Ukulele Books. Peter and Donna Thomas
260 Fifteenth Avenue Santa Cruz CA 95062 (831) 475-1455

Ukulele Series Book #13 The Ukulele Jam. 2002
This uke was once part of some sort of mechanical calliope and it had holes through the neck and fret board to attach it to the machine. Also it was created with triple high action to accommodate the mechanical strikers, making it useless as a regular instrument. The uke was sawed in half lengthwise. The halves were attached by hinges on the back, with a hasp on the back of the headstock to hold it shut. Small chambers were created in each half and a tall narrow book is inserted in that chamber. The book is Coptic bound, with boards covered in Moroccan leather with colored leather picture onlays. The book is a "exquisite corpse" book, where the pages are silt horizontally to create interchangeable heads, torsos and legs for 15 different images of ukulele players that Donna painted for this book.