How much would you pay ????

Cokecan72

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Just a thought, that then i thought, i would ask my fellow ukers to see what they thought..

I was just wondering what is a good price to buy a TV pal ukulele for.. ??

I only ask because as i was looking up this uke and see some going on a Classic Music Instrument site for around £200, which seems like quite a lot of money for a plastic ukulele and one another site there was one that was cracked on the back still playable but apperently you had to handle it gently and they wanted $200 for that !!!!
Thought i would look on ebay but yesterday there wasn't any one there at all, not local or world wide.. Which made me think are they a quite rare thing and does the high price tag (for a plastic uke) the usually sort of price they sell for..

Cheers Guys
Keep on strummin ♫
 
If I recall correctly, TV pals are vintage ukes from USA, back in a golden age of ukes.
I hear they are exceptional quality and have historical value.
 
I find it strange that it is listed as a vintage instrument, How old does an instrument have to be before its a vintage, i always thought around the 1930's era, depending i suppose on the instrument..

Even if there are a vintage instrument are they really worth £200 pound, do they play that great, sound that good, that it warrents to holds that sort of price tag ??

Just wondering !!
 
I think it has a neat historical value, but I wouldn't pay $200 for a plastic uke.
 
Aloha Cokecan,
Long time no hear....missed you and your wife friend(flute)video's man....I started out with one of those my first time around...think it was about under 5.00 then....I wouldn't now pay
more that $50.00 for one in good condition....Maybe that why I don't have one yet..ha ha.....The big issue with them is the high action with them, I would ask the seller first before buying..
E-bay is a good place to look....check out the ones with the EZ chord box too....Hope it helps, Happy Strummings...and "Keep strumming them strings" MM Stan Good luck in your find!!!
 
Anything that is older than say 10 years and beat up is now often listed on CL and eBay as Vintage. You gotta love marketing. But, the PayPals are real vintage instruments. I don't think I would pay more than $50 for one, but I am not a collector.
 
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I find it strange that it is listed as a vintage instrument, How old does an instrument have to be before its a vintage, i always thought around the 1930's era, depending i suppose on the instrument..

Even if there are a vintage instrument are they really worth £200 pound, do they play that great, sound that good, that it warrents to holds that sort of price tag ??

Just wondering !!

Many people use the word vintage when referring to objects such as musical instruments but they do not connect it with a specific time frame. Describing a musical instrument as vintage does not adequately describe an item. The best usage of the word vintage occurs when a specific time frame is included, e.g. "It is a 1920s vintage instrument". I don't believe that an item has to be any particular age to be vintage. Most items are considered to be antiques when they reach an age of 50 years.

I brought this up as a discussion issue on EBay a long time ago because of the too often used word "vintage". They didn't like my criticism believe me, I thought I'd stepped on a hornet's nest...!!!

I wouldn't pay 200 whatever for a TV Pal.
 
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I have a policy of not paying over $50 for a plastic ukulele UNLESS:

-It's a rare one, like specially colored backs on some of the Islanders
-It's like-new (I paid $75 for an unused TV Pal that was purple with gold sprinkles. Oooo pretty!)
-It's a baritone. They go for more usually
- It's a "deluxe" model. The TV Pal and Islander "deluxe" sopranos have an extended fingerboard - 17 frets, I believe

The most I spent on a plastic uke was $100 for a limited edition Islander with a red swirl back that was in great condition.

I would pay 100 for ukes like this:
3593133788_d7a7a1aee2_b.jpg


I think I only paid about 35 for the deluxe and 75 for the purple one.
 
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@ MMStan Good to hear from you buddy, i've been a posting mainly on the competition thread laterly, but as always i'm still strummin... Gonna be working on a new Flukey cover soon :), Thanks for the advise

@ Ukisociety Thanks for the advise, i was hoping that you would share your wisdom on the plastic ukulele..
The one i was looking at is like the one on the right of your picture and it comes with a Islander Chord Changer as well for about $80, no cracks, apperiantly plays well..

So not a bad deal then ??
 
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hi Dan,

I went through a period a couple of years ago where I bought lots of plastic ukes. I bought a TV Pal for $65 back then. Excellent condition but high action and sounded like a dog. I just think that the uke has continued to boom since that time and people are continuing to mark prices up because they're confident someone will pay up. Big, wide market, lots of collectors, price rises.

Here in OZ cars are clkassified as 'vintage' if they are 25 + years old. To me, vintage is similar to copyright laws on songs..50 years. The TV pals were 50's era ukes so vintage is a fair enough classification for me.
 
I would definitely consider an instrument from the '50s "Vintage". I mean, a '50s Strat or Les Paul would certainly be considered vintage!
That said, 200 quid is pretty darned high for a TV Pal!
 
I have three plastics, the best is an Aloha, it has good intonation and nice action with Worth Brown lights on it, they are lightweight and neat to play and have a fun sound, but no sustain. $50 US is probably average sale price here and there are usually one or two on eBay at a time. I have a Carnival which is too light to play, the neck will bow, and an all purple swirl Mauna Loa the same, but playable if tuned down a step, it sounds pretty cool but the action is high. They are fun.

I was in the antiques and collectibles business for about 25 years, vintage is 50 years or alder, antique is 100 years or older. Using vintage as an substitute for "circa" is not the same as indicating an era. I just came across a lot of Chinese listings that are for new crap and they all have "Vintage" in the title, but that doesn't make it so.
 
Thank you all for your sound advice i appreciate it very much, and it was on that advice that yesterday i ordered me a tv pal, which much to my surprise turned up today..
Wasn't to sure how an old 1950's plastic uke would play, but i have to say it plays great, much better than i had imagined it would..
This cost me £50 in english money, its in great condition no cracks, all shiney, and it come with a Islander Chord changer still in its box..
So a quick i done a quick tired sunday morning vid to post of it :)



Thanks guys
Keep on strummin ♫
 
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