1970s Jennifer Swiftwater-painted "The Blessing" Import Soprano Uke




Let's face it: the main attraction here is the cool hand-painted artwork by Jennifer Swiftwater (a friend of mine up in Bristol, VT). The uke itself is rather mundane, being one of any number of 70s or 80s laminate import ukes from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, or China. I'm guessing Taiwan considering the flatter-profile hefty brass frets, though.

Jen painted this back in '08 as part of a series of ukes that she planned to turn into wall art. She brought it by for consignment and I quickly adjusted the setup and -- hey presto! -- now it plays, too! I haven't done any fancy work to it so while it plays fine it's still got that old beginner uke feel to the neck profile and frets (including the old nylon strings) -- perfect for lazy days in the office or outdoor fun -- and a very cute thing to hang on your wall in the meantime.










Yes -- it has one of those rad plaid cases that I think of immediately in relation to old import jobs.

Comments