The "Singing Treholipee" [Pictures] - created 04-09-2009

Peterson, Alan - 04/09/2009.09:00:02
I Gots Me a Dremel and I'm Not Afraid to Use It

I was reminded recently by an old high school classmate of a novelty uke my family had some 35 years ago: A Singing Treholipee.

This was a lopsided triangular ukulele made from inexpensive 1/8" plywood with a plastic fingerboard, manufactured by the Swagerty Novelty Company somewhere in California. It's distinguishing characteristics included a hideous orange paint job, enormous pancake-spatula tuning pegs, sound holes on a painted music staff and a ridiculously long curved neck. Word has it the neck was shaped this way for the benefit of surfers and beach bums: after a singalong session with the gang, the player was able to jam the neck into the sand point-first, go surfing, and be able to find his/her blanket later by the flag-like Treholipee sticking up in the air.

Photos are kinda scarce - here's one at http://ukelele.tribe.net/photos/9f616b25-849b-408a-bb7e-51d856d7f230 And in all fairness, the thing

sounded

like it was made from cheap plywood. Still, it had a vibe all its own and was cool despite (or due to) its quirkiness.

I'm hoping to find more photos, so I can get an idea of scale and try to recreate one -- no shortage of plywood or poplar in my garage. I'll let you know.

I hosted a vintage instrument exhibit in 2007 and had a nice group of ukuleles displayed.

There was a very similar instrument, of unknown manufacture, called a Polk-A-Lay-Lee. The Singing Treholipee looks similar in design to another piece I had on display called a Surf-A-Lele. I don't know the manufacture of this instrument either but it looks like it could have come from the same maker.

I don't have any dimensions but the other uke instruments displayed with it should help with some sense of scale.

A closer look.

Another view.

Here is the Surf-A-Lele. The body and graphics are quite similar.

Never saw anything like that, and had to find out how you'd even string a wacky curved neck like that. A Google Image search will lead you to Frank Ford's Museum (at Frets.com) and Ederly's. Both have some good detail shots. For scaling purposes click the thumbnails on the link you provided and you see a guy holding one in playing position. Good luck with the build.

Alan,

I have a Singing Treholipee (don't ask me why!). If you have anything in particular you'd like me to measure/photograph let me know and I'll try to accommodate. More power to anyone wanting to build one of these beasts!

A few years back, I saw original instructions for the Treholipee on Ebay. They showed the "stick it in the sand while surfing" feature....

These things were built in San Clemente California by Swaggerty Specialties.

Dave

That looks like it'd be great at partys...excuse the trick photography but I just had to see...

If the baritone uke under it has a string length of 20 inches, then it looks to be the same, yikes it looks to be about 50" long!

It was patented as D205601.

There was also a patent on the surf-a-le-le.

If the links don't work, go to your local goolgle.xxx/patents and search for "Swagerty ukelele"

Go to YouTube and search "Bill Martino - The Hula Hula Boys" for a video of someone playing a treholipee.