Squid Didgeridoo

Gotta say that I have not seen a squid on any didgeridoo til I met this one. And like many aboriginal dot paintings, the squid is a bit surreal. But that is the idea anyway, it's all dream material. Suffice to say that the art is a high point for this squid didge. The squid and crew are all handmade, and so represent many many hours of stripes and dots.

It has got a snazzy sound with a decent dropjaw, and it is pretty easy to play. The back pressure is medium high, with great vocal response, typical of didges from Oz, It sounds best and loudest with the yips and barks of outback style playing. And like many didges from there, the trumpets are not a high point. That's the gentle way of saying that there are trumpets tones, but not really useable ones. Not a problem for many, cuz that is not what they do, and actually the lack of overtones is common and those players don't care.

If you look carefully, there is a 4" crack about 1/4 of the way up from the bell end, right next to the squid. It has been professionally sealed with beeswax, and will not spread any further. It's likely been there for 20 years or so. Which brings up a point: This one of a half dozen didges that came from the private collection of the original owner of Lark in the Morning. He passed some years ago, and his widow is passing these on to the world. 

The squid has a fresh professional Beeswax mouthpiece made with Triple Filtered cosmetic grade beeswax from the USA. You can't leave any beeswax in a hot car without melting and loosing wax. A hot day in the sun might make it soft, but won't destroy the mouthpiece. Beeswax melts at just under 150F (65C). 

Sound sample

Here are Steve's ratings, on a scale of 1 - 10:

Specs

Length  53"
Mouthpiece ID  1 3/16"
Bell OD  5 3/8"
Bell ID  4 1/2"
Weight  5 lbs  13 oz