Two Shots at Buying an MBU!

The Rope one cleared for $6,675. I thought it might go a little higher form those missing out on the Artist Series.

Congrats to both new owners!
 
Yeah I'm a little surprised that none of the losers in the first auction stepped into the second one. At least that's what I would have done if I got outbid and had $13K lying around!
 
stevejfc said:
I'm wrong. So is there a 7k+ difference in those 2 ukes?
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In sound, no. In hours to build, yes. In aesthetics, for some. I'm one of those that think Chuck's inlay is incredible. But when you can buy a Hive, I'iwi, Ko'olau, Grimes, Beau Hannam, etc. for under $4k, I would have to be getting some amazing inlay to justify spending more than 3x that.
 
Here's the thing: All of Chuck's instruments look and sound good, least the ones I have seen or heard, live or recorded. But if you want one thing more than another thing, that's a reason to choose one and not the other, if you have a choice. It isn't just about having any MB, but having one that resonates emotionally or spiritually.

Leastways if you play it and don't stick it in a glass case against the day you plan to sell it for a profit. Different strokes and all ...

I don't have a big collection of ukes, but every time I open any of their cases and behold them, I am still amazed at how beautiful each is, in its own unique way. Still grin every time I pick one of them up. Two of them were built for other folks; two I corresponded with the luthier during the build. I confess that the latter two are a little more special to me. Ego? Yeah, sure. But also zen ...

Since Chuck is at a place in his art and craft that he can make what calls to him, and if that's what he wants? More power to him. But what he builds will call to someone or it won't. Not everybody will hear the same siren song.

I am reminded of that old saying: For those who understand, no explanation is necessary; for those who don't, none is possible ...
 
Ukulele Eddie said:
In sound, no. In hours to build, yes. In aesthetics, for some. I'm one of those that think Chuck's inlay is incredible. But when you can buy a Hive, I'iwi, Ko'olau, Grimes, Beau Hannam, etc. for under $4k, I would have to be getting some amazing inlay to justify spending more than 3x that.
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Yeah, I am sure MB owners will disagree, but if I had $13K to spend on ukes only, I would rather have a Ko'olau, a Hannam and a Hive instead of one Moore Bettah.

The other thing is, part of the attraction of an MB is having inlay that is meaningful to the owner, and buying a spec MB vs a custom with my input would keep me from bidding, even if I had the money. I'd try to get on Chuck's build list instead.
 
wayfarer75 said:
Yeah, I am sure MB owners will disagree, but if I had $13K to spend on ukes only, I would rather have a Ko'olau, a Hannam and a Hive instead of one Moore Bettah.

The other thing is, part of the attraction of an MB is having inlay that is meaningful to the owner, and buying a spec MB vs a custom with my input would keep me from bidding, even if I had the money. I'd try to get on Chuck's build list instead.
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Yes, you're correct, MB owners do disagree...
 
Chuck's ukuleles are a work of art and the time and skill spent on them more than justifies the cost. The woods, the inlay and the overall finish is incredible.

I'm not sure it's that helpful to compare them even to very good K brand ukuleles because they're a totally different beast and yes you could buy X number of other ukes for the price of one MB but I don't think that's the point. I love my Kamaka for example (which is semi-custom) and it sounds incredible and probably not hugely dissimilar from a MB but it wasn't built by someone with such special skills as Chuck and there isn't the same sort of time, care and attention to detail in the build.

I do agree with wayfarer75 though that if I was going to spend that much money, I would prefer to work with Chuck to have one built to my specification rather than buy one 'off-the-shelf' - in any event there are limits to this as the design process is collaborative and Chuck most likely wouldn't just build something I asked for, it would have to be something he felt passionate about too I imagine.

Finally, does anyone know what price the MB ukes went for in the end?
 
I recently had to buy a clarinet for one of the grandkids. I quickly discovered that pricing ranged from just over $100 for a low end student model to over $30,000 for a high end professional instrument. Personally, I think the world would be missing something if Chuck weren't stretching the boundaries of what is arguably the highest end ukulele that is attainable. When compared to other top end instruments, considering the workmanship, materials, and plain old time it takes to produce these beauties, I think they are very reasonably priced. While a MB is not necessary to play beautiful music, I am glad they exist. I am entertained when I look at them and hear them played. Someday I may own one.
 
Cfiimei said:
I recently had to buy a clarinet for one of the grandkids. I quickly discovered that pricing ranged from just over $100 for a low end student model to over $30,000 for a high end professional instrument. Personally, I think the world would be missing something if Chuck weren't stretching the boundaries of what is arguably the highest end ukulele that is attainable. When compared to other top end instruments, considering the workmanship, materials, and plain old time it takes to produce these beauties, I think they are very reasonably priced. While a MB is not necessary to play beautiful music, I am glad they exist. I am entertained when I look at them and hear them played. Someday I may own one.
Click to expand...

I agree, and as a clarinet player myself, I know that ukuleles certainly run cheaper than clarinets! (I own two clarinets and a tenor saxophone in addition to my four ukuleles.) And why are guitars so much more expensive than ukes? I don't begrudge anyone paying whatever money they can for an instrument they want and for whatever reason. But I'm glad for the builders who can make a living from creating such fine instruments for us. While we can't all own a Moore Bettah, not all of us want to; there are other wonderful ukuleles in the world. It's all good.
 
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