSTRUMENTS.PHP | Updated: Tuesday, 24th January, 2012 @ 07:21pm

Top of Page