HOLIDAY KAZOO VIDEO UPDATE SCHEDULE

Each year right after Thanksgiving Day I have to suspend some of the video updates of my kazoos due to the large number of Christmas orders I receive each year.  And regretfully today is that day as I now have quite a few kazoos to make.  This way I can keep my sanity and ship all orders on time and most early.

So orders received today and until New Years Day will only have a final update video.  I will be posting lots of still pictures and narrative updates on the Facebook page.  It take nearly three hours to edit, render and upload each of the long second update videos and right now I have fourteen kazoos ordered.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Great-AsWeGo-Kazoo-Factory/168109906556127

For the next few weeks my total focus has to be on making kazoos! :-)

Thanks for your understanding,
Merry Christmas
Doc Kazoo

Special Edition Christmas 2013 Custom Convertible FatBoy Kazoo (Electric/Acoustic)

CUSTOM CONVERTIBLE FATBOY KAZOO

I am very happy to introduce this years Special Edition Christmas Kazoo.  The Convertible FatBoy Kazoo (Electric/Acoustic), serial number 001/2013. This kazoo is referred to as "Convertible" for two reasons. First it is designed to accept the commercial Hummbucker Kazoo Pickup and can be played either acoustic or electric. Second it is designed so that you can position the kazoo in a harmonica neck holder mounting either on the vent or mouth side of the resonator cap. It comes with two resonator caps. An electric cap that is designed to accept the Hummbucker Kazoo Pickup and a standard thinner acoustic resonator cap. With the electric resonator cap you can play either plugged in or unplugged. The electric resonator cap has a wee different sound than the thinner kazoo when played acoustic. The taller electric resonator cap adds somewhat of a bell effect on the sound. The Hummbucker Pickup will not fit the acoustic resonator cap.

In addition to this being a unique first of a new kazoo design it has an absolutely remarkable grain pattern and wood color.  It was sculpted by hand to provide a beautiful presentation of the grain and color in the same manner I create my Collector FatBoy Kazoos.

You can see and hear a demonstration of this beautiful kazoo on my YouTube Channel at:

http://youtu.be/q2_Hr3z5M5U

It is available now in my ArtFire Shop at:

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=7444265

Happy Kazooing to all!
Doc

NEW BARGAIN KAZOOS AT ARTFIRE

From time to time I will be in the process of smoothing in a kazoo when I discover a flaw or blemish in the wood that will not be removed in the smoothing in process. Most often this is a very small stress crack in the wood that is barely visible and has no effect whatsoever on the dynamics of the kazoo. The problem is completely cosmetic in nature. I call these "Grade B Kazoos" as opposed to my other kazoos which are "Grade A". All of my personal kazoos are "Grade B Kazoos".

Until last week never had I had more than one of the "Grade B" Kazoos at a time but I ended up with four! Two Dual Resonator Ultimate FatBoy Kazoos and Two Spirit Chaser Kazoo's that I just happened to rough in all from the same piece of woodstock. Well sure enough there was an almost identical hairline stress crack on each, in the same location on the kazoos that could not be removed in the final smoothing in.

These four "Grade B" Kazoos were just to danged pretty looking and great sounding to put on the shelf. So I decided to make a new kazoo category in my ArtFire Shop called "Bargain Kazoos" and make these beautiful kazoos available at a much reduced price. As I said I don't normally have these very often but in the future the one's I do have will be listed in the "Bargain Kazoos" Category/ Here's what I have there now.

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/greataswegokazoofactory/1/7/372227//

DOC KAZOO DIY CANDLE HEATER

A few days ago I saw a video on making candle heaters and thought this would be a great idea for a small room off the workshop area approximately 60-70 sqft.  Plus not a bad idea to have around for an emergence winter power outage.  After doing a search and looking at various designs people have made I started looking around the workshop for things I could use to make one.    I am one of those people that have coffee cans full of old hardware. LOL  Plus I don't throw away anything that I might use for something at some point. LOL  My day use to say "keep it five years, if you don't use it then sell it or throw it away."  Trouble is I never remember when I got something so nothing gets thrown away! LOL

I have a bunch of flower pots sitting around so that part was easy.  I use four pots graduated in size outward to a 6" pot.  To connect the pots and make the hanging ring I used an old electric lamp finial, a long bolt with threads that matched the female threads on the lamp finial, a large washer between each pot and a porch swing style hook for hanging the assembled pots,  The pots can be adjusted up and down 3/4" by simply screwing the hanging hook in or out.

My candle heater stands 15" tall and the pine base measures 8"X14"X1".  The "yard arm" support for the hanging is made from 1 1/2"X2X1/2" recycled oak from an old shipping pallet.  The two "yard arm" pieces are assembled with wood glue and three 2 1/2" countersunk wood screws.  It is attached to the base with wood glue and three countersunk 1 1/2" wood screws.  It's a real simple design but sturdy design that can be assembled in an hour if you have all the parts.  One possible addition I may make to my candle heater is a heat reflector between the flower pot and the "yard arm" vertical support.

For the tea candle holder I used a 6" clay pot drip dish that I have epoxy'ed to a cheap candle stand.  It is not permanently mounted to the stand so that you can safely and easily move it in and out when hot to replace burned out candles.  To test the heater I used five cheap "dollar store"  tea lights.  They did fine except that the burn time was only about 90 minutes.  I will be ordering some better quality 4 hour tea lights I have found online for the heater.  After allowing the candle heater to warm up for an hour or so I checked the exterior temperature with a HVAC probe thermometer by holding it against the top at the mounting ring and bottom on the side 2" above the rim at the candles.   At the top the temperature registered 105F and bottom 125F.   First really cold day I will give it a real time test in the workshop room but I do believe this might just work there.

I am also thinking about one more addition to my candle heater with a metal reflector between the hanging pots and the yardarm vertical support.  I have some 12" wide bright aluminum flashing in the workshop that will work just fine.

This is definitely a real easy project that anybody could do and probably with stuff already around the house.  I can remember last winter loosing power for several hours on a cold winter day and had to fire up the Coleman Propane Lantern for heat.  We have a small bedroom that this will probably heat just fine based on what I have seen in videos where people are using them.   Definitely handy for emergencies.

Plus it's a lot of fun to make!

Happy and Warm Kazooing to All
Doc

NEW KAZOO DESIGN! THE HOTROD "TUNED" KAZOO

A couple weeks ago I cut out and drilled a 6" kazoo blank with no idea whatsoever how the finished kazoo would look.  From time to time I would look at it and sit it back down while I was working on other kazoos. I finally got caught up in the workshop the other day and started messing around with an idea a totally new kazoo design that I now call the Hot Rod Kazoo.

There are several things that make this a totally new design.  First this kazoo actually starts out with four separate parts.  As in a standard kazoo there is a kazoo body and resonator cap.  Unlike a standard kazoo there is also a vent hole air "scoup" shaped like the hood scoup for an automobile.  Next there is a mouth hole size reducer.  The scoup and reducer are permanently attached to the kazoo body.

This kazoo starts out with an over size mouth hole similar to my Spirit Chaser Kazoos. This also enlarges the air chamber beneath the resonator cap.  I then install the mouth hole reducer which results in a standard size mouth hole.

The air scoup is also permanently attached  over the vent hole at a location which provides the best sound and control.  This kazoo has the vent hole exiting the bottom of the kazoo so the scoup also prevents the vent hole from being accidentally covered when playing the kazoo.

When positioning the air scoup over the vent hole I discovered that as I moved the location of the scoup in different locations over the vent hole there was a dramatic change in the quality of the sound produced when I hummed and moved the scoup.  Once I identified  the location that provided the best sound it was permanently attached in that location.

I compare this effect with that of having "tuned headers" on an automobile engine. Where the headers are providing the optimum exhaust pressure for engine performance my kazoo scoup does the same thing for the air passing through the vent hole.  So in terms of tuned performance this is an "old kazoo maker tuned kazoo"!

ROUGHED IN HOT ROD KAZOO

The Hot Rod Kazoo is also designed to fit a Hohner Harmonica (HH01) Harmonica neck holder.  It will also fit most standard neck holders.  I hope to have this kazoo available next week!

Please be sure and stop by  the Kazoo Factory  and Doc Kazoo Facebook Pages to see what's new in the workshop.  Each morning a workshop plan of the day is posted and each evening a Workshop End of the Day picture is posted show the status of all kazoos being made.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Great-AsWeGo-Kazoo-Factory/168109906556127

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Doc-Kazoo/141120789324160

Happy Kazooing!
Doc Kazoo

SPECIAL EDITION CHRISTMAS 2013 ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC FATBOY KAZOO & STAND

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Each year I make several Special Edition Kazoos to celebrate various holidays and special events.  This includes National Kazoo Day, Independence Day, Halloween, Christmas, New Years and other special days.   Generally these are unique kazoo designs that are only made once.  Right now I am working on this year's Special Edition Christmas Kazoo which is both a one of a kind Christmas Kazoo and a new FatBoy Kazoo Design.  It is a sculpted one of a kind Collector's FatBoy Kazoo with an absolutely beautiful wood grain/knot pattern and color.

I call this new design the "Convertable" FatBoy Kazoo for two reasons.  First it because it converts from an acoustic to an electric kazoo, which in itself is not a new design as I already have an acoustic/electric Performer FatBoy Kazoo in the kazoo factory catalog. There is also another convertable feature of this new FatBoy design.  It can be mounted in a standard Hohner Harmonica Neck Holder on either the mouth or vent side of the resonator cap.  The original design of the FatBoy Kazoo only offers mounting in the neck holder on the vent side of the resonator cap which results in about 2.5" of the kazoo mouth end extending beyond the neck holder.  When mounted on the mouth side of the kazoo less than an inch of the mouth end extends beyond the neck holder.  This more similar to that of a harmonica.

This kazoo will come with two resonator caps.  One acoustic and one electric to fit the Hummbucker Kazoo Pickup/Mic available at Kazoobie Kazoo. You can play acoustic with either resonator cap but the Hummbucker will only fit the Electric Resonator Cap.  It also comes with a beautiful matching wooden display stand.  The Hummbucker Kazoo Pickup/Mic is not included with this kazoo and must be purchased separately.  They are are available at KAZOOBIE KAZOO   and some other great electric kazoo stuff too!!

This Special Collector Edition "Convertable" FatBoy Christmas 2013 Kazoo, Serial Number 001, will be finished and available in my ArtFire Shop sometime in October 2013.

Acoustic Resonator Cap On Kazoo

Electric Resonator Cap On Kazoo

Stand, Body and both Resonator Caps

Stand, Body and both Resonator Caps

On January 1, 2014 a new Performer Design "Convertable" FatBoy Kazoo with dual mounting locations will be available in the kazoo factory catalog.  At that time all other FatBoy Kazoos models will have an option for selecting the location of a mounting point for the harmonica neck holder,  either on the mouth or vent side of the kazoo resonator cap at no additional cost.

So be sure and keep an eye out for this one!  It will make a beautiful Christmas gift for for everyone especially performing musicians and collectors.  The FatBoy Family of Kazoos are my most popular instruments literally around the world.

Happy Kazooing to All!
Doc

PS
Here is a picture of a previous Acoustic/Electric Collector FatBoy Kazoo.  This kazoo has been sold and is not available.  I added this picture to demonstrate how the Hummbucker mounts to the kazoo.

This picture shows a traditional Collector FatBoy with mounting on vent side 
of the resonator cap.  It is used for demonstrating the Hummbucker Kazoo
Pickup/Mic attached to the kazoo. 
Hummbucker Kazoo Pickup/Mics are available at
KAZOOBIE KAZOOS

I TOOK A WRONG TURN IN ALBUQUERQUE!

I'm back!!! LOL   It looks like I have been lost since my last blog post It's been a while since I have had time to post a new blog.  Today I have the workshop all caught up and am taking the day to do website updates.  I thought the best place to start would be letting you know what's been going on in the Kazoo Factory and around the Homestead.

It has been a pretty rugged summer weather wise with daily heat index (what it feels like) going over 100F outside and way hotter in the workshop.  So this has mean that the workshop is on Tropical Hours.  This is an old sailors term from my days on an old WWII destroyer with no air conditioning anywhere but the galley. When operating in tropical climates we would start work early while the coolest and knock of ships work early before the peak afternoon heat.  I do the same in the workshop each year.  I should be back on regular hours in a month or so.

Lots has been going on since my last blog post.  I have been petty busy making kazoos and designing some new ones too.  Have also had lots of fun on several new collaborations with performing musicians for some great custom designed kazoos! This includes the UkeZoo Kazoo that is shaped like a Ukulele, the MicZoo Kazoo designed to fit a microphone clip held in a mic stand, Yellow Submarine Kazoos and a few more!  I am working on a collaboration right now for a 12" dreadnought kazoo that will be performing early next year at the World Busker's Festival in Spain!  I have also designed a few new kazoos myself including and Electric Performer FatBoy Kazoo that is made to accept the Hummbucker Kazoo Pickup/Mic that is available at Kazoobie Kazoo.  I am presently making a Special Edition Collectors Electric FatBoy Kazoo that will be available soon!  I even modified my old Performer FatBoy to accept the pick up and am having a ball running it through my old Digitech Genesis 1 processor to my old favorite Peavy Rage guitar amp.  Kazoobie Kazoo also just added a Professional Hummbucker Pickup to their catalog!!

Back in July I was very proud to be part of N'UKEFEST 2013 in the UK donating a beautiful Custom UkeZoo Kazoo for their raffle in support of Macmillian Cancer Support.  The UkeZoo joined some beautiful ukuleles and other items that were donated and raised nearly 1000 pounds for a great cause!!!   I just sent another kazoo back to my stomping grounds as a kid back in Charlotte, NC to a local elementary school for a Silent Auction fund raising event.  The school is within a few miles of where I grew up so that made this a very special kazoo for me.  It is a new designed Custom Traditional Carolina Kazoo.  I will be making these available soon.

Recently added a new country to the list of "Where In The World Are Aswego Kazoos".  In one month I shipped the first two kazoos to Switzerland.  Still shy of my "Bucket List Item" to have one in every country on the planet but making process.  As always I have had the great pleasure of making kazoos for some fantastic people from all over.  I sure like making kazoos my way.  I makes it nice getting to meet and communicate with real people for a week or so while I make their kazoos.  One thing I have discovered is that there are really some other crazy people in the Kazoo and Ukulele communities around the world!!!

Which reminds me I also got myself a soprano ukulele last Christmas.  I figured that since so many ukulele players were using my kazoos the least I could do was learn to play the ukulele!  Not only have I discovered a much under estimated instrument that is just plain fun to play but a bunch of ukulele players around the world who have helped me learn.  I ain't there yet but I am closer than I was last Christmas and just got my second ukulele, a tenor ukulele this time.  I highly recommend the ukulele to everyone as a perfect companion to a kazoo!

There's lots more that's been going on as usual in the workshop.  I have tinkered with a few other instrument builds when I had time and as always having a bunch of fun.  Hope this blog finds each of you happy, well and most importantly having fun.

Happy Kazooing to All
Doc

N'UKEFEST 2013 SPECIAL 10% DISCOUNT ON ALL KAZOOS

Well it's almost time for N'UKEFEST 2013!!! Since a lot of us won't be able to make the trip to the United Kingdom I thought I might do something so that everyone can join in the N'UKEFEST 2013 celebration. 

As most people know I sent Barry of the N'Ukes a UkeZoo Kazoo for the Macmillian Cancer Support Raffle. Today I heard that the Southern Ukulele Store, who donated a beautiful ukulele, also sent Barry some brochures that contained a special N'UKEFEST 2013 10% Discount Code.

This gave me an idea! I set up a 10% N'UKEFEST 2013 Discount Code in my ArtFire Shop for everyone that attends the festival. The code is valid from July 20th to December 31st one use per customer. This discount is for any of my kazoos and cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounts.

In celebration the first N'UKEFEST everyone from anywhere can use the N'UKEFEST 2013! 10% Discount Code for any kazoo in my ArtFire Studio Shop.

All you have to do is enter the Code "NUKE" at check out. That's all caps and no quotation marks.
Cheers,
Doc Kazoo

CHRISTMAS IN JULY 2013 AT THE KAZOO FACTORY

I am very happy to announce that the Kazoo Factory has joined Homestead Music with a Christmas in July 2013 Sale.  

Through the month of July you can take advantage of a 10% discount on all of my kazoos!  This includes special custom made kazoos and ready made kazoos.

All you have to do is enter the Discount Code "santa" (minus the quotation marks) at check out in my ArtFire Shop.

Merry Christmas In July and Happy Kazooing,

Doc Kazoo

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/greataswegokazoofactory

PICKIN' ON THE PORCH - CAN'T GET THERE

What a beautiful Sunday!  Despite the heat and rain! LOL  Great day to just mess around in the air conditioning.  First thing this morning just before sunrise it was perfect for some Pickin' On The Porch.  Lots of the time I am just messing around with different chord progressions and pickin' patterns.  Nothing like waiting on the sunrise with a hot cup of coffee and a guitar or ukulele.  For me it's like a time of meditation or prayer where the outside world stops and my focus is making music to please myself.

Here's a little tune that appeared this morning.  I kinda like this and will mess around with it more seriously later.  Already got some lyrics running around in my head.  Right now I just call it "Can't Get There".

I shot this video today with the camera sitting on the work table outside the workshop facing west.  The original video ran right at four minutes.  I compressed that video to play in one minute to match the length of the soundtrack.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Doc

FEATURED UKEZOOIST OF THE MONTH - JULY 2013

uke-zoo-ist   noun 
a player of the ukulele and the kazoo

The One, Only And Original
BARRY BARMCAKE
Wigan, United Kingdom

https://www.facebook.com/BarryBarmcake?fref=ts

Way back when I was a kid one of my favorite things to read was the Readers Digest.  They had a monthly article titled something like "The Most Unforgettable Person I Have Ever Met".   Readers sent in submissions for this article. Though I have never met Barry Barmcake in person I still consider him one of the most unforgettable "UkeZooist" it has been my great pleasure to cross paths with.

Since most ukulele players that I know also incorporate a kazoo of some sort in their performance from time to time. I came up with the term "UkeZooist" to best describe these talented musicians.  Though Barry doesn't use one of my kazoos he does use a commercially made kazoo occasionally. So he is in fact by the Doc Kazoo Dictionary of Kazoology a full flegged UkeZooist.

Unforgettable is the one word that comes to mind when I introduce Barry Barmcake to whom ever will read this blog.  I love his style, humor and music.  There are so many things that make his performance unforgettable.  Personally I love what I call the Barry Barmcake Road Trip music videos live from his motor car!  Occasionally accompanied by one of his friends.

As a new ukulele player myself I love his Facebook Page "Learn To Play The Barmcake Way".  I always learn something new when I visit that has really helped me learning to play my ukulele.  You can visit at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/BarmcakeWay

I also love his YouTube Channel!  Here's one of my favorite videos!

You can always get a taste of  his Wigan style of comedy by visiting him at the Barry Barmcake Depreciation Society at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/DepreciationSociety

Last but not least there is one thing that you have to remember is that Barry Barmcake is from Wigan, UK.  His native tongue is Wiganese.  But fear not, Barry has taken care of that as well on his other FaceBook Page "You Too Can Learn To Speak Wiganese"!

https://www.facebook.com/LearnWiganese

Please be sure and go to the links above and give Barry Barmake a visit. All you have to do is click a link and have fun.  Tell him Doc Kazoo sent you!

Cheers,
Doc Kazoo

CONCH FRITTERS, COLD BEER AND HOT KAZOO!!! PERFECT DAY!

CONCH FRITTERS
4TH OF JULY RESTAURANT
KEY WEST, FLORIDA

Hard to believe that picture was taken just hours ago and those beautiful Conch Fritters have been consumed by a couple of ukulele/kazoo friends who are either on vacation or spending the weekend in Key West, Florida.  I told them about this place and the fritters and they went there today!!!  Sure wish I had a dozen and a cold beer!  

Man does this picture take me back to 1971 and my first solo road trip in my first "car lot" car that I had to make payments on. LOL  A 69 Malibu.  It was November and getting cold in Carolina and I had a week vacation from work to celebrate my 20th  birthday.  Normally the destination would have been to Myrtle Beach but it was as cold there as it was where I was.   So the warmest place within my budget was way down south in Key West!!!!  I don't know which was the better, Key West or getting the ride getting there.  No interstate back then and mostly two lane.  Just the 301 South to US 1, keep heading south and stop at the water. LOL  

That's when I first discovered the 4th of July and their conch fritters!  I was so happy to find out that the restaurant and the conch fritters are both still there.  If you get to Key West you gotta visit and have a dozen! 

A big old Doc Kazoo Thank You! for sharing this picture and the memories! :-)

Happy Kazooing,
Doc

SCIENCE OF KAZOO MAKING?

"IT AIN'T ROCKET SCIENCE!"

Now I have heard that said a time or two over the years when speaking of kazoo making. LOL    I bet if Stradivarius were alive today he would hear the same thing about his fiddles.   Without a doubt the science of instrument making does exist.  But equally the art of instrument making coexist with the science.

I know that different type woods will to some degree provide a different sound and can add or reduce the degree of warmth.  I also believe there is a difference in sound resulting from the type of  final finish applied to the instrument.  These factors are certainly more subjective to the individual listener.  

A few years ago I shipped a 6" Custom Performer to a kazooist in Nazareth, Pa who shared with me an interesting theory that he had with regards to kazoo making he called the "natural key".  It is a theory that I have tinkered around with making my 6" FatBoy Kazoos .  My theory is that when I follow the formula for a Fatboy Kazoo, each one I make will have the same dynamic range, power and control and overall performance.  By the way, each 6" FatBoy Kazoo has a natural key of E.  Well at least this is my part of the theory. LOL  It seems to work.  My FatBoys are consistently praised by musicians around the world in 21 countries!  I now use this formula on each of my made to order kazoo models.

The final sound of the kazoo is also based on the design of the resonator membrane and the specs for the paper and membrane used to make the resonator.  Since I designed and make my resonator membranes this factor is always consistent.

I believe in many ways our humble instrument, the Kazoo, has been sadly under estimated as a "true musical instrument"  and relinquished to the world of toy shops and first grade school bands.  To really appreciate the Kazoo as a musicial instrument one only has to take a look back to Delta music of the late 1800's around Memphis and New Orleans as well as the Ukulele music of the Roaring 20's.  Thank goodness there is a revival of Ukulele Music around the world and the humble kazoo is also enjoying it's own revival.  There is no better combination for a busker than the kazoo and ukulele!!  

So as I look back on what I just wrote I be danged if there ain' been a little Rocket Science involved all the time! LOL  If you get some time drop by the Yahoo Kazooz Group and take a look at some of the old patent pictures and specs for kazoos.  I think you will agree that there has been some science in kazoo making for a long time. LOL

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Kazooz/

Happy Kazooing To All

Doc Kazoo

RAMBLINGS OF AN OLD KAZOO MAKER

DON'T BE KAZOOLESS IN A STORM!

What a great day off at the homestead.  Had a great morning in the studio mixing some guitar and ukulele tracks that I recorded last week.  Still trying to find something good enough to share with the ukulele.  One thing for sure is that I am having a great time learning to play that little thing.

One thing I like the most about the ukulele is the size.  It is small enough to pick just about anywhere.  Lots of times I am editing video and running a process on the computer that may take a couple minutes to a half hour for the computer to complete the task.  I keep the ukulele within reach for such times. LOL  I can sit here at the computer and pick while I wait very comfortably.

This afternoon we had a terrible storm move through and I grabbed the camera and shot some video and thought I would make a kazoo music video of my old song  "Don't Be Kazooless".  

No ukulele in this tune.  This recording includes my Dean acoustic/electric guitar, FatBoy Kazoo,  Carolina Finger Tappers, and vocal tracks mixed and mastered by this old kazoo maker.  It ain't perfect but I sure had a lot of fun making it! 

This time of year afternoon storms are a daily thing.  Usually they start building mid afternoon when the breezes from the Atlantic meet those from the Gulf of Mexico.  They can be very severe and are always accompanied with lots of lightning.  Frequently even tornado activity.  This video will give you a good example of when I will be closing the workshop due to weather.  Be that weather afternoon storms or extreme heat.  It will be like this for the next couple months.

It reminds me of Monsoon Season that I experienced years ago in the Philippines when the daily rains arrived and everything turned from brown brush to lush green foliage.  The heat and humidity remind me of there as well.    Without air conditioning the population of Florida would certainly decrease dramatically. LOL

Well tomorrow and am going to head down to the workshop and hold a good field day!  That an old navy term for "clean the place up"! LOL  I gotta make some resonator membranes and a few other maintenance things.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Doc

HOMESTEAD SUMMER SALE - BUY ONE GET ONE FREE

HOMESTEAD MUSIC
http://aswegohomestead.com/HOMESTEADMUSIC.html

Greetings to musicians everywhere.  I would like to introduce everyone to my better half, Lynette,  and the Homestead Music website - your source of quality sheet music for piano and flute.

Lynette is a private piano and flute teacher with B.A., M.A., and M.M.E degrees in piano, flute, and music composition.

All of the 600+ music titles available in the Homestead Music Shop are original arrangements by Lynette.  More titles being added each day.  Special orders of traditional or public domain titles in all genres are also available.

You can visit the Homestead Music Shop at eCrater.com to see the complete catalog:
http://homesteadmusic.ecrater.com/

A limited selection of sheet music and song books are also available on eBay at:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/aswegohomestead/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

INTRODUCTORY SPECIAL SUMMER 2013:
BUY ONE SHEET MUSIC TITLE GET ONE TITLE FREE 

PDF Electronic Format Only
Does Not Include Printed Songbooks
No Limit On Number Of Free Titles

For more information or to discuss your music requirements please contact Lynette at:

auberjeunois@asweghomestead.com

SUMMER BUY ONE GET ONE FREE AT HOMESTEAD MUSIC

ALL MUSIC BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!!!

July is the perfect time to get a head start on your Holiday Music Programs !  Throughout the summer you can choose a free music title of equal value for each one you purchase!  

This applies only to PDF Electronic Delivery Format music.

No limit to the number of songs you can get for free!!!

Simply make your music purchase and in your order confirmation email you will be ask for the titles of the free songs you wish to receive.  Simple as that!!!

Visit the Homestead Music Shop at cCrater:

http://homesteadmusic.ecrater.com/

ANNOUNCING THE NEW ASWEGOHOMESTEAD WEBSITE DESIGN

After six years it finally came time for a redesign of the Aswego Homestead Website.  Things had gotten a wee bit cluttered over the years.  Last year we added the Homestead Music Shop to the website and I wanted to have the website homepage focus equally on both the the Kazoo Factory and Homestead Music.  Things are now much less cluttered and more easy to navigate.

For the most part the website redesign is complete.  There are a few tweaks that need to be made and a couple things I want to add over the next week or so.  Drop by and have a look around.

http://aswegohomestead.com/

wishin' the best to all!

Doc Kazoo

PICKIN' ON THE PORCH "DRUNKEN SAILOR"

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A DRUNKEN SAILOR?

Good Sunday morning everyone and greetings from the old kazoo maker.  What a beautiful morning here on the homestead.  This morning when I was pickin' guitar on the porch I had the guitar plugged in recording for almost an hour of just adlib stuff off the top of my head.  This is an old traditional sea shanty that I love to play just for the fun of it!

When I reviewed the recording to select a tune for today's video I remembered something that my dad told me the day I left home for the Navy when I was 18.  "You're gonna find out that Uncle Sam makes a pretty good uncle but he's one hell of a dad!"   

So since the Navy became my adopted dad for over two decades it only appropriate that I selected today's today's Pickin' on the Porch Video.

By the way, I sailed on the aircraft carrier USS NIMITZ shown in the picture you will see in this video.  I am a "Plank Owner" of this lady and  made her first deployment to the North Atlantic and Mediterranean.  I also rode a couple of those smaller ships you see pictured at other times in my sailor days.

So to all you Dad's out there Happy Father's Day!

Doc Kazoo

OVER 10,000 KAZOO VIDEO VIEWS ON YOUTUBE

Great Aswego Kazoo Factory Workshop


A year or so ago I accidentally deleted the Kazoo Factory YouTube Channel!!!With over 300 videos and over 300,000 video views!!!  Only to discover there was no way possible to recover any video!!  So the YouTube Channel everyone sees today is the replacement.

I am very happy to see that today the new YouTube Channel has over 10,000 video views.  It is really nice to get feedback from people saying how much they enjoyed watching their kazoo being made.

The other day in the workshop my brain got to working as I was making a kazoo.  Sometimes that can be good and sometimes it can be not good. LOL   I got to thinking about my approach to kazoo making.  When I add the time it takes to handle the video production department, shipping department and the workshop plus overhead cost I am well below minimum wage. LOL   However when I add the joy of making kazoos for people all around the world and the pride I feel when a performing musician sends me a audio or video with one of my kazoos at work entertaining I am a millionaire.  This is truly the greatest reward of all.  Except maybe getting air conditioning in the workshop.  :-)

Way back when I first decided to produce the update videos a friend thought I was crazy because of the time involved.  In those days my old computer would barely handle my Sony Vegas Studio software and it took nearly two hours to render a 7 minute video!!!!  What a trip that was when I had three or four videos to produce in one day. LOL   Thankfully those days are passed and the same length video now only takes around 30 minutes to render.  Before rendering there is an hour or so editing too.

The update videos have really been a big hit around the world!  A picture truly speaks a 1000 words and a video speaks millions.  Thanks to the Kazoo Factory YouTube Channel the Great Aswego Kazoo Factory will always  be "more than a website with a shopping cart!".

Plus making kazoos in the woods is a great place for an old retired sailor to spend his time and the world a safe place. LOL

Happy Kazooing To All and to All A Goodnight!

Doc

THE WOODEN FOLK KAZOO FINISH

The one question I am ask the most is what finish to use on the kazoo.

TRADITIONAL BEESWAX FINISH

Personally I prefer the traditional beeswax finish for several reasons.  Foremost is that the beeswax is old fashioned way that has proven to be a beautiful natural wood finish for hundreds of years.  I also find it enjoyable to polish my personal kazoos and I love the smell of the beeswax.   How often you polish your kazoo is up to you.  I carry several kazoos in my kit bag and polish them all once a month. If I were out there playing my kazoo every day I'd polish them more often.  It only takes a couple minutes to polish a kazoo.

There is another more subjective reason that I prefer the beeswax finish.  I believe that kazoos finished with the beeswax have a warmer sound.  From personal experience with my own kazoos I also believe that warmth of sound gets better over the years of polishing my kazoos.

The Traditional Beeswax Finish is the selected by most of my customers.  Each kazoo with the beeswax finish is shipped with a tin of Doc's Kazoo Wax.

I make Doc's Traditional Kazoo Wax using 100% natural beeswax and pharmaceutical grade mineral oil based on a formula given me by an old furniture maker.  There are no other ingredients or additives.

BUTCHER BLOCK FINISH

I also offer a commercial Butcher Block Finish that is FDA approved for use on wood coming in contact with food for human consumption.  It's made for use on chopping blocks, wood plates/bowls, utensils, etc.  The Butcher Block sealer is more maintenance free and is great for people allergic to beeswax.  

The Butcher Block Finish takes longer to apply due the time required for it to cure between applications.  There is also an additional charge for the Butcher Block Finish.

So the bottom line on what finish to have on your kazoo is that most people choose the traditional beeswax finish but the choice is yours. :-)

Happy Kazooing,

Doc Kazoo

THE NEW KAZOO FACTORY YOUTUBE CHANNEL TRAILER

WELCOME TO 

THE GREAT ASWEGO KAZOO FACTORY

Recently YouTube once again changed the look of our channels and added a new channel trailer video feature.  This is a video that will be seen by visitors who are not subscribers as an introduction to the Kazoo Factory.  This idea I really like.  This is the new Kazoo Factory YouTube Channel Trailer Video.

Happy Kazooing,

Doc Kazoo

13,000 WEBSITE VISITORS!!!!
10% Discount During June 2013

The Kazoo Factory Website had over 13,000 visitors last week.  In celebrations I am pleased to announce 10% discount on all kazoos in the ArtFire Shop!!!!

This discount is good for the month of June!

All you have to do is enter the following code at my ArtFire Check Out

CHECKOUT CODE "13000" (without quotation marks)
(One Use Per Buyer)

A big old Doc Kazoo Thank You to everyone who has visited the website over the years!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE KAZOO FACTORY SHOP AT ARTFIRE

Happy Kazooing,
Doc Kazoo

"If you ain't hummin' wood you just ain't hummin' folk!

DOC KAZOO IN THE WORKSHOP

Greetings from the Old Kazoo Maker!!!

Well here I am starting a blog and really got no idea how to start. LOL  So bear with me as I try to lay out some sort of game plan. LOL    In fact I am not really sure to whom this blog is addressed.  Certainly myself if nobody else.  Perhaps family and friends.  Maybe that young man or woman who will be inspired by my kazoo creations and start
 the next generation of folk kazoo makers.

I was born and raised in western North Carolina out in the country on a ten acre small livestock homestead.  Joined the Navy after high school and did a lot of traveling for a lot of years.  Retired in 1991.  So I am basically an old retired Navy Chief turned Kazoo Maker!

I have been making wooden folk kazoos for local folks a long time and a couple years ago decided to offer them online.  In the beginning I sold ready made kazoos.  Today most all of my kazoos are "Made to Order".  My goal is to always be more than just a website with a shopping cart.  So I provide a series of three videos of each customer's actual kazoo being made.  A sort of video visit to the workshop for a few days as I make their kazoo.

I truly never know what kind of kazoo I may be making next. LOL  I do a lot of collaborations with performing musicians on new kazoo designs.  I do believe that I have the World's Largest Selection of Wooden Folk Kazoos in the Great Aswego Kazoo Factory ArtFire Shop.  Almost any kazoo design I have ever made is still available.  If you have a picture of it I can probably make another one but not a carbon copy!

I also make a variety of other folk instruments from time to time but kazoos are my favorite.

Well I guess this is as good of place to start the blog as any. LOL

Happy Kazooing To All!
Doc