Gretsch

Are these old vintage any good?
What about the old 1920's made of laminate?

I cannot speak for Gretsch ukuleles because I have never owned one, but I prefer older or antique ukes. I guess this may be because my first good ukulele was an old Favilla, and I fell in love with it.

I think with Gretsch it depends on what model you get. With some manufacturers the year and model make a huge difference. I know that some Gretsch ukes appear to be very finely made and command pretty good prices on ebay. Others do not appear to be as good.

I know that the Gretsch camp ukuleles do not have a good reputation for sound or quality. I think they were made stronger and thicker to withstand being dragged around in the outdoors. They look "clunky". I assume that they probably sound clunky as well.

I would look at the workmanship on the instrument. If it is nice looking wood, perhaps mahogany, if it has detailing like roping or binding, and if it looks like it is in good shape, I might consider bidding. I think there are some good Gretsch ukes out there, just look very closely at the photos and evaluate whether this is a slapped together mass production uke, or is this a finely crafted musical instrument?

Good luck! I think old wood sounds better. Others might disagree, but I find that these little ladies improve with time. On older instruments pay special attention to cracks and other damage. Make sure the neck is not separating. Make sure the bridge is not pulling off or badly reglued. Make sure the grooves for the strings in the nut and the bridge are not badly damaged. Check to be sure the 12th fret is not missing. Look at the tuners and make sure they are all there and appear to be in working order.

I hope I am not insulting your intelligence with these suggestions, but buying a used or antique instruments involves some pitfalls that you do not face with buying a new one - but if you get a good one I think it is worth it.

Not at all, you included exactely what i needed to know
Thanks much!

I have a couple of friends who have some vintage ukes, one of which is a Gretsch mahogany soprano with a traditional shaped body. It's strung with Aquillas, and I think it sounds just great! Vintage ukes may have their quirks, but they do have a unique sound that you can't get in any other uke.

I work in a part of Atlanta that is FULL of antique stores. I was in one the other day I'd been in and they had four old ukes. One was an old Gretsch for $135 with it's original canvas bag. It looked like a pretty nice instrument. They also had a Kamaka Pineapple for $150. It had may scratches, a bad split on the top and was missing half the fretboard. Also there was a slightly cracked Roy Smeck for $28. I checked at the office when I got back, and these all seemed at or slightly above ebay prices.

Hey, Lovehandles. If you see an interesting antique uke, shoot me a PM. I am always interested.