Armadillo shell ukulele

[coriandre]

This not a joke...........unfortunatly

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ARMADILLO-SH...item1c1f191fa0

Try to cross a border with this one.......

[Moldybread]

Wonder if the maker knew he/she was exposing him/herself to leprosy when he killed that poor critter.
No interest here.

[Rick Turner]

Armadillos can contract leprosy, but they do not all have it. The shell is the traditional body of the Andean charango.

[coriandre]

I did not know that Rick. Thank you for the info; I love to learn stuff like that.

[TCK]

Of course, there are studies on genetic markers that indicate (now in science we always have to look at who is FUNDING these studies) that 1/3 of human cases are from contact with infected Armadillos (funded by Armadillo Haters of West Texas or something like that). I am not sure how one would come in contact with an Armadillo (they are not too cuddly) unless they were a charango builder...but the research seems to be there. Good thing we have bored grad students.
Regardless of whether they have it or not (infection rate is between 6 and 20% it seems), until there is a way to ask them if they have it-avoid. Pro tip of the day.

[Rick Turner]

We stand warned: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/health/28leprosy.html

Probably better microwave the shell before handling! Or submerge in alcohol for a while...

[mendel]

I have a Charango....Can't play it for anything, though. Regardless, I had choice, and I got one that is a full wood body. The armadillo ones freak me out a little bit, and I also am not into killing animals. It just does not seem to be very healthy to have a dead animal shell laying around the house like that. I know we all have leather goods, and so forth, but those are treated differently and as far as I am aware, cows are not known to carry diseases that make appendages fall off....

[uke4ia]

I have a mandolin someone made out of an armadillo shell. I found it for sale in a pawn shop in the '80s. I strung it as a uke, and it sounded pretty nice, but eventually the soundboard cracked. The link below has some pictures that I posted here in April. I think I've lined up someone to rehab it and convert it fully to a uke. I'll update the Luthier's board thread when I have the details more firm.

Armadillolele Thread on Luthier's Board

[austin1]

For the record, it is really hard to contract leprosy. Over 90% of the people have a natural immunity to it, and no one knows why. Also, I both ate armadillo and played an armadillo-shell charango while in Bolivia, and I can truthfully say I am not a leper.

[austin1]

the armadillo tasted better than the llama, although both were salted to within an inch of their already-ended lives.