Wurlitzer Koa Uke: Who nabbed it?

coolkayaker1

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Okay, which one of you nabbed that sweet Koa Martin ukulele, style 2, Wurlitzer-branded soprano off eBay yesterday? I bid but forgot about it until too late.

I think only 187 or so were made, according to Walsh/King. And that one was in fantastic shape.

Of course, Shawn Y. has one on ukulelefriend.com, a style 3, for over 7 g's. Perhaps he nabbed the Wurlitzer 2. :D

I, actually, ebay messaged the gentleman seller, named Wayne, even though I do not know him. I informed him of the rarity of his uke, that it is Koa, and that it would fetch much more with a commissioned sale at Elderly or McCabe's. It might even be worth $5k or so. He said, kindly, that he bought it at an estate sale and was willing to see it go on eBay for whatever the auction brought! WOW!

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That's looks like an amazing find, but it's a lot of duckies to spend via an online inspection. I'm not sure I could spend that much without seeing/hearing it in person. And while I am a very regular user of eBay for various things, I keep my purchases mostly below $500 -- but have spent as much as $800 -- so that if/when I get hosed, the damage is somewhat limited. I don't put much stock in eBay's "protection" because in the few issues I've experienced, they were of zero help.
 
I, actually, ebay messaged the gentleman seller, named Wayne, even though I do not know him. I informed him of the rarity of his uke,

Teacher , .....you forgot to give us homework ..........:drool:
 
Hi, Eddie, Pete and Brian.

I have bought many high-end ukes on eBay and haven't been skunked yet. The couple times I had an issue, the Buyer (me) is out the return shipping cost, and the Seller must take the uke back, Eddie. Paypal guarantee. The ads that say "all sales final.", holds no water. I have returned two ukes that way that were completely misrepresented on the listing (yet, the Buyer still pays the rerturn shipping unless the Seller wants to Paypal it to the Buyer--Sellers' choice). . It's super swung toward the Buyer these days on eBay, from my experience.

I have to say, old Martins hold up well. For all the talk of twisted necks, etc., I've never experienced one on a vintage Martin yet.

Pete, the buyer got a great deal, indeed. I tried hard to tell the eBay seller, but they paid so little under an estate sale, and they are an antique shop or something, they just wanted to get out from under it. That said, we all know how the uke market is sagging--vintage ukes in particular--and it would be a challenge to get five grand for it in the current market clime (as Shawn Y. has likely found out with his Wurlitzer 3K, listed on his site for a couple of years).

Anyhow, it's certainly worth more than many $1900 ukes--Kanileas, Collings, etc.--in my mind. I still love vintage for the retained value. :) You get any new ukes lately, Pete?
 
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Well , I did get an old Gretsch style 1 t hat I thought I would like but I guess I'm just a Martin guy. Might try to sell it on Ebay. Yes , I had my eye on that style 2 but knew it would be too rare for me. The vintage Martin market is funny sometimes , I guess this was one of them. Last year I got a 50's Style 2 with a great harptone case for a good price , funny how excited I still get about this uke and the case. The case is awesome .
 
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The couple times I had an issue, the Buyer (me) is out the return shipping cost, and the Seller must take the uke back, Eddie. Paypal guarantee. The ads that say "all sales final.", holds no water. I have returned two ukes that way that were completely misrepresented on the listing (yet, the Buyer still pays the rerturn shipping unless the Seller wants to Paypal it to the Buyer--Sellers' choice). It's super swung toward the Buyer these days on eBay, from my experience.

My experience has been it's not so clear-cut. The policy states the item must not be as described or not received. So, if you simply aren't impressed with the sound, it's not covered. I worked all mine out, but not with any help from the return policy despite investigating or initiating that process. Again, I'm a big fan and user of eBay but there is risk. And there are plenty of examples of people finding out the policy isn't quite what it's touted to be. But I hope you never have that experience.
 
My experience has been it's not so clear-cut. The policy states the item must not be as described or not received. So, if you simply aren't impressed with the sound, it's not covered. I worked all mine out, but not with any help from the return policy despite investigating or initiating that process. Again, I'm a big fan and user of eBay but there is risk. And there are plenty of examples of people finding out the policy isn't quite what it's touted to be. But I hope you never have that experience.

I see that you have had a different experience, Eddie, and I respect that. You do make a point about listings on eBay: I never, ever list something as having "impeccable" sound, "perfect" anything, "mint", etc. Those are words that give a buyers-remorse buyer too much latitude on the eBay Guarantee. Also, buyers who are not impressed with the sound will usually not mention that, but rather take a photo of a ding on the headstock (that they may or may not have created when they unboxed the uke--or on purpose to return it!), and say it was not mentioned and they will score an Ebay return. Unscrupulous buyers are as common as unscrupulous sellers, I think.

Pete, I had the same experience with Gretsch. I keep one "Gretsch American" vintage in my collection just to say I have one, but never will buy again. Gibsons are almost as good as Martins, but not quite as good, too (playability and sound-wise). Martin deals are to be had on eBay, for sure; some just seem to hit a "no eyeballs" lull and sell for a song (again, hence, I never use auctions as a seller; only fixed price on eBay). Sounds like you got a deal on the 1950s Style 2.
 
Hi, Eddie, Pete and Brian.

I have bought many high-end ukes on eBay and haven't been skunked yet. The couple times I had an issue, the Buyer (me) is out the return shipping cost, and the Seller must take the uke back, Eddie. Paypal guarantee. The ads that say "all sales final.", holds no water. I have returned two ukes that way that were completely misrepresented on the listing (yet, the Buyer still pays the rerturn shipping unless the Seller wants to Paypal it to the Buyer--Sellers' choice). . It's super swung toward the Buyer these days on eBay, from my experience.

I have to say, old Martins hold up well. For all the talk of twisted necks, etc., I've never experienced one on a vintage Martin yet.

Pete, the buyer got a great deal, indeed. I tried hard to tell the eBay seller, but they paid so little under an estate sale, and they are an antique shop or something, they just wanted to get out from under it. That said, we all know how the uke market is sagging--vintage ukes in particular--and it would be a challenge to get five grand for it in the current market clime (as Shawn Y. has likely found out with his Wurlitzer 3K, listed on his site for a couple of years).

Anyhow, it's certainly worth more than many $1900 ukes--Kanileas, Collings, etc.--in my mind. I still love vintage for the retained value. :) You get any new ukes lately, Pete?

Hey Steve, if you know any more of these opportunities, I'll go 50% with you. I don't believe in uke investments but for rarity, I'll put some money into it. You can keep it and play to your heart's content since I don't play soprano. :p
 
Hey Steve, if you know any more of these opportunities, I'll go 50% with you. I don't believe in uke investments but for rarity, I'll put some money into it. You can keep it and play to your heart's content since I don't play soprano. :p

You are a kind person, Daniel. Did I ever tell you that? Now I did. (Even if you do keep parceling out, one request at a time, the pdf for that Can't Keep My Eyes song so that the thread has 11 thousand views...lol)
 
You are a kind person, Daniel. Did I ever tell you that? Now I did. (Even if you do keep parceling out, one request at a time, the pdf for that Can't Keep My Eyes song so that the thread has 11 thousand views...lol)

hahaha...someone with computer skills teach me how to post PDF!! I've tried jpg and doesn't come out clean!! hahaha
 
Okay, which one of you nabbed that sweet Koa Martin ukulele, style 2, Wurlitzer-branded soprano off eBay yesterday? I bid but forgot about it until too late.

I think only 187 or so were made, according to Walsh/King. And that one was in fantastic shape.

Of course, Shawn Y. has one on ukulelefriend.com, a style 3, for over 7 g's. Perhaps he nabbed the Wurlitzer 2. :D

I, actually, ebay messaged the gentleman seller, named Wayne, even though I do not know him. I informed him of the rarity of his uke, that it is Koa, and that it would fetch much more with a commissioned sale at Elderly or McCabe's. It might even be worth $5k or so. He said, kindly, that he bought it at an estate sale and was willing to see it go on eBay for whatever the auction brought! WOW!

View attachment 74143View attachment 74144View attachment 74145
I own it. 😁
 
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