Ukulele Production

Jerryc41

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I know people who look for a certain brand and model, but it's not available anywhere. It would be interesting to know how ukulele companies schedule production. It seems that they work on one particular model, make a certain number for their dealers, and then move on to a different model.

The big Chinese factories are different from the smaller high quality companies, so it's always possible to buy one of their products. It must be difficult for the smaller companies to keep up with supplies of all their different models. "Out of Stock" sends buyers to other models and brands.
 
I wonder how many different brands come from the same factory? I'm at the music store looking at them and often times if it weren't for the logo on the headstock I would not be able to tell one from another.
 
I remember a story about tennis rackets from a while ago. All the brands were so competitive. But when It came down to it, there was only like one brand that came out of a different factory.

I think that excessive demand is a better problem than excessive inventory for the small companies. :)

It probably also follows that they would work on the most lucrative ukuleles first.

I asked a well known "hand made" uke luthier how many ukes they can produce a month. And I was told "Four of the high-end custom ukuleles or twenty of the standard type."

So, they have to weigh their options. Is it better to make 20 at $500 each or 4 at $3500 each?

Which also means, it might be tough to get a standard...and it also might be tough to get one of the four high-end ukes.
 
According to some reviewers, there are several ukuleles in the $50 - $150 end of the market that all share a common Chinese manufacturer. They just stencil or transfer on the brand name under which it is to be sold. Further up the price ladder, they are made to the brand's specs. After that, the brands make their own instruments. But, they might buy pre-made necks or fingerboards or bridges.
 
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