Is this uke worth it?

shwee

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I saw the following ad on craigslist for a solid koa concert ukulele for $150 dollars. Since I'm kind of a newbie when it comes to the value of ukuleles, I was hoping some of you more seasoned players would be able to tell me if it's worth it. I'll post the text here:

I have 2 ukuleles and play one more than the other. Hopefully, the ukulele up for sale can find a good home and bring joy to whoever obtains it.

Up for sale is a Solid Koa Concert Ukulele.
*Handcrafted in Taiwan (i was told it took 30 days to finish it)
*Beautiful inlays (oriental hummingbirds and flowers on the back)

*Neck : solid air-dried straight maple wood
*Fingerboard : solid air-dried polished rosewood
*Front body board : high-quality solid Koa shiny polish
*Sideboard : solid air-dried koa shiny polish
*Backboard: solid air-dried koa shiny polish
*Bridge: solid air-dried rosewood
*Nut & Saddle: buffalo bones
*Tuners : high-quality geared metal with gold-plated surface

***Strings : Upgraded Italian Aquila strings***

This is practically a brand new ukulele. I have played it about 5 times and has a very sweet sound. It has a unique look to it with the inlays on the front and back. I would like to get $150 out of it because I payed a significant amount more than that, but, the best offer will do. . .it's worth a try so send me an email.

It comes with a VERY nice case.

Please email me with any interest in this ukulele (Let me know if you want to hear a sound clip of this uke)

Take Care All.

There were also two pictures posted with the posting as well: http://images.craigslist.org/3m83p33l05T95Sa5R2a1i689d9da728181419.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/3nd3oe3l95Oc5Tb5R2a1ib95c78fae6cc1ffa.jpg

Thanks for any help you guys can give! ^__^

ETA: I did a bit of research, and I found an ebay store that sells what I believe to be the uke in the ad: http://cgi.ebay.ca/Solid-Koa-Concert-Ukulele-Wood-Inlaid-Humming-bird-U923_W0QQitemZ380194098005QQcategoryZ16224QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DSI%26its%3DI%252BC%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D10%26ps%3D63#ht_5492wt_939
 
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Welcome to UU!

Every so often someone finds a "solid koa" uke covered with intricate inlays for an absolute steal, and it's almost always too good to be true. There are a number of sellers in Asia posting instruments like this on eBay, the most notorious one being Antonio Tsai. Check out this site to see what people are saying about his ukes, guitars, mandolins, etc: http://www.chionline.com/Antoniotsai/index.html

I'm sure that there are a few that genuinely sound good and/or don't crack all over the place, though, so this one might not be so bad, for all we know. Buying one of these off eBay usually means paying a very high shipping cost, and having to ship it back to Asia at your expense if/when it breaks. But if you can play it in person and check it out, who knows? You might like it, and it might not fall apart in your hands. But be cautious. Hope this helps!
 
Thanks everyone so much for your help. The guy just emailed me and told me the uke was recently sold, so I'll keep looking somewhere else. :)
 
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Looks like those heavily ornamented ukes on ebay. I hear they are pretty but kind of sterile sounding.
 
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