Ukes after you are gone?

Kids!!
Gotta have kindling for the pyre.
 
I have a large collection of instruments, but none of them are real expensive. What makes it worse is they are all left-handed so will be difficult to dispose of. The ukes are trivial to convert back to right-handed (just re-string them) but in that time of stress that will probably be forgotten. So I expect them to be dumped for next to nothing and I'm okay with that.
 
I have so much stuff that my will would be ten inches thick if I tried to pick and choose who got what. My mom and my dad died pretty close to each other. When my dad died, my brother, my sister, and I were all three executors. I remember talking to my Dad in the last days that he was able to communicate and I asked him what was important to him. He said what was important to us was all that mattered. We went into the house one day and took turns, starting with the oldest. When we were done, we brought in the grand children and let them do the same. When they were done we called in an auction company and they hauled everything else away and sold it. I'm quite sure that it all went at bargain prices. But at that stage, do you really want to go out and try to wring every cent that you can get out of everything? I'm sure there are some who would, but that wasn't us. Anyway, as I said, I have a lot of stuff and when I die it is going to be someone else's problem.
 
Well, I know I'm not long for this world (terminal cancer), but my Ukes are going to my two best friends (and band mates) from school. I know they'll be well played.
 
Every once in a while, I get in my shop family members of a relative who has died and left the family with a bunch of string instruments. What they basically want to know is if there is anything of value. Most of the time there isn't, just middle of the road to cheap stuff. Sometimes, there is a nice violin or guitar worth good money. I advise them to find a consignment store to sell the instruments, or take out an ad in the local paper, etc. Most of the time they just want to unload the stuff and not go through all the trouble to get a good price.

I had one lady who is till trying to sell her husbands guitars (4 expensive archtops) 5 years after his death. They have no kids or relatives who want the guitars. He told her what to sell them for and she is trying honor his wishes, but it ain't going to happen. I tried to tell her to sell them for less but she has resisted because she thinks they are worth more. The market for selling changes constantly, that is just the way things work.

If you can't give your stuff away or sell them, maybe donate them to a grade school, high school or college.
 
I want to take mine with me!!!!! Same goes for my golf clubs.
 
Very interesting topic! Personally, I hate dealing with other people's stuff. I lost both my parents in the last 4 years. I have quite a few new Martin ukuleles and no one around me would want them or try to sell them off. It would be a burden on my family. I guess it depends if I'm getting ill and I could give them away first in the best case scenario, or a sudden death would be the worst and leaving my ukes in limbo.

I have already given away a lot of my uke collection and I plan on putting a few of my unwanted Martins on consignment in the local music store. I want to declutter my life of ukes and keep the best 5. You may have heard of UAS but I want to be obsessed by UDS! Ukulele Declutter Syndrome. hehe

I think I told George Elmes once I would bequeath him my "Martin 3 cherry soprano." If anyone deserves it, that guy does.

Petey
 
I just got rid of my stringed instruments. I have a skin disease which will likely prevent me from playing fretted instruments for at least two years and might be for the duration. I sold some and gave away a few. I gave the fellow who owns a hobby shop a cheap Mahalo and he gleamed for at least three days. I gave a banjo to a former employee and he loves it. I put a Marin guitar in a local shop on consignment. I sold four of the ukes on the UU marketplace.
I'm keeping one uke and one guitar in case I have a visitor who plays or by some miracle I get better. I'm also keeping a lap steel uke that I am able to play because I use a tone bar and finger picks with it.
 
Sorry to hear about your condition, John. But, you are making others smile.

In my case - I would like each grandkid to have one of mine, and any of their parents, too. The rest should be donated.
 
I would suggest that if one is turning around their ukuleles on a regular basis they might keep that in mind before they start getting specific in their will. It seems that oft times one's most treasured ukulele falls from from hallowed favor as soon as the next prized purchase comes along. Wouldn't want to leave your beloved custom ukulele to the grand kids in an emotional moment, just for it to be long gone to someone else when it comes time for the executor to execute the will.
 
I want to be obsessed by UDS! Ukulele Declutter Syndrome. hehe
Petey

A lot of interesting thoughts in the thread. Petey has inspired me to get back to decluttering in general, (not just uke decluttering). Maybe my wife and I will get to our will this year...
 
A lot of interesting thoughts in the thread. Petey has inspired me to get back to decluttering in general, (not just uke decluttering). Maybe my wife and I will get to our will this year...
If there is a will there is a way. Groan or giggle.
 
One of my local non-profit folk music organizations, Old Songs, Inc., puts on a wonderful 3-day festival every year, and they have an "Instrument Exchange" where people put instruments on consignment, with the festival getting 10% of the sale price. There are a lot of knowledgeable people who perform at this festival, on all instruments, and many local musicians attend as well, as performers, workshop participants, and sometimes just attendees.

If we are still in this area when I kick the bucket (Bite the big one? Take a dirt nap? Insert euphemism for dying _here_...), and the festival is till going on, I'd like my executor to donate any instruments my wife doesn't want to the festival, and they can get whatever they want out of them. I'd love to see someone in the family keep the Donaldson, but we have no kids, and don't think anyone else is playing any musical instruments.


-Kurt​
 
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

If nothing else, this thread has inspired a quote fit for a T-shirt.
photoshooter, you should come to Ukulele World Congress this year with a box of T-shirts for sale to pay for your trip.
 
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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

That'd be me. LOL Not really. I have one uke, one acoustic guitar, several pennywhistles, one recorder, and a banjo that happens to be in 3 pieces at the moment. There's one person in my life who would happily receive the whistles. No one else is musical or wants to be. So when I go (not any time soon I hope), they will probably languish with the violin my mother doesn't want me parting with, even though no one plays it. :eek: Sorry, that violin is a sore subject, as are all instruments that don't get the playtime they're made for! So... Maybe what I will do, is instruct people to sell the instruments, with prices, and donate the money to my favorite uke group! Yes, that'll do nicely.
 
If nothing else, this thread has inspired a quote fit for a T-shirt.
photoshooter, you should come to Ukulele World Congress this year with a box of T-shirts for sale to pay for your trip.


Oh man, a trip to UWC would be fantastic!
For the record, it's not my quote but I've seen it on every conceivable hobby forum. I think it's funny because there's some (a lot) of truth in it!


This thread has me thinking though...
If I intend to leave my ukes behind to specific people I love I'm going to need a lot more ukes!

"Why are you buying more ukes?"
"Because honey, one day I'm going to die and I don't want to leave anyone with hurt feelings"

That should work...
 
"Why are you buying more ukes?"
"Because honey, one day I'm going to die and I don't want to leave anyone with hurt feelings"

That should work..
.

Ha ha that's funny!
My ukes, like all my junk, are Willed to my wife when I kick the bucket. Only one, my Cocobolo goes to a close friend who plays, because she loves it, and my wife has one. I don't care what she does with the others, one is unplayable, and though I treasure the other one, she couldn't care less about it, so I hope she sells it for a decent price, or gives it to a deserving kid. I'm learning a Taoist/Buddhist attitude of not being attached to stuff. Pets and people are gonna be a little harder. I want nothing holding me back when I wanna leave!
 
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