Jake Shimabukuro 4S4K ukulele available for preorder
Jake Shimabukuro and Takamine have teamed up with the Music Is Good Medicine organization to create an affordable, yet high-quality ukulele in the hopes that children can be encouraged to put their energies towards making music instead of less socially-positive pastimes.
Music Is Good Medicine (MIGM), a non-profit organization whose mission is to use the power of music to heal, influence and inspire people, is working to make the ukulele available to children all over the world through its “4 Strings 4 Kids” program. By serving as a positive force in their lives, the new “MIGM Ukulele” can steer children away from drugs, violence, and other negative influences encouraging them to pursue their dreams.
The organization is funded through ukulele sales several different ways: part of the proceeds of individual sales go to the organization, people can purchase instruments outright to be donated to a student, or corporations can purchase ukuleles in bulk for donation to schools.
If nothing else, this may be a great opportunity for beginning and intermediate players to get a professionally-crafted instrument at a great price. Here's the instrument's specs:
- Produced & manufactured by Takamine and Jake Shimabukuro
- Mahogany neck/body
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Rosewood bridge
- Rosewood fretboard binding
- Scale length = 347mm
- Soprano Style Only
- Includes high quality, semi-hard MIGM ukulele case
Jake's Key Points:
- Bone nut
- Compensated bone saddle
- Gotoh tuning machine heads (made in Japan)
- D'Addario strings (set J92)
- 14 fret joint exposed instead of the standard 12
- Special headstock designed to represent the MIGM Hawaiian Jackson Chameleon's three horns
At this time, pricing has not been set. The organization, however, is taking reservations for delivery in the summer of 2010.
Read more about the Music Is Good Medicine Program at musicisgoodmedicine.org | Preorder the MIGM Ukulele at Jakeshimabukuro's online store