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Welcome and thank you for visiting!
DaSilva Ukulele Co. in Berkeley, California is the workshop of Michael DaSilva where he makes high-quality , handcrafted ukuleles. You will also find the full-line of RISA Solid and Electric instruments and inexpensive beginner ukes. The shop is also host to house concerts, ukulele lessons and workshops, the occasional jam session and meetings of the Berkeley Ukulele Club. Check the Calendar for events.
DaSilva Ukulele Co. also provides expert instrument repair, ukulele building classes and supplies. Just call or email if you have questions about these items.
Please drop me a line to let me know what you like and don't like or to simply share your ukulele enthusiasm, or to get regular updates from me, subscribe to my email newsletter. Thanks for visiting.
DaSilva Ukulele Co.
2547 8th Street, Suite 28
Berkeley, CA 94710
510 649-1548
email: mike@ukemaker.com
Copyright
@ 2007 Michael DaSilva
All Rights Reserved
News
April 23, 2008
A DaSilva Ukulele Co. exclusive!
New ukulele cases for your favorite ukes.
These are very high-quality cases, constructed with molded fiberglass, ballistic nylon covering, YKK zippers,
and high-density foam padding. Each case even has a built-in combination lock
and shoulder strap. Available in
soprano, concert and tenor sizes, these cases are lighter and
much less bulky than other contemporary cases. Pricing
from $110-120. Click on the photos for a larger image. Exact
dimensions are listed in the
Instruments For Sale
section.
April 22, 2008
DaSilva Ukulele Co. Open House,
April 26, 2008, Noon to 6 pm. Free!
Please join us to celebrate my 4th year building ukuleles and my
3rd year in the Berkeley shop. We'll have door prizes, open mic,
a vintage uke display, lots of ukes to try out, special deals and refreshments.
Since starting the Berkeley Ukulele Club almost a year ago, we have
introduced the ukulele to many new players. To continue that trend
we will be giving away 2 Flea Ukuleles
during the Open House.
One for adults and one for kids 15 and under. Just stop by the
shop, fill out a door-prize form and we'll pick the winners that day at
4pm.
We'll also be hosting an open mic, so expect your local favorites including the
Tin
Pan Haoles (3pm to 4pm)
to entertain you or sign up yourself. And we will be displaying several
quite rare vintage ukuleles from the collections of Jack Ford and Al
Dodge.
Then later that evening -
Michelle Kiba in Concert and
special guests.
April 26, 2008, 8pm. $15
Michelle's been a tremendous supporter of DaSilva Ukulele Co.
since she kicked off the opening of the shop three years ago.
It will be great to hear her singing and playing once more.
Please join us for what is sure to be a fun time. Michelle's
website is
http://www.ukalady.com.
And to open the show will be a group from Victoria, British Columbia, the Island Ukuleles A-1 Ensemble. The Island Ukuleles A-1 group this year is comprised of 26 students from 14 Greater Victoria middle and high schools. “Island Ukuleles” is a treasure of a music program boasting a 32 year history in Victoria’s diverse music community.
To
Find out more visit them at
http://www.islandukulele.org.
March 28, 2008
Three new ukuleles - a new recently reissued Martin 5K for sale, another excellent student built instrument, and a recently completed Martin Concert 3K reproduction.
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March 16, 2008
The US dollars continued slide against the Euro has unfortunately prompted new pricing on all RISA instruments.
March 10, 2008
Bosko and Honey's Ukulele Safari 2008 was officially launched on March 2 at Mr. Odajima's Bar Hikoroku in Koenji, Tokyo. Ukulele Safari 2008 is a world tour for Bosko and Honey which will take them from their home in Australia to Japan, the U.S.A, the UK and Europe. They will record interviews and songs with performers and enthusiasts and will be publishing their ukulele travelogue on YouTube and in Rolling Coconuts Magazine. They will be visiting DaSilva Ukulele Co. for a special concert with Aaron and Nicole Keim in May, but in the meantime, keeps tabs on their journey at their website - http://www.ukulele.spots.com.au
And the Calendar has been updated for March and April.
Concerts with Steven Strauss, Rose Turtle Ertler, Michelle Kiba, the Island Ukuleles A-1 Ensemble, our 4th year anniversary Open House, the 15th Annual Northern California Ukulele Festival, as well as a Berkeley Ukulele Club open mic and potluck is sure to keeps us busy. Please join us. Details in the Calendar section.
February 27, 2008
Ukes!
I just posted photos and descriptions of some recently completed instruments in the Instruments Gallery as well as the Instruments For Sale sections.
I have also expanded the selection of ukuleles for sale beyond DaSilva Ukulele Co. models. As the workshop has grown to become a central ukulele gathering spot in the San Francisco Bay Area, I have an opportunity to procure and provide high-quality vintage and new ukuleles for sale. So, you will not only find available hand-crafted instruments from me, but also some very special vintage finds, artful instruments and new and somewhat rare ukuleles from other builders and factories.
This is also the official announcement of availability of carbon-fiber topped ukuleles from DaSilva Ukulele Co.
While experimentation with the material continues, successful completion
of the prototypes and subsequent sound and structural testing has given
me the confidence to offer the new instruments. These
instruments display a measureable increase in volume, a very sharp
attack and are extremely responsive. If you are looking to cut
through when playing with others or you like to push an instrument hard
without the sound falling apart, these may be worth a try. I
have decided to only use carbon-fiber on the instrument top to retain as
much warmth from a wood uke as possible as well as to simplify
construction in order to keep the prices reasonable.
Give me a call, I would love to hear feedback on these new offerings!
-Mike
February 2, 2008
A quick reminder - Lil Rev will be in town this weekend!
Lil' Rev - Ukulele Workshop and Concert
Sunday, February 24,
2008
3:00 - 4:30 pm Workshop "Melodic Ukulele &
Other Right Hand Techniques $20
Open to all levels, must know basic chords, and be willing to learn both visually and with tablature. Concepts taught will include: The banjo Stroke, Fiddle Tunes, Blues, Novelty Songs, playing up the neck, moveable chords, three triplets, and much more!
7:30 pm Concert $10 ($25 for both)
Lil' Rev is a perennial favorite. His new band - Frogwater will be opening and joining him for what is sure to be lots of fun. Check out his website at www.lilrev.com.
January 11, 2008
Happy New Year!
A late but quick update on happenings at the shop in January. Please also check the calendar on the website to see more events we have planned for the coming months. And the Berkeley Ukulele Club. is doing very well with great attendance each meeting with lots of strumming, smiling folks. Hope you can join us.
NCAL Meeting
January 13, 2008
1:00 pm swap meet, 2:00 pm meeting
Northern California Association of Luthiers
I'll be hosting this bi-monthly meeting with a tour of the shop and a demo of my new ultra-violet (UV) light polyester finish curing system.
Shigeto Takahashi - Solo Ukulele Concert
January 13, 2008
7:30 pm Concert $15
I met Shigeto last year at the New York Ukulele Festival. He had come all the way from Japan to share his uke playing and perform at the open mic. We hit it off quite well and I was quite impressed by his playing. If you have not seen the YouTube videos I captured, check this out -
Shigeto will be spending a few days taking in the California sights on this vacation and I hope you can help welcome him by attending his show. I've been working on a new soprano for him to take back to Japan and I'm sure he will give it a good work out at the show.
NAMM, Anaheim California
January 16-22, 2008
I'll
be helping out my friend and koa supplier, Jorma Winkler of Winkler
Woods at this years NAMM show. The NAMM show is one of the largest
music products trade shows in the world. The ukulele is
becoming more prominent each year and it will be good to catch up with
other ukulele builders, see the latest ukes and accessories as well as
catch some great performances by the likes of Jake, James Hill, Brittni
Paiva and many other top uke artists. I know it's tough work, but
somebody has to do it.
Joel Eckhaus - Ukulele Workshop and Concert
January 25, 2008
4:30 - 6:00pm Workshop - "Chord Melody a la Smeck" $20
8:00 pm Concert $20
Joel Eckhaus (aka Ukulele Eck) is a “native” New Yawker (well…White Plains), and now lives in far-off-and-exotic South Portland, Maine. He studied uke and tenor banjo with the great Roy Smeck, Vaudeville’s Wizard of the Strings. Joel also owns and operates Earnest Uncommon Musical Instruments and builds acoustic and electric ukuleles, mandolins and tenor guitars.
I actually learned how to play "Bye-Bye-Blues" from Joel at the 2002 Ukulele Expo in New Jersey. That was a great workshop! And since then, I've enjoyed many of Joel's astounding performances at the many uke festivals we attend. Check out his CD - "Tarnished Reputation" by Ukulele Eck and the Fabulous Lacklusters and you'll see that he is master of song parody as well as quite the accomplished instrumentalist. Don't miss this rare visit to the Bay Area.
And other stuff...
Of course be on the lookout for more ukuleles built by yours truly. We have several new models planned including the rollout of the carbon-fiber topped ukuleles. We will also be selling refurbished and vintage instruments on the website as we often have some great old instruments come by the shop. We'll let you know when these items are posted.
Thanks to everyone for the wonderful support you have given me over the years. I am looking forward to another great year in 2008.
Best regards,
Mike
December 5, 2007
For the month of December, I participate in the Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios - http://www.berkeleyartisans.com which means the shop is open each weekend for visitors and shoppers. My shop is in a building with about 20 other arts so we get several hundred folks visiting each day. Which makes a very good reason to have live music in the shop!
This past weekend we got to enjoy Steven Strauss, a local ukulele mainstay who just issued a new CD entitled "Ukebox" and several members and friends of Al Dodge's band, "Dodge's Sundodgers." We were able to capture several video moments for you to enjoy. Of course we'll have more music for the following weekends, so if you are in the Bay Area, try to stop by. If not, check my YouTube channel - UKEMAKER for the latest upload.
Here is Steven Strauss (www.ukebox.com) doing a couple of slow, very relaxing tunes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_jzvBLwJmo and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrfZ-GitWrU
And Al Dodge (www.dodgessundodgers.com) with friends cranking it up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQaDzLs7aZE
Also, with the extra room in the shop, I am able to have other artists show their work. For the past couple of years I have been proud to show the work of Kathy Greenstein. (www.kgstudiosoakland.com) Kathy not only makes the most delightful mosaics, barbed wire sculptures and other silly items but also plays uke. That's her work in some of the videos.
And the next meeting of the Berkeley Ukulele Club, on Wednesday December 12 will be a potluck, open mic, and holiday party. Fun starts at 6pm. If you're in town, please come by.
November 1, 2007
The Beatles? In Berkeley? Well, sort
of.
It's
Brook Adams!
Brook Adams - Abbey Road on Ukulele, Workshop
and Evening Concert, Sunday November 11,
2007
Afternoon Workshop 3pm to 5pm $25,
Evening Concert
7:30pm $20
The entire Beatles' Abbey Road Album - all seventeen songs - from start to
finish on ukulele.
And if you play the ukulele - a very special workshop.
Beatles for
the Masses
In this workshop Brook will take you through a collection of Beatles
songs and show you tricks to make them sound 'just like the record' or
at least as close as you can get on the ukulele.
And he'll be showing you some nifty new chord inversions and sneaky
little tricks for intros, endings and some melody/solo-ish kinda stuff.
Need more info? Want to hear some of Brook's music? Need some uke lessons? Check out Brook's great site - http://www.brookadams.com.
Also just posted photos for two ukuleles for sale. Details in Instruments For Sale
First is an experimental model with a carbon fiber soundboard. This material may be promising as a ukulele building material. It is certainly stiffer, stronger and more damage resistant than any known wood and if the sound of this instrument is any indication, carbon fiber will have its place in ukedom. Then there is a tenor with spruce top and master-grade quilted sapele back and sides. Unbelievable figure! This instrument is also important because it is one of the first ukuleles finished with my new ultraviolet light (UV) cured finishing system. The finish is tough, thin, clear and very glossy. The best part is that with UV curing, the finish is dry within minutes. It should greatly speed up my building schedule.
October 8, 2007
Just got back from a whirlwind weekend to attend the
Southern California Ukulele Festival
(SCUF)and a quick visit to
The Ukulele and You! exhibit at the
Museum of Making Music in
Carlsbad, California. 300+ vintage and new ukuleles in one place - don't
miss it if you are in the San Diego area. The show runs till January 31,
2008 and includes special concert events during its run. The
evening concert at the SCUF was astounding with Ralph Shaw, Bill Tapia, Byron
Yasui, Benny Chong, Bryan Tolentino and Asa Young. I had a great
time giving a seminar, chatting with everyone that stopped by the table,
debuting a couple of new ukulele models, and providing the top raffle prize to
benefit the Uke For Kids program. Check out the
Instrument
Gallery for more details on the new concert model with a Carbon Fibre top
and the new cutaway baritone model pictured below.
But, the fall season is just getting started. Make sure to visit the Calendar page to see what we have lined up for the next few months.
I
August 23, 2007
As they say, good things always come
in threes. In just a couple of weeks, the Bay Area will be treated to 3
consecutive days of special ukulele events.
Beginning Friday, September 7, the first ever San Francisco Ukulele Festival will kickoff with Jake Shimabukuro in a solo concert at Herbst Theater. As part of the ongoing events surrounding the "Evolution of the 'Ukulele" exhibition at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art (www.mofca.org), Jake will perform a benefit concert. Tickets are going fast, but Stephen Becker, curator of the exhibition just let me know there are still seats left. Tickets are $28 and $22 at City Box Office (415) 392-4400 and online at www.cityboxoffice.com. Herbst Theater is at 401 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.
The following day, Saturday, September 8 will bring a full day of outdoor ukulele pleasure with the San Francisco Ukulele Festival featuring uke-centric music by some of the Bay Area's best performers. Invited performers include: The UFOs, Al Dodge and the Tin Pan Haoles, The Paper Dolls, Tippy Canoe and the Paddlemen, Faith Ako, slack-key guitarist Carey Camacho, The Victor Ohana Band, Kimo Hussey and Ho'omalie, Ukulele Ray, The Frisky Frolics and Ka Ehu Kai. This will be in the beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens at Mission between 3rd and 4th Street in San Francisco from 11am to 4 pm. Bring lawn chairs and picnics, but no dogs or alcohol please. And this is a FREE event! Oh, and visit the Museum of Craft and Folk Art just across the street while you are there.
Then on Sunday, September 9, Kimo
Hussey (www.kimohussey.com)
will take a quick hop to the East Bay to deliver an afternoon workshop and
evening concert at DaSilva Ukulele Co. If you play Hawaiian
music, you are sure to know the "He Mele Aloha" songbook (dark blue cover)
co-authored
by Kimo Hussey. As a founder of the Pacific Music Foundation (www.pmfhawaii.com),
Kimo is well versed in providing a rich educational experience with the ukulele.
Don't miss the opportunity to spend the afternoon with one of the top Hawaiian
music educators. Then after a short dinner break, Kimo
will provide us with some "soothing" Hawaiian tunes in a concert to closeout
what is sure to be a memorable ukulele weekend.
Hope you can make it to at least one of these events. See you there!
August 8, 2007
James Hill recently visited DaSilva Ukulele Co. and provided a very successful ukulele workshop and astounded us in a very special, intimate evening concert. I would like to publicly thank James Hill for pouring his heart into his music, for making the effort to develop the techniques and musicianship necessary to deliver those amazing performances, and for his warmth and generosity in letting us share in his creativity.
I also want to thank the attendees of the workshop and concert for their support of James Hill and DaSilva Ukulele Co. in our quest to further this wonderful resurgence of ukulele music.
As such, I spoke with James and suggested that we provide everyone with a little musical thank you. As I followed James onto his next venue in Santa Cruz on his West Coast tour, I captured some very energetic moments on video. In particular, James' performance of his "Ode To A Frozen Boot" (currently unavailable on a recording) was something to always remember. So, as a thank you to everyone, James has made available via his website and YouTube a video of the performance. For those who were there - this will make it a little easier to remember, for those who were not, make sure you catch James next time.
The video is available on
YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsOhmN2mpHI
or on James' website -
www.ukulelejames.com
Enjoy!
July 23, 2007
See details in Calendar section.
July 12, 2007
Thanks to all who participated in the first meeting of the Berkeley Ukulele Club. Over 50 very enthusiastic people came out to join in the fun! I am looking forward to many more fun meetings. If you missed it, just come to the shop on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at 7pm. As mentioned at the meeting, the club website is now up and running. Click Berkeley Ukulele Club to access. You will need the ID and password from the meeting to access the club features. Contact me if you are interested.
July 6, 2007
If you had not already heard, we'll be forming a new ukulele club in Berkeley with the first meeting on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 at 7:00pm. For more info check the Calendar section.
July 3, 2007
James Hill
in a ukulele workshop and concert
Sunday July 15, 2007
Ukulele Workshop - 3-5pm
(All levels welcome)
$25 Please call for reservations or more info
Concert - 7:30 pm
$20 Reservations recommended
June 5, 2007
Just posted the latest instrument to leave the shop in the Instrument Gallery. Check out ukulele #121.
Thanks to all those that attended the last two events - Kenneth Makuakane's concert and Vince Cortese's workshop and show. Maybe very different musically but both absolute treasures. I'll make sure we can get them back to the shop soon. Stay tuned for some video and audio samples from both shows.
May 27, 2007
Derek Cheever, a new ukulele performer from New York was kind enough to stop by the shop while out doing some recording in San Francisco. He liked the couple of ukuleles I happened to have on hand, and we quickly recorded some clips for the website. Check them out in the Instruments For Sale section.
May 7, 2007
A local newspaper spent some time with me in the shop recently and produced the following article and accompanying audio/slideshow. I have had quite an adventure since I started building ukuleles which seemed to come through in the piece, but I want to let everyone know that I could not have done it without the support and encouragement from the many, many friends I have made along the way. Thank you all!
May 4, 2007
I posted some photos from the New York Ukulele Festival in the Uke Event Gallery. Take a look.
May 2, 2007
Just got back from New York Ukulele Festival. Lot's of fun, met a bunch of great folks, got very little sleep. It is great to see the ukulele craze is alive and well on both coasts. I have started to post some videos onYouTube. Search for "DaSilva Ukulele" and you should be able to find them.
Highlights for me were meeting
Bosko and Honey of YouTube fame. They had traveled all the way
from Australia to play the festival. And Bosko purchased a DaSilva
cedar-topped concert that is perfect for him. And just
so Honey is not left out, she'll be getting a tenor from me soon.
That's the fabulous Heftones with Bosko and Honey in the photo.
I also met this amazing player from Japan, Shigeto Takahashi. He also came halfway around the world - and just to play at the open mic session. Please check out his videos on YouTube. His execution of Roy Smeck styled classics and other standards is flawless. I was so impressed, I'll be sponsoring him with a DaSilva soprano as soon as I can get it built.
I hope to find a way to bring Bosko and Honey and Shigeto to California for some live performances. Stay tuned.
And wouldn't you know it - I travel
all the way to New York just to run into Andy and Gino of the Santa Cruz
Ukulele Club. That's how I knew I was in the right place.
More photos in the Uke Event Gallery when I find some time to post.
Now I have to get back to work. Some special ukes are almost completed. Check back soon!
April 4, 2007
Just posted sound clips for #095 in Instruments For Sale section.
March 25, 2007
Lots of new things.
DaSilva Ukulele Co. is now a dealer of RISA Musical Instruments. We will concentrate on the Solid and Electric lines as they are a nice compliment to the DaSilva Ukulele Co. acoustic ukes. We have all the models to try out at the shop and offer FREE shipping in the continental U.S.A. for online buyers. And if you decide to purchase a RISA instrument at the shop, we will pay the California State Sales Tax! So, please check them out.
April is shaping up to be a busy
month for uke events.
Herb Ohta Jr.
will be in town the week
before the Northern
California Ukulele Festival
and will be offering workshops and private lessons at DaSilva Ukulele
Co. My good friend
Randall Wright (handstands
on ukes - remember?) will headline a house concert on April 13 with his
new band. And I will be heading to the
New York Ukulele Festival
at the end of the month. Dates, times and details in the
Calendar
section.
Also lots of new DaSilva ukes. Signature models, instruments for sale and new photos of completed custom instruments.
We have renamed the Workbench section of the website and renamed it The Shop. Updated photos and videos of the shop, house concert performances, and my building process will be posted soon. Enjoy.
-Mike
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