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
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