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The Incredible Yucca Didjeridoo
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These Didjeridoos are made from the flowering stalks of the Agave and Yucca plants which grow in the American Deserts of the Southwest. They are very lightweight, extremely reverberant with a rich warm tone that is very responsive to vocal projections. A real delight to play and easy to handle. These instruments get David's highest recommendation!! David feels that his Yucca & Agave Didjeridoos are among the best didjeridoos available in the world today and they cost only a fraction of what high end Traditional instruments sells for.
All of David's instruments are made to the same high standards and if you select something made by David you can be assured of purchasing one of the best crafted Yucca or Agave Didjeridoos available.
A great deal of time and effort goes into each and every instrument I make and I treat them as if they were to be my own. Believe me, I'm a perfectionist.
From the very beginning I strive to create only the very best instruments starting with the selection process. With more than 25 years experience as a professional in instrument making and over 10 years of Didge making behind me, I instinctively know which stalks will produce the best instruments. While the bells at the base of the Agave stalk are not always useable I take the utmost care to try and preserve this feature if possible. It takes considerable time to strip away the dead leaves to expose the base of the stalk making the harvesting of my stalks much more labor intensive than someone who just cuts off the stalks above the leaf base of the plant. Did I mention that you have to go slow because the leaves of the Agave and Yucca plant have sharp spines at the tip?
For logistical reasons I mainly work with yucca these days. With Yucca I split he stalk in half to hollow them out. When I have Agave available I bore out the center leaving the integrity of the outer hard shell in tact so that they are one piece construction. The main advantage of the split and hollow method is that I can more accurately control the shape of the bore but some find the one piece construction more aesthetically pleasing. With both I remove as much of the soft inner core as possible from my didges to maximize responsiveness and once the bore is completed to my satisfaction the first epoxy coat is applied to the inside of the stalk. This is a extra thin coat that soaks into the fibers of the stalk and the resin binds them together like fiberglass to greatly improve the strength and resonating qualities of the instrument. For the Yucca didges I add a second thicker coat of resin to build and strengthen the wall and the halves are taped together to allow the curing resin to bind them together so that the joint is stronger than the wood itself. I then add a ring of actual fiberglass to the inside or outside of the bell and the mouthpiece end to further increase structural strength making my instruments very unlikely to crack or break. After this step I apply a thicker epoxy coat to the entire bore adding even more strength along with a hard reflective surface that makes the sound of my didges really come to life.
I then tune each instrument to it's optimal pitch and start the process of shaping and sculpting of my trademark waxless mouthpiece. My mouthpieces are designed for maximum comfort and response which makes the articulation of sound easier because you're not fighting with a mouthpiece that is always changing shape. Add to that the fact that it's more sanitary than wax and that it won't melt in the hot weather and you can begin to understand why I switched to waxless playing years ago. Believe me, when you're on stage or in the studio recording, the last thing you want to be doing is spending several minutes of your valuable time shaping the mouthpiece to perfection. However, if your hooked on the great smell of beeswax you can always further customize the mouthpiece to your own liking.
At this point it's time to finish the exterior surface. Sometimes the natural grain is so nice that I simply coat the didge with the same clear epoxy resin used on the inside which brings added depth and color. The didge pictured above is an example of this type of finish. This provides a nontoxic and maintenance free surface inside and out. I also paint a lot of my instruments with neo-primitive designs inspired by the paintings of the Aboriginal People of Australia as well as other indigenous cultures of the world to create some of the most beautiful didges in the world. You'll find examples of my work by clicking on the Agave & Yucca Catalog button at the bottom of the page.
Hey, even though the Didge is now finished we're not quite done yet. The last and final step takes place at my wife's sewing center where she creates custom fit carry cases with a shoulder strap and these come free with your instrument along with a free instruction tape
(A free $60 accessories package).
OK… now we're ready to ship your didge direct to your door or meet you at one of the Music or Craft Festivals that I exhibit at in the Western States of the USA.
Click here to check out my schedule.
Well, as you can see, the craftsmanship of my instruments is second to none but the real reason to buy one of my Agave or Yucca Didges is the sound! The only thing I can say is that they are simply… well,... AWESOME! I have played thousands of Didgeridoos from all around the world including many rather pricey traditional instruments at more than three times the price and I rarely come across anything that I like better.
David Blonski (The DidjMan) … Artist, Musician, & CraftsmanNew Crop of YUCCA STALKS!
Custom orders Accepted.
YUCCA STALKS
YUCCA STALKS
are plentiful in
California.Because of their
super light weight
and great sound...Yucca Didges
have been my
prefered instrument
for several years
are a rarity in
my neck of
the woods so availability is very limited.
A CUSTOM CARRY BAG AND A FREE INSTRUCTIONAL CASSETTE ARE NOW INCLUDED WITH EACH AGAVE & YUCCA DIDGE!!
Collecting Yucca and Agave Stalks
in the Deserts of the Southwest
