I went to my local(ish) Guitar Center the other day to check these puppies out in person.
They had three of the designs in stock: Veneta, Tattoo, and Montage (no sign of Roses or Lightning). The artwork is well done, “screen printed” on the laminate spruce tops. As GD memorabilia/merchandise, they’re pretty cool looking, reasonably priced, and a fairly nifty novelty item to add to someone’s collection of GD stuff.
As ukuleles... there’s actually some very good news. I found all three models to be well made examples of a good sounding all laminate concert Uke. They all sounded pretty much the same, with a pleasingly warm yet bright tone. The sealed geared tuners were fine and worked well and smoothly. Surprisingly, the action and intonation was decent on all of them as well and there were no sharp fret ends and no buzzes apparent.
All in all, for $99 (+ $20 for a matching gig bag) they’re a pretty good deal. A definite step up from some of the cheaper beginner Ukes I’ve seen, and better than a lot of other laminate Ukes in the same (or even higher) price range. If you’re a Deadhead looking for a good first Uke, this would be a great choice. Likewise, a Deadhead seasoned ukeist would probably enjoy adding one (or more) to their collection. If I can find a way to liberate $120 I’ll be following my own advice before too long.
BTW... while there isn’t a specifically apparent GD/Ukulele connection, Bob Weir has a longstanding relationship with Alvarez, having had an Alvarez-Yairi signature guitar since the mid 80’s. Garcia also played Alvarez-Yairis onstage exclusively from the mid 80’s until his death in ‘95.
Peace,
Scooter