Thought I’d share this…

A local ukulele shop has these rubber mats for sticking on to the back of your instrument, stopping it slipping while playing. I see this as something useful when I’m lazily strumming on the sofa and can’t be bothered to put the strap on (taking laziness to a new level, I know!).

Pros:

• It’s a textured rubber material and more effective than I thought. Not perfect but good enough for something that requires no maintenance.
• Easy to fit by just peeling the backing off and stick it on. It’s not permanent – you can peel off and re-stick easily.

Cons:

• The price – around US$10. Seems expensive for a small bit of rubber.
• The lady in the shop says there’s a slight chance of damage to the wood finish, although the uke I’ve stuck it on seems fine so far.

So there you go. I’m not sure if they’re available outside Japan but if you see something similar, don’t mind the price and can accept the small risk of damage to the wood finish, I recommend it.