eBay Tenor Archtop Advice

Hi there!

I've spotted this tenor archtop on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tenor-Uk...n_0&hash=item4d06c66328&_uhb=1#ht_5131wt_1163

Not really a lot of information about it. I was wondering if anyone had any advice based on the images or description given as to what the quality of this might be like. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

// J

its pretty but not a true archtop.

Looks a Vietnamese uke made by one of 2 or 3 makers. I remember reading a review about a similar one a while back. Not too favorable, but I could be wrong. Tudorp seems to be the xpert on these. I bought a Bruce Wei teardrop shaped concert that is gorgeous, intonation great, has a little buzz I have to sort out, but I paid $114 including shipping, $350 including shipping? Hmmmmm, glad you are seeking feedback about this prospective purchase.

weerpool said:

its pretty but not a true archtop.

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Thanks both of you for the responses.

Weerpool - what would define it to be a true archtop? I'm not overly familiar with archtops in general (other than liking their sound!)

I'd be leary of any uke with "no name" by a so called collector with no name. An archtop is just that, the top is arched. In the higher end ukes it is actually handcarved. I suspect the lower end and Asian tops are formed somehow; pehaps with steaming or pressed.

This definitely looks like it is from Vietnam or Taiwan. These are instruments that are produced every 20-30 days and the reviews are definitely mixed. This looks like an f-hole "arch top looking" in style but not sure this is a true archtop.
Have you ever owned an F hole, semi-hollow? The sound will be much different than any other traditional style uke. I also don't see any indication of electronics so acoustically I would think it's going to be very thin sounding and I am not sure the sound would be anything you could play along with others with, without any real volume. It does look like they use a moveable compensate saddle and if it's been affixed and can't be moved and the intonation is off then you'll definitely want to return it to avoid expensive lutheir fees to try to fix it. The tailpiece looks like cheap metal, tarnished but could be the photo. Definitely a very cheap use of a tailpiece which is an indication this is not a great quality at least for the tailpiece. It's a crap shoot for sure especially as you can't compare this to those who own an instrument from the same luthier, who also has this style.

Without physically inspecting the instrument, determining a quality would be nearly impossible. The selling company has a 45 day money back guarantee so the nice thing is if you get it and don't like it you can return it for a refund minus your return shipping. That's worst case scenario?

weerpool said:

its pretty but not a true archtop.

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I think it actually is.

The top looks pretty flat to me.

calvertj said:

Thanks both of you for the responses.

Weerpool - what would define it to be a true archtop? I'm not overly familiar with archtops in general (other than liking their sound!)

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I don't know much myself. But I hope giving you the following example would give you some ideas

http://www.kalabrand.com/Instruments/Archtop/ArchtopDetailsPage.html

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5dqcRpOiac

You can a Kala Tenor reso-uke for under $300 shipped.

The Big Kahuna said:

The top looks pretty flat to me.

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:agree:, question asked about the supposed archtoppery through ebay, the answer should appear at the bottom of the page when the seller has answered it.

Thanks everyone for your responses, much appreciated.

Interestingly, the listing ended overnight, so someone has purchased it! If it was someone from this forum I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. This style do crop up from time to time online, but I never see them in traditional shops to be able to give them a try. I do love the f-hole and archtop sound, and don't mind if it's made in Vietnam or Taiwan as long as it sounds good!

Its definitely an instrument that was originally sold by Bruceweiart and made in vietnam. Nothing against it on these grounds. I have numerous bruceweiart instruments and have reviewed them on YouTube. The auction in question was a resale.

I've certainly eyed them off before. They look great. I don't know how they would play though. They have a neck that's slightly narrow for a ukulele. Almost like a long scale mandolin. I have no idea what they would sound like but if your still interested look up bruceweiart on eBay and bid on one directly from him at a better price. They come up periodically and usually sell for a better price than many of his instruments.

http://youtu.be/m-FmrzMAOYg

Anthony