Ukes after you are gone?

Doug W

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My wife and I have a number of instruments between us; ukes, guitars, mandolin, keyboard, recorders, flutes and more. In addition to the instruments we have some mixers, a P.A. system and many cords, adapters and more.

I have, from time to time, thought that I should figure out which of my kids get which instruments when I take the big trip.

Have any of you ever formalized, (as in a will), where all your instruments are headed for after you head out?
 
Cheerful stuff :rolleyes:

I want to say "From my cold dead hands!" but then I guess that's kind of the point :p

Maybe I could get a casket made out of my ukes - rosewood back and sides with a nice cedar top.
 
Doug, being that you are close to my location, just name me.

Seriously, though, if your instruments have value (perhaps K Brand, customs, etc.) then it probably makes sense to list who would get an instrument. It also might be wise to give instructions if no one wants them. For example, if no one wants a flute, it should be donated to a school district (after any necessary repair and/or cleaning).

In our family, my wife's grandfather passed away, and a ukulele was found in his stuff. I wasn't interested in playing at the time, and anyone else in the family that played was a guitar player, so no one wanted it. My wife's cousin (then 12) took it...and today, I would be happy to have it...didn't care back then. (I think it is a standard basic baritone...Gramps picked up ukulele when stationed in Hawaii for WWII, but did not ever play it during my time in the family).
 
I don't have any friends or family interested in them (I have tried, believe me, I have tried), so I assume they will be included with my other possessions and sold as a complete lot.
 
Plenty of time before I shuffle of this earth - but I doubt anyone in the family will be interested in mine, or my harmonicas.

(Keep the receipts, so that they can be valued.)
 
Funny you should ask this, a few years back I created my first-ever will because of my ukes! I don't have much in the way of assets or have any family, so before I began accumulating ukes I never gave this any thought. But since the idea of my ukes going to charity or the dumpster after I'm gone is not something I like to think about, mine are willed to a uke-playing friend whom I suspect will outlive me.
 
I thiught that this might be a Tab for the song.
 
Think of who might actually use them or appreciate them before you make out that will. Question your beneficiaries. Maybe they don't want your "stuff". It may not mean to them as much as it means to you. I have a tendency to not keep too much "stuff" so when I decide to get rid of a uke or anything I think might be of interest or value to my kids, I ask them if they'd like it.

Do you still use all you musical paraphernalia? If not, consider giving it to them now and then you'll have the opportunity to watch them enjoy it before you're gone.
 
Maybe I'll get cremated and have all my ukes burnt up with me. They would ignite real good and maybe add a little interest and aroma to my ashes:D
 
My son can hardly wait to get his hands on my Recording King resonator. But if I didn't have a willing recipient, I might set up a deal like my husband made with a friend decades ago. They both write fiction and they pledged that whoever goes first, the other will take over handling his literary estate. Better than expecting one's family to have a clue what to do with it. Of course, that was before both of them married writers ;-)

I would ask a uke-playing friend to help my family get a fair deal selling off my ukes. In return, he or she gets pick of the litter. And if they want, I could promise the same for their family. I know from sad experience that families don't always know what to do with specialized assets, and they may dump them for pennies just to get the estate settled. Good topic for discussion.

And if it falls unto my lot that I should rise and you should not...
 
Just one thought..a uke player in the area has been fighting cancer, and with an eye on the inevitable (which we will all face), has started gifting some of his ukuleles to close friends that play. I would assume that either he has plans for his own kids...but he gets to see others enjoy the gift now before leaving. On a positive note, he is still going strong.
 
I hadn't really thought about it but...
If I go first I hope my wife sells my ukes for what they're worth and not what I told her I paid for them 😁
 
Maybe I'll get cremated and have all my ukes burnt up with me. They would ignite real good and maybe add a little interest and aroma to my ashes:D
Dave this brings to mind that favourite from my youth......The Ink Spots......Vera Lynn......
"I don't want to set the world on fire,
I just want to start a flame in your heart."
 
My Niece is in charge of the "Music library". Any member of the family can borrow an instrument for as long as they want; a lifetime of they continue to play. If they quit, they give the instrument back to the library. Works in principle, we'll see how scattered the three generations of instruments get to be when we elders are gone.
 
My Niece is in charge of the "Music library". Any member of the family can borrow an instrument for as long as they want; a lifetime of they continue to play. If they quit, they give the instrument back to the library. Works in principle, we'll see how scattered the three generations of instruments get to be when we elders are gone.

I like this approach!
 
I've worried about this for a long time. I don't want my wife to hafta struggle getting rid of all my stuff. I've been buying instruments lately, and every time I buy a new one, I feel guilty that my wife will be stuck with it.

I suppose many of us oldies who have personal things have thought about it, but I still want new stuff that I want. The whole subject bothers me, and I try not to think about it any more.

My mother is 104, so maybe I'll be around a few more years. My wifes kin lived long lives too though. I dunno . . . :eek:ld:
 
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