The one that got away

BluesPreacher

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I'm curious about stories of "the one that got away": Ukes or other instruments that you sold, lost or had stolen that you would love like anything to have back.

I had a baritone uke once, a vintage Harmony, that I fantasize about getting back someday. I spotted it in a violin store, in a woman's house. It was scarred and charred, burn marks and discolored finish. The woman said she found it in a sale; it had been through a fire. But it was solid, intact, and sounded great when I tuned and played it. I bought it for, I think $15. For some reason, I let go of it when I went through a divorce. Sold it for maybe $20-$25. I'm kicking myself for letting it go. A uke like that has mojo!

Your stories?
 
I sold my Kiwaya KMS-K and regretted it as I was getting it ready for packing, and while playing a final song on it. About a year later, it showed up on ebay. I compared photos and confirmed that it was the same instrument. I am very happy to have it back and I play it often. I have not put another instrument up for sale since.
 
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Traded my Mele solid mahogany soprano without trying a few more pairs of strings. I got it for a steal.
 
My aunt offered one of my late uncles two bari ukes. One was a Hofner, the other a Harmony. I chose the Hofner.

I now realize, I really really really shoulda taken the Harmony.
 
I sold my KoAloha concert. I wish I hadn't.
 
I had a really nice tenor Gibson, from the late 40s. I needed money, and aside from my house and car, it was the most valuable thing I owned. I wasn't playing it and I thought someone else would give it the attention it deserved. Id love to have it back someday...
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My older all solid red koa Pono tenor, a PKT-1. Also my all solid koa Mele tenor. I actually had a chance to buy the Mele back for half of what I sold it for, I came across it while trolling Craigslist. It was only a little over an hour away and I let my SO talk me out of it. I loved it. it was colored like all three layers of freshly pulled espresso.

I would still buy than Mele back. Probably not the Pono since I have a custom all solid red koa Kanile'a now. No time to play any of them.
 
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I've churned through at least 20, maybe 30 ukes, over several years. A Mainland Tenor B-stock from Mike was the only one that I regret getting rid of. I'd buy that one back again.
 
Living in a remote market when it comes to ukes, to me, it's not so much the ones that I sold but the ones I regret not having bought. I check The Ukulele Site daily, so I always know when they have a really unique piece or a good price. There are a couple of really nice Kanilea which I didn't buy in order to avoid redundancy. But the one I really regret not buying is a Pepe Romero all Mahogany Tenor priced down for a very minor cosmetic flaw.
 
Again, a ukulele that I'm sad I never bought.

A Pono RTSH Pro Series Tenor Cedar/Rosewood, solid cedar top solid rosewood back, and sides, wasn't the winning bid.

Ended up getting a KoAloha KTM-00 a few weeks later, so it all turned out OK really.

Still like that Pono though.
 
About a month ago I was surfing eBay looking at tenor ukes as I do very often and saw an Ovation Applause tenor sunburst uke that looked just like the first new guitar I bought in 1975. The uke was on auction with a starting bid of $275 and buy it now for $375, $25 shipping, with 4 days to go. I thought about buying it outright, but instead put in a maximum bid of $299 figuring if anyone out bid me, so it goes. There were no other, bids, so in the last half hour I figured I got it, and boy was I happy, but of course in the last few seconds someone bid $357 and got it. I immediately regretted not paying the $400, I would have loved to of had it.

About a week later I was on my daily routine of surfing the UU Today's Posts and saw a Market Place post that's been around for a few weeks selling a Godin Multiuke. I gave it a look, it was a sunburst just like the Ovation and a lowered price of $400 shipped. I did some research on the Multiuke (high praise), thought about it only for a moment and decided I was not going to let this one go like I did the Ovation and bought it. I'm very happy I did, it's a great instrument, which quelled my regret for missing the Ovation (but if I bought the Ovation, I wouldn't have looked at the Godin).

This is like the Ovation I saw (couldn't find a better photo):
Ovation Applause 148 burst.jpg


This is the Godin I bought:
Godin Multiuke sumbust mine 843.jpg
 
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The best high g tuned uke I've ever owned was this Mya-Moe Koa and Sitka cut away. I wish I still owned it. I sold it to a very good friend who had admired it for ages. It made me happy to see it go to someone who really appreciated fine instruments.

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Nope, no regrets. I'm not 2nd guessing myself. I stand behind every decision I made to let an instrument go, minus the ones that were stolen.
 
My story is somewhat reversed. A while back, over a year ago maybe two, I read here on a very new post that there was used Moore Bettah for sale at Ukulele Friend for $5K. I looked at the site and called. I made the purchase right then. I usually would think about such a thing. I am not a great player and this was a stretch in many directions. Something just happened and I committed. I heard later that I was only minutes ahead of another buyer. I have never regretted the purchase. Far, far from it. So far from any regret that words are inadequate. Making that spontaneous purchase was way out of character for me but I did not hesitate. Go figure. ON THE OTHER HAND: in my guitar playing days I had GAS pretty bad...and I regret every guitar I sold.
 
I was lucky enough to get one of Pete Howlett's tenors for a very reasonable price from one of my buddies at the local uke jam. Then I started noticing significant problems making stretches on the tenor fretboard and sold it along with my other tenors (for fair prices, to be sure), thinking I could never do it justice, not that my playing is that great on a uke I can fret properly. Now the stretching issue doesn't seem as pronounced. I might be able to play it again, and I'm pretty sure I'll never find another tenor as beautiful and as lovely to hold as that Howlett. At least one I can afford from such a great luthier. C'est la vie.
 
When I first started out, I had problems with the stretch of a tenor fretboard, also, so tried soprano next, which was too cramped, & ended up learning on the concert scale.

I still have all my purchases, & I think I will find it hard to part with any of them. Maybe I have too many, but no, I haven't sold off any & regretted it. :)
 
I always fear that I'll terribly miss the ukes I'm selling (I think I've sold or traded about 5 now) but as it sits, I haven't given them much thought at all about them. I did miss out on someone selling both a Cordoba Tenor and Lanikai 6 String tenor for a wildly low price, and sometimes I think of it as the 6 string really caught my eye, but what can you do? I think I'll live with the many, many other ukes I own.

I have had thoughts of selling my Breedlove Masterclass, so if I ever make the decision to do that I might have to edit this thread reply...but so far, no ragrats (as the tattoo says)
 
When I graduated from college my Martin D35-12 and Martin 0-16NY was stolen from my car parked at my girlfriend's house. This was 1969 and I never got over loosing those Martins or that girlfriend.
 
When I graduated from college my Martin D35-12 and Martin 0-16NY was stolen from my car parked at my girlfriend's house. This was 1969 and I never got over loosing those Martins or that girlfriend.

Those were two great guitars to be stolen. You must have been devastated. I had the same guitars (no it wasn't me who stole yours) but sold them to finance my travels around the world.
 
@MickeyD please check w me if you seriously think of ever letting the Breedlove go. I love my C20-SMYe. It's a little big feeling but still pretty comfortable, sounds like angels singing.
 
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