Anybody heard of a Ukelin?
David Bucher
I just recieved a request about whether I could build a Ukelin for a client.
Although I've heard of such an instrument I've never seen, heard or played
one. The fellow says it has 32 strings with 16 melody strings and
16 bass strinmgs in groups of four (four string courses?) with two bridges
and soundholes, one for each set of 16 strings. Anyone heard of it and
if so what books might describe it? I have a large library and have no info
on the ukelin. He suggests that it resembles a mountain dulcimer and
also mentions bowing the melody strings.
Dave Bucher, Luthier
David Bucher email: dbu...@mcn.org
The Golden Wood Stringed musical Instruments Aero-Pac# 11
33700 S.Hwy.One Tripoli# 829
Gualala, CA 95445 Eye of the Storm Rocketry
Ph. 707 884 4213
Lothlorien Orpheus Caras Galadon
Tom Norulak
> Dave Bucher, Luthier
Ukelins were commonly sold door to door during the early part of this
century. It kind of looks like an auto harp but gets bowed and plucked
simultaneously. Rather than build one, it might be easier to find one at
a flea market or antique store.
Tom
--
Tom Norulak Accordion; Folk Music; Screen Printing;
nor...@telerama.lm.com Printmaking; Fine Arts
http://www.lm.com/~norulak
"When you get to the fork in the road, take it." --Yogi Berra
Bob Norton
My last msg seems to have been munched.
A search through the Alta Vista engine reveals that K.D. Laing's album "All You
Can Eat" and Loreena McKennit's "Parallel Dreams" each have a cut on which the
ukelin is played. I also found that the Lark In The Morning store in Mendocino
often has ukelins and marxophones in stock, though their web site had no
pictures of them.
I just listened to "Moon Cradle" on the McKennit CD. The ukelin sounds VERY
much like a bowed psaltery.
Bob N.
In article <4seqd0$2...@excelsior.flash.net>, rno...@flash.net says...
>
>David,
> The Ukelin is one of a family of instruments called "Marxophones",
>manufactured by the Marx company in the early 1900's. The largest number of
>them in one place that I've seen was in the Signal Hill music store in Mt.
>View, Arkansas (home of McSpadden dulcimers). They don't resemble a dulcimer
at
>all. I've never seen one played and I'm m
>In article <4s9it0$5...@s10.mcn.org>, dbu...@mcn.org says...
Bob Norton
Mike Walsh
David Bucher wrote:
>
> I just recieved a request about whether I could build a Ukelin for a client.
> Although I've heard of such an instrument I've never seen, heard or played
> one. The fellow says it has 32 strings with 16 melody strings and
> 16 bass strinmgs in groups of four (four string courses?) with two bridges
> and soundholes, one for each set of 16 strings. Anyone heard of it and
> if so what books might describe it? I have a large library and have no info
> on the ukelin. He suggests that it resembles a mountain dulcimer and
> also mentions bowing the melody strings.
>
> Dave Bucher, Luthier
>
> David Bucher email: dbu...@mcn.org
> The Golden Wood Stringed musical Instruments Aero-Pac# 11
> 33700 S.Hwy.One Tripoli# 829
> Gualala, CA 95445 Eye of the Storm Rocketry
> Ph. 707 884 4213
> Lothlorien Orpheus Caras Galadon
It sounds like you are describing the Bandura (spelling may be wrong).
There was a fellow playing one at the Florida folk festival again this
year. It kind of looks like a combination Harp and Bass.
Mike
Bob Norton
I don't think so. I've seen banduras and ukelins and the only thing they have
in common is that they both have strings.
In article <31ED98...@jaxnet.com>, mwa...@jaxnet.com says...
Lindstrom James
David Bucher (dbu...@mcn.org) wrote:
: I just recieved a request about whether I could build a Ukelin for a client.
: Although I've heard of such an instrument I've never seen, heard or played
: one. The fellow says it has 32 strings with 16 melody strings and
: 16 bass strinmgs in groups of four (four string courses?) with two bridges
: and soundholes, one for each set of 16 strings. Anyone heard of it and
: if so what books might describe it? I have a large library and have no info
: on the ukelin. He suggests that it resembles a mountain dulcimer and
: also mentions bowing the melody strings.
: Dave Bucher, Luthier
: David Bucher email: dbu...@mcn.org
: The Golden Wood Stringed musical Instruments Aero-Pac# 11
: 33700 S.Hwy.One Tripoli# 829
: Gualala, CA 95445 Eye of the Storm Rocketry
: Ph. 707 884 4213
: Lothlorien Orpheus Caras Galadon
Never heard of the thing. I'ld check the Grove Encyclopedia. Maybe David
Munroe's book on Medieval and Renaissance Instruments, lots of pictures.
It is not like a Bandura, as someone else has mentioned. A Bandura is a
guitar-like streel string strung instrument invented in England cira.
1600. Looks like a wilted guitar.
I'ld be interested in knowing what you discover about the thing. The
similarity with "ukelele" is suspicious, but doesn't in itself mean
anything.
James Lindstrom
linds...@duq3.cc.duq.edu
JamesH5861
In article <4sdif1$g...@india.lm.com>, nor...@telerama.lm.com (Tom
Norulak) writes:
>Ukelins were commonly sold door to door during the early part of this
>century. It kind of looks like an auto harp but gets bowed and plucked
>simultaneously. Rather than build one, it might be easier to find one at
>a flea market or antique store.
>Tom
Surprisingly enough, I found TWO ukelins at antique stores in Hastings NE
vicinity when I was visiting my Dad just after Memorial Day. One was in
very sad shape but was probably repairable. Both were overpriced, in my
opinion, but then them farmers-turned-antique-dealers just love to gouge
the city slickers come out to the country looking for bits of nostalgia...
Jim Hohlfeld -- Orange, CA (James...@aol.com)
Daniel W. Butler-Ehle
a...@goldratt.com wrote:
: The Ukelin was an instrument built late in the last century/early this
: century when such instruments were popular (autoharp was developed and
: sold in same period). It has a set of strings you can strum and a set you
: bow. You can still find them from time to time in flea markets and the
: like. Folk Performer Claudia Schmidt plays a similar instrument called a
: Pianolin. The only instrument that survived from this period is the
: autoharp, frankly because it's the only one that sounds any good.
This is to the best of my knowledge, which is woefully incomplete and
bound to be full of inaccuracies.
I believe that people may be confusing the Ukelin with the Violin-Uke (by
Marx, inventors of the Big Wheel plastic tricycle). They are functionally
equivalent instruments -- a diatonic bowed psaltry (even though the bowed
psaltry wasn't invented until the 30s) with a few groups of four strings,
each tuned to a chord running down the middle.
The "uke" part of the name probably comes from the chord courses.
A ukulele has four strings and typically only plays chords. (Although
the uke wasn't popular (or even well-known) on the mainland until the
late 20s.)
The Ukelin was made (I believe) around the turn of the century.
It was rather large, brown, and had (I believe) two sound holes.
The few I seen at antique shops and instrument shops have been
priced between $80 and $150.
The Marx Violin-Uke was the instrument for everybody in the 40s & 50s
(as the Autoharp had been years earlier). Kinda like the Flutophone,
marketers would convince parents that this was the perfect beginning
instrument for their child.
It wasn't exactly cheap, but was less expensive than a new clarinet.
It sold for $35 (or at least mine did, as the Marx label inside
indicates (and, come to think of it, that's what it (in mint condition)
cost me two years ago). It's painted metallic yellow, as are all
the ones I've seen. I also have several pieces of Violin-Uke
play-by-numbers sheet music (anyone want to exchange photocopies?).
The Pianolin (I've also seen it called the Pianoette) was another
entry in the Marxolin line. It, too, was a bowed psaltery, but instead
of uke chords, it had four(?) buttons at the end that operated
harpsichord-like hammers on the other strings. I'm not sure what
music the piano notes were s'posed to provide, there weren't enough
of them to handle a melody. Oh, and it was metallic aqua-blue.
Dan
a...@goldratt.com
The Ukelin was an instrument built late in the last century/early this
century when such instruments were popular (autoharp was developed and
sold in same period). It has a set of strings you can strum and a set you
bow. You can still find them from time to time in flea markets and the
like. Folk Performer Claudia Schmidt plays a similar instrument called a
Pianolin. The only instrument that survived from this period is the
autoharp, frankly because it's the only one that sounds any good.
I suggest you call one of the museums of folk instruments around the
country, or contact someone like Elderly Instruments or the House of
Musical Traditions. They may be able to help you find one to measure and
copy. Info on some of these sources are on my Folk Stuff web site at:
http://www.rogo.com/folkstuff/
In article <4st5sn$h...@godot.cc.duq.edu>, LINDS...@duq3b.cc.duq.edu
David Bucher
LINDS...@duq3b.cc.duq.edu (Lindstrom James) wrote:
>
>
>Never heard of the thing. I'ld check the Grove Encyclopedia. Maybe David
>Munroe's book on Medieval and Renaissance Instruments, lots of pictures.
>It is not like a Bandura, as someone else has mentioned. A Bandura is a
>guitar-like streel string strung instrument invented in England cira.
>1600. Looks like a wilted guitar.
>
>I'ld be interested in knowing what you discover about the thing. The
>similarity with "ukelele" is suspicious, but doesn't in itself mean
>anything.
>
>James Lindstrom
>linds...@duq3.cc.duq.edu
>
Thanks be to all who posted and emailed answers and suggestions about the Ukelin. I've determined that it is a patented "sort of" combo of a Uke
and a violin. As for the otyher suggestions, the bandura idea is wrong.
I happen to have done a lot of research and have an extensive library.
The bandura is a sort of harp-cittern with many extant examples. The
instrument described above is a Bandora, an instrument with which I am
very famular. I specialize in citterns and the English (John Rose invented
) Bandora has another name: Orpharion. When I get my Golden Wood
Wbe page up SOON I'll have a picture of a bandora I built for all to see!
Other names for bandors would be pandora or penorcorn. Atually, it is
most likely a bandura-like instrument from the discriptions I've recieved.
Dave Bucher'Luthier
Mike Vande Bunt
Bob Norton (rno...@flash.net) wrote:
: My last msg seems to have been munched.
: A search through the Alta Vista engine reveals that K.D. Laing's album "All You
: Can Eat" and Loreena McKennit's "Parallel Dreams" each have a cut on which the
: ukelin is played. I also found that the Lark In The Morning store in Mendocino
: often has ukelins and marxophones in stock, though their web site had no
: pictures of them.
: I just listened to "Moon Cradle" on the McKennit CD. The ukelin sounds VERY
: much like a bowed psaltery.
: Bob N.
I have seen a Ukelin, and it _should_ sound like a bowed psaltery, because
it IS a bowed psaltery. The difference is that the Ukelin has an extra set
of strings in the middle that are arranged in chords and are strummed with a
pick.
The one I saw in an antique store was in perfect condition (probably not
played much at all) and included the case, bow, tuning wrench and
instruction book. I wouldn't call it well made from a musial standpoint and
I considered it vastly overpriced at $130.
It strikes me as sort of a "gimick" instrument. With the addition of only 7
four note chords, you give up the option of using two bows. Therefore I
consider a bowed psaltery to be a more versatile instrument.
--
Mike Vande Bunt (N9KHZ) Mike.Va...@mixcom.com <*> TRA:4537 NAR:65174
David Bucher
Thanks again one and all fro your many replys to my Ukelin query. I visit Lark in the Morning quite often and I've yet to see one. From what I
heard I doubt I want to make my client one but who knows? I love odd
projects and I thought this would be a good one, but it does indeed sound
like a gimmick instrument.
Thanks one and all!
Dave Bucher, luthier