"Must have's" for a ukulele collector.

The must have ukes that I can only think of now is:

Custom Moore Bettah Tenor
Kamaka Tenor

:) These are definitely on my wish list~
 
Gosh. I'm trying to de-acquisition.. so I would have to have a dream house to have room for the dream ukes. My ego is resistant, but:

The Beansprout banjo uke, it seems high on the lists so far; concert or tenor, probably concert, but the tenor sounds phenomenal.

Martin baritone. There's one in the family but I will never see it again.

Kamaka baritone, custom.

Lyon & Healy Camp uke, or a nice soprano with the mustache bridge, I LOVE the mustache bridge.

Favilla baritone.

Original Vita Uke.

Gibson sunburst soprano with pin bridge, a real high end model.

Favilla tear drop soprano, natural.

A perfect JR Stewart black Le Domino soprano.

An Octophone.

My old CBU back, sigh.

Fill in with customs:

Greg Pacetti

Monkey Wrench

Ken Timms

Pete Howlett

& a few others.

I would have to add talent to the dream along with the house.
 
Not sure if I could come up with 20, but here they are in no particular order:

-Martin 3M
-Gibson Uke-3
-Kamaka tenor HF-3
-William King concert (long scale)
-Glyph mezzo soprano (long scale)
-Moore Bettah tenor
-KoAloha Pineapple Sunday
-DaSilva Santos reproduction
-G-String concert "Sun"
-Talsma concert
-Mya-Moe concert
-Ernest LaPaula (cherry sunburst)
-Risa LP tenor
-Ko'olau Contemporary Series tenor (macassar ebony)
-Koa Works tenor
-Collings UC-3
-Kanile'a super tenor K-5 or custom
 
Santa Cruz hog ukulele
Collings hog ukulele

I would be good after that.
 
How about this one? I've played this one at the store, it is sweeeet! Maybe if I sold the car.....
http://elderly.com/vintage/items/180U-901.htm

hmgberg said:
You've played it!!! I'm so jealous. Tell me more.
Click to expand...

It's just so beautiful to hold, like a little jewel. The wood is so rich and all of that gorgeous decoration...I felt like I had to hold it like a baby. It really was special. It also sounded better than any of the other ukes I had played that day. I actually scolded the guy at the counter for not having a humidifier in it! It was definitely the best uke in the store, but I prefer koa to mahogany so that may have something to do with why I thought so. If they were selling it for half of that, I would say consider it if you are a true collector, but that price is just insane, and they consider it "reduced". I played with a bunch of their vintage instruments, most of which I didn't like, including this other kamaka pineapple:
http://elderly.com/vintage/items/180U-1389.htm
Which for me was just a lesson about buying vintage online. I don't want to buy a vintage uke that I can't play first. Another problem is that they usually keep the original strings on the vintage ones, so you can't hear what they would sound like with updated strings. So vintage ukes can be hard to buy, even if you can play them ahead of time.
 
Last edited:
pepamahina said:
How about this one? I've played this one at the store, it is sweeeet! Maybe if I sold the car.....
http://elderly.com/vintage/items/180U-901.htm



It's just so beautiful to hold, like a little jewel. The wood is so rich and all of that gorgeous decoration...I felt like I had to hold it like a baby. It really was special. It also sounded better than any of the other ukes I had played that day. I actually scolded the guy at the counter for not having a humidifier in it! It was definitely the best uke in the store, but I prefer koa to mahogany so that may have something to do with why I thought so. If they were selling it for half of that, I would say consider it if you are a true collector, but that price is just insane, and they consider it "reduced". I played with a bunch of their vintage instruments, most of which I didn't like, including this other kamaka pineapple:
http://elderly.com/vintage/items/180U-1389.htm
Which for me was just a lesson about buying vintage online. I don't want to buy a vintage uke that I can't play first. Another problem is that they usually keep the original strings on the vintage ones, so you can't hear what they would sound like with updated strings. So vintage ukes can be hard to buy, even if you can play them ahead of time.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your kind response. It's just an exquisite little number. There was one on the marketplace at FMM last year for, I think, $3,500.00. Nobody bit. I didn't have the cash (or even close to it) at the time. I've purchased some vintage ukes from elderly, and have been quite pleased. They have some Martins I would like to hear. Which ones did you not like, besides the other pineapple?
 
Great list's, I'd love to try most that have been listed. Since Hoosierhiver started this I'll put in my vote for a,
Mainland solid Mango Concert with slotted headstock...hint,hint!
 
Red=got/on the way

1.Pete Howlett acoustic tenor
2.Pete Howlett electric tenor
3.Gibson type 1 soprano should arrive tomorrow:D
4.custom Koaloha 8 string sceptre
5.Gretsch camp uke
6.Kumalae soprano
7.Gibson UB-1
8.Rob Collins longneck soprano
9.Chuck Moore twin neck tenor
10.Kamaka pineapple concert
11.Some kind of dobro

and 9 beaters/niceish ukes to lend out to mates.

This has made my UAS kick in so bad, must resist til 2012.
 
ukukimmy said:
Looks like "your" L&H w green binding is now available on eBay for a meer $2k. ;-)
Click to expand...
Nice! Thanks for the link. I don't think I will be spending $2K on that right now though. Nice to see one! I don't know what they sound like in person.
Another I would add to my list is a Boat Paddle M-style and a Moore Bettah with a side sound port and custom inlays, Kanile'a Super Concert, Ohana G35-5 hi/low g string, a Kamaka, DaSilva Santos reproduction, Mya-moe resonator, and a Flea.

–Lori
 
hmgberg said:
Thanks for your kind response. It's just an exquisite little number. There was one on the marketplace at FMM last year for, I think, $3,500.00. Nobody bit. I didn't have the cash (or even close to it) at the time. I've purchased some vintage ukes from elderly, and have been quite pleased. They have some Martins I would like to hear. Which ones did you not like, besides the other pineapple?
Click to expand...

They kept the really nice Martin antiques high up on the wall out of reach and since I didn't want a soprano unless it was a Kamaka at the time I didn't ask them to get any of them down. Next time I go I definitely will. I didn't like any of the other vintage ukes that I tried enough to buy, except for one, which is a secret because it's still there and someday I might just go up there and get it ;)
 
1. Mya Moe soprano
2. Kamaka pineapple soprano
3. Moore Bettah pineapple soprano
4. Collings concert
5. Black Bear concert

all the rest would just be garnishes....
 
pepamahina said:
They kept the really nice Martin antiques high up on the wall out of reach and since I didn't want a soprano unless it was a Kamaka at the time I didn't ask them to get any of them down. Next time I go I definitely will. I didn't like any of the other vintage ukes that I tried enough to buy, except for one, which is a secret because it's still there and someday I might just go up there and get it ;)
Click to expand...

Ha! I understand your secretiveness.
 
eugene ukulele said:
1. Mya Moe soprano
2. Kamaka pineapple soprano
3. Moore Bettah pineapple soprano
4. Collings concert
5. Black Bear concert

all the rest would just be garnishes....
Click to expand...

That's a good sensible list, especially if all were concert sized for me.
 
the moore ukes are realy beautiful i was just looking at the website moorebettahukes.com
 
Probably wouldn't get 20, but in addition to my current Kala KSS, my little beater Mahalo (I can't part from it: it's purple) and my Gold Tone Banjo Uke soprano, I wish for myself the following ukes, thank you!

1. Beltona lapsteel ukulele in khaki or turquoise baked enamel with steel strings. Electric would be nice, to get that 1960's hawaiian sound.
2. 1937 National Style O soprano resonator uke, with the same headstock as this one (i.e. not the replica): http://www.notecannons.com/instruments/uke_style_0_small_3.jpg. Actually make it electric and strong enough and this one with steel strings and a nut raiser for lap steel action would be juuust fine instead of the Beltona. No really, I'd be totally ok with it I promise.
3. Black low-G fluke/flea to play slack tuning on, with rosewood fretboard and an art deco pattern print on it that would be a bit like this one: with http://www.museumofmakingmusic.org/ukulele/images/stories/ukes/065.png
4. Cute little cigar-box uke with nice colours
5. Not really a ukulele, I know, but: a Malian four-string ngoni ba. Beautiful.
6. While we're in borderline non-uke territory: a Bean Sprout 5-strings banjo. Or a mountain dulcimer. Or a double-bass. Or all of them.

My birthday is in November, thank you! ;-)
 
People don't follow the rules:) Only one of each brand.
 
Oh my, I just had a look at the Moore Bettah website. My jaw is still hurting from hitting the floor.
 
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