"Must have's" for a ukulele collector.

Hi Mike:

I'd have a Martin 5K vintage uke at the head of the list.

1. Martin 5k Vintage
2. Vita Uke Vintage
3. Lyon & Healy Bell
4. the original Kamaka Pineapple
5. Pineapple Sunday (have)
6. Santos "peanut-shaped" uke
7. Dias "peanut-shaped" uke
8. Glyph
9. Favilla baritone
10. Mainland Baritone (have)
11. Ohana CK-300G (have)
12. Chuck Moore, Moore-Bettah concert... any one would do.
13. Mike DaSilva Santos Reproduction
14. Compass-Rose tenor
15. Pohaku Concert
16. Gibson tenor
17. 1879 Anue-Nue solid koa uke (arrived today)
18. Kala solid Hawaiian Koa limited edition
19. Pete Howlett local-woods concert
20. Nunes "peanut-shaped" uke
 
Well, I am already in trouble given those perimeters. I would want a Lyon and Healy Camp Uke and a L & H Shrine Uke (but with the green binding). I would like an original Harmony Roy Smeck Vita uke with the seal shaped sound holes. I don't own any vintage ukuleles.
–Lori
 

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  1. Beltona Resonator Concert
  2. Favilla Soprano
  3. Flea Concert - got the bark cloth, but want the tie-dye!
  4. Gibson Style 3
  5. Gretsch Soprano
  6. Harmony Roy Smeck Vita Uke (check!)
  7. Honu Deluxe Tenor
  8. Kala UBass
  9. Kamaka Pineapple
  10. Kanilea Tenor
  11. Kepasa Ukulele
  12. Kiwaya Concert
  13. KoAloha Concert
  14. Mainland Mahogany Concert - got it & play it everyday!
  15. Martin Concert
  16. Mya Moe Concert
  17. National Resonator Uke
  18. Pohaku Uke
  19. Regal Wendell Hall "Red Head" Uke
  20. Sandstrom Banjo Uke - got it! Cute as a bug!
  21. Talsma Uke - Black Vita Uke style
 
Mike,

Great question...There's a bunch on Mickey's list that I would want but...

1. Favilla Mahogany Baritone (Own)
2. Martin Type 51 Baritone
3. Yasuma Type 51 Baritone (own)
4. C. F. Mountain Type 51 Baritone (own)
5. Red Cedar Mainland Baritone (June 2011, hopefully!)
6. Pono Koa Baritone Type 2
7. Talsma
8. Vega Arthur Godfrey Solo-Lute (own)
9. Compass Rose Tenor (own)
10. Favilla Sprucetop Baritone
11. Harmony 1950's Baritone (own)
12. Kamaka Baritone
13. Kanile'a Type 2 Baritone
14. Doug Heilman Black Bear Baritone
15. Michael McCarten Archtop Baritone Ukulele
16. Gretsch Baritone
17. Pono Spruce/Ebony Baritone (own)
18. Pono Red Cedar/Rosewood Slothead Baritone
19. Radiotone Archtop Tenor
20. Harmony Johnny Marvin "Prince of Wales" Airplane Bridge Tenor
21. DeVine Baritone
 
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this is "Kinda" easy.

If I were only limited to 20. 1st, all my current would go away to start fresh.

#1) Vintage Martin 5K
#2) Left open for whatever my "Have to" is at the time.
#3) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#4) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#5) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#6) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#7) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#8) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#9) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#10) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#11) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#12) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#13) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#14) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#15) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#16) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#17) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#18) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#19) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.
#20) Don't matter, just a decent uke to pass out to a deserving kid in my area.

That about sums it up..
 
Trades?

Can I trade ukes for talent?:eek:ld:

I'm feeling 'ukulele rich' at the moment. I need to learn how to play, honestly.
About the only thing I'm thinking of is a soprano body/concert neck uke. Maybe Mainland will come out with one eventually.
 
Tough. 20 ukes? I have a hard enough time thinking about five or six.

In general terms:
1 solid body electric, steel-string tenor
1 solid-body electric, steel-string baritone
1 carry-around-the-house and leave-it-anywhere tenor uke. Like a Fluke.
1 Nice-sounding solid-wood baritone, with pickup
1 Nice sounding solid-wood tenor, with pickup
1 all-acoustic lovely sound, solid-wood but not too expensive tenor so I can play it on the front porch with a glass of wine or beer.
1 all-acoustic lovely sound, solid-wood but not too expensive baritone so I can play it on the front porch with a glass of wine or beer.
1 banjo uke (scale undecided but either baritone or tenor)
1 tenor resonator uke

I'm not a collector of vintage items except more by chance, so owing a fabled Martin of Gibson of Healy & Lyon would be okay, but only if it was a bargain and it was fully playable. Like old motorcycles, they're lovely to look at, but I prefer something more practical. (I hope that, unlike old bikes, bits don't keep falling off them...).

Throw in a nice battery-powered micro amp, too and maybe a short-scale bass or even an electric upright bass.

Most of this stuff I already have, so I'm feeling pretty happy with my herd. I'd trade my Risa tenor for their LP model, though.
 
I'm not a collector of vintage items except more by chance, so owing a fabled Martin of Gibson of Healy & Lyon would be okay, but only if it was a bargain and it was fully playable. Like old motorcycles, they're lovely to look at, but I prefer something more practical. (I hope that, unlike old bikes, bits don't keep falling off them...).

I've pretty much got a rule: I buy vintage whenever possible, *except* for instruments and vehicles! Getting my first new Kamaka was like driving my first new car (after 20+ years of driving vintage American beasts) - absolutely no going back.

That being said, my list might look something like this:

1) Kamaka Ohta-san concert
2) Kamaka longneck concert
3) Kamaka tenor 4-string
4) Kamaka tenor 6-string
5) Kamaka standard pineapple
6-20) a bunch of Makala Dolphins to hand out to people randomly when they look like they need a reason to smile :)
 
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I am simple.

1. Simple martin from the 20's
2. David Gill Concert Pineapple
3. Goldtone concert banjolele
4. Polk-a-lele
5. Ohana Sopranino
6. The washburn Bell uke that I saw when I toured U.S. Music Corp ( http://ukeeku.com/2009/06/21/my-visit-to-oscar-schmidt/)
7. Concert Paulele
8. Kala Soprano travel
9. Sukies flamingo Morre Bettah
10. Koa Concert solid body Eleuke
11. The Alumimium Risa soprano stick (yes it is real, only one made)
12. Koaloha Tenor Scepter
13. 1925 Lyon & Healy Monkeypod Camp Uke
14. pineapple shape Ukulele Built by Tiki King
15. Concert Surfer Fluke with rosewood fretboard
16. Lanikai 8-string Tenor
17. Can-o-lele from Aaron Keim
18. Black Bear Cigar box
19. Mendels uke from brad :)
20. 1920's HARMONY AERO UKULELE (It looks like a plane, how cool is that?)
 
I've pretty much got a rule: I buy vintage whenever possible, *except* for instruments and vehicles! Getting my first Kamaka was like driving my first new car (after 20+ years of driving vintage American beasts) - absolutely no going back.

That being said, my list might look something like this:

1) Kamaka Ohta-san concert
2) Kamaka longneck concert
3) Kamaka tenor 4-string
4) Kamaka tenor 6-string
5) Kamaka standard pineapple
6-20) a bunch of Makala Dolphins to hand out to people randomly when they look like they need a reason to smile :)

Jane, my friend, you're so unruly! Mike stipulated that you can only have one of each brand on your list. I'm not surprised, somehow, that five Kamakas head your list. I am surprised that the Ohta-san tops it, though. I thought you said...Oh, never mind. It's on my list, too:

1. Martin 3K or 5K
2. Lyon & Healy Shrine Koa
3. Kamaka Ohta-san
4. Manuel Nunes taropatch
5. Earnest Stradelele spruce top
6. Moore Bettah Style 1 soprano
7. DaSilva Santo repro
8. Pete Howlett Le Noir
9. Tim Laughlin 5k repro
10. Glyph mezzo soprano
11. Talsma Red Rocket
12. Gibson U-3 soprano
13. Kiwaya Master series koa concert
14. The koa soprano I'm building now, if I don't screw up
16. Beansprout banjolele - practicing my splitstroke in the hopes of one day...
17. The Gretsch tiple that Chuck Fayne has listed on E-bay
18. Hollywood concert uke
19. Kumalae Style 5
20. Harmony Prince of Wales
 
Jane, my friend, you're so unruly! Mike stipulated that you can only have one of each brand on your list. ... I am surprised that the Ohta-san tops it, though. I thought you said...Oh, never mind. It's on my list, too:

Oh, I read that as one *model* of each brand :)

The Ohta-san is beautiful, and while I would never spend the money on it in real life, in dream life - sure, I'll take one, why not?

Good call on the DaSilva Santo repro. In my fantasy life that would be real nice to have!
 
1. Martin 3M or 3K
2. A well-made tiple
3. Gibson UB2
4. Johnny Marvin Professional Tenor with Aero-Bridge
5-20 unnecessary :)
 
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Only one of each brand??? What kind of b*&&#@! is that????? I NEED a 5K and 3K Martin, and a 3M and a Style 0!!!! And then there's the 2K and 1K to round out my Martin collection.
But, ok, sticking to the rules.... *grumble grumble*
1) Martin 5K
2) Gibson Style 3
3) Lyon & Healy Shrine
4) Talsma custom soprano I've been kicking around in my head for a few months
5) Da Silva Martin Style 3 replica
6) William King soprano of some sort
7) Kamaka Pineapple
8) Joel Eckhaus "Stradelele"
9) Harmony Vitauke
10) Kepasa "Josephine" soprano, black with white binding and the little white body doo-hicky like a Martin Style 3
11) Some kind of vintage banjo uke
12) Mainland banjo uke (when the sopranos get here)
13) Firefly banjo uke
14) Mya-Moe resonator
15) Beansprout Banjo-uke
16) An early Hawaiian soprano like a Nunes
17) Moore Bettah Soprano
18) Hmmm.... I'll have to think about the last 2, unless I can sneak a couple more Martins in....
 
Here it is, in order of must have, one per brand: + means I own it:

1. Kamaka Pineapple +
2. Martin O +
4. Ohana SK35 +
5. Kiwaya KTS 4 +
6. Mainland Banjo Uke +
7. Collings Concert
8. Vintage Vita
9. Flea +
10. Harmony Barry +
11. Stromberg V. Soprano Banjo Uke
12. Makala Dolphin (pink :) +
13. Lyon & Heally Soprano
12. Regal Novelty
13. A custom Moore concert with friction tuners
14. Gretsch Soprano +
15. Nunes Soprano from the teens
16. Koaloha concert w/ friction tuners
17. Mya-Moe resonator
18. William King Soprano
19. Lo Prinzi Mahogany Soprano
20. Maccaferri Islander

Having said that, I'm a brand hog like Jane:) If I could have ukes in multiple brands, I'd be a happy man with 9, as follows:

1. Kamaka Concert
2..Kamaka Pineapple
3. Martin Vintage Tenor
4. Martin O
5. Ohana SK 35
6. Martin Vintage Barry
7. Mainland Banjo Uke
8. Vintage Banjo Uke
9. Makala Dolphin

and I'd trade out the Martin Tenor if Kamaka would make one for me with friction tuners...
 
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