A while ago, a friend from Te Pahu asked if I could make him a ‘travel’ ukulele for his trip to France. To my amusement, he decided that his soprano ukulele was simply too big and unwieldy to take abroad and he wanted something significantly smaller. I deferred to his superior judgement, and designed a headless ‘steinberger’ type ukulele. I was then asked by a chap in Wellington to make a concert scale version, then a Christchurch uke-collector asked for a sopranino version, then a guy from Manila requested one with a small headstock! Although the concert (headless) backpacker has proven by far the most popular, it has been a good exercise in product development.
If you think this instrument is a bit daft, I entirely agree...
These are available to order in a range of woods and sizes. They are usually ready in about a month.
Price for the standard model (sopranino, soprano or concert) = NZ$250 - includes pickup (Artec under-saddle transducer), drum key for tuning, and a cloth bag.
Please note: Like all Captain instruments, the backpacker is made with very thin solid wood and finished with beeswax. It is not water resistant, and is sensitive to moisture and low humidity. They are not really made to be stuffed in packs, buried in snow, or used as a bat in a game of backyard cricket. Sorry about that.
For discussion and reviews on this instrument, check out this thread on the Ukulele Underground forum.
Overall measurements (approx):
Sopranino: total length = 355mm, scale length = 12”
Soprano: total length = 390mm, scale length = 13.5”
Concert: total length = 430mm, scale length = 12” width = 75mm, depth incl. saddle = 50mm
All designs © Captain Ukuleles 2011
