6/25/10

Huey Ukuleel progress

When Ted Nunes asked me for some advice on how he could create a "talking" ukulele, a gave a general response. But I'll be honest, his creative work is resulting in a character far superior to anything I would have imagined!


The jaw slides up and down with rubber band for tension. The string feeds through the head stock and down the back of the neck where it will connect to the body under some tension. The string will be knotted in several places so Ted can work the mouth with his thumb wherever his hand might be positioned along the fretboard. Eyes will move side to side. Raising eyebrows are being considered. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product! Excellent job, Ted!
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4 comments:

  1. LeeDean6/25/2010

    Very good job.

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  2. Anonymous6/26/2010

    very cute, very clever
    Geoffrey, Australia

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tedtoons6/30/2010

    UPDATE: I'm continuing to work out the mechanism. Right now I've implemented the knotted string for the mouth and a lever for the eye controls (made out of a popsicle stick).

    After practicing with this setup a bit, I'm finding that the lever works well and I'll probably keep it. The string mouth control is tricky, though. It works, but let me tell you, it's hard to strum and finger chords on a ukulele while also working vent mechanics. The string wants to roll out from under my thumb.

    I've got an alternate idea to try that hopefully will make this easier. It's going to be a lot of practice on my part either way. (it's already neat to see him start to come to life, though.) I'll keep you posted.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous10/13/2011

    An amazing Idea. I want one!

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