Thinking about Thinning Down my Ukulele Collection

experimentjon

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So, you know how you think about all kinds of random stuff in the shower? Yeah. Well I was just doing that. And I realized that I need to eventually buy my own place to live. And the sooner the better. But I don't want to just rent a place, b/c it'd be smarter to live at home than to pay $1000 a month to my parents than some stranger. I would have to save up money and actually buy a place and build up equity. In some parts of the mainland, that's not too hard. In Hawaii, to find a decent condo, it's going to cost me about $500,000. A 30% downpayment on that is $150,000. Hot damn. (Oh but don't worry. I did the math. On my expected salary, I can afford the mortgage payments and maintenance fee by eating cup noodle seasoned with ketchup packets...and not spending money on any toys. Not having car payments also helps.)

I have one year until I graduate, and there is no way I'm going to find $150k in one year. But I need to start taking steps in the right direction. One of the biggest assets I have is my ukulele/guitar collection. And I should probably sell off the non-essentials. I may only get a few thousand out of it, but that's a few thousand more than I otherwise would have. I don't think home sellers take ukes as payment.

I figure that if I sell them and feel the pain, I can start getting very serious about saving. I've been horrible with my money recently. But if I save 80% of the money that I make between now and graduation and invest it, I'll be on track to move out from home...two years after I graduate. T_T So that shows how badly I need to get started on this whole saving for a down payment thing.

Here's where you come in. I am willing to keep five ukuleles. Of the following, which five would you recommend I keep?

Applause Tenor (UAE-148)
Flea Soprano Pineapple
Fluke Tenor+pickup
Kamaka Concert (HF-2)
Kamaka Soprano (HF-1)
Kamaka Tenor (HF-3)
Kamaka 8 String Tenor
Kanilea Tenor (K1-T)+pickup
KoAloha SuperConcert (KCM-02)
KoAloha Pineapple Sunday+pickup
KoAloha Tenor+pickup
KoAloha Sceptre+pickup
KoaPiliKoko Tenor
Leolani Tenor
Tangi Soprano

I've already listed my G String tenor for sale. And I've taken out the three that I would keep aside for my dad as well as one that I have on hold for a friend.

In my head, I already know four out of five that I would keep for sure. I just don't want to bias anyone. :)

Down payment savings, step one, here we go.
 
And in case anyone wants to take a crack at keepers in the guitar collection, here we go. I'm looking to keep 3 acoustics (the choice is to either get rid of the Backpacker or the Little Martin) one bass, and 2 electrics.

Martin Backpacker
Martin Little Martin LXM
Rainsong OM-1000
Taylor 812C

Fender Jazz Bass (MIM)
Fender Precision Bass Deluxe Special (MIM)

Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster HSS Floyd Rose
Fender Telecaster Thin Skin
Gibson Flying V Faded
Gibson Explorer Faded
Gibson Les Paul Traditional Plus

Again, I already have a pretty good idea of what I'd keep as far as the acoustics, and bass, but am pretty split on the electrics. Your input always matters, and will be listened to.
 
Good going bud but I still think your holding on to too many. I'd keep the kanile'a, koaloha ps and kamaka concert. Bass it'd be the fender precision though i'd rather sell it and get something like an ibanez sr700. Gib lp and fender strat easy keepers. Acoustic just 1 one which ever sounds the sweetest not a travel guitar though
 
I'd rec these...
Fluke Tenor+pickup
Kamaka Soprano (HF-1)
Kamaka 8 String Tenor
Kanilea Tenor (K1-T)+pickup
KoAloha SuperConcert (KCM-02)

... but personally, I'd also sell off the 8 string and the soprano.

As for the guitars and basses: I'd keep the Les Paul, Strat, P-Bass, Taylor and Rainsong.
 
Geez...they're two unbelievable collections.

I'd keep the Kamaka soprano, concert and tenor, plus the KoAloha tenor and the pineapple sunday...that way you have at least one of each scale and a couple to plug in.

As far as the guitar collection goes...I'd keep the best acoustic, the best electric, and the best bass. Do you need more than one of each? I am a little biased though because, as an ex guitar player I hardly pick mine up any more. It's funny cause I only ever had one guitar and was well satisfied with it. But once I got hooked on uke I couldn't get enough.

Either way Jon, you're looking at some very serious money in passing on the bulk of these collections. I wish you all the best with it mate. I'd take several of those ukes off you in a second, but I'm trying extremely hard to resist.
 
For me I would want to keep at least one of each K brand and try and make them different
1. Kanilea Tenor
2. Kamaka 8 string
3. Koaloha PS or Sceptre

All these are prob Tenors so I would pick a Concert and a Soprano

4. Kamaka Concert
5. Tangi Soprano.

This is of course based off of name brand and haveing no idea how each sounds or plays. Good luck with what ever you chose, I may be helping you out in the future.
 
Hot damn that's alot of ukes and guitars!!!
I don't know alot about guitars, but i do know the Taylor 812 (8 Series) cost a bomb.

Kamaka Tenor (HF-3)
Kanilea Tenor (K1-T)+pickup
KoAloha Pineapple Sunday+pickup
KoAloha Tenor+pickup
KoAloha Sceptre+pickup

I'm pretty biased towards the Concert-Tenor scale so...yeah.

(I wanted to say all the 'K' brand ukes but you know..That never works :p)
 
So, you know how you think about all kinds of random stuff in the shower? Yeah. Well I was just doing that. And I realized that I need to eventually buy my own place to live. And the sooner the better. But I don't want to just rent a place, b/c it'd be smarter to live at home than to pay $1000 a month to my parents than some stranger. I would have to save up money and actually buy a place and build up equity. In some parts of the mainland, that's not too hard. In Hawaii, to find a decent condo, it's going to cost me about $500,000. A 30% downpayment on that is $150,000. Hot damn. (Oh but don't worry. I did the math. On my expected salary, I can afford the mortgage payments and maintenance fee by eating cup noodle seasoned with ketchup packets...and not spending money on any toys. Not having car payments also helps.)

I have one year until I graduate, and there is no way I'm going to find $150k in one year. But I need to start taking steps in the right direction. One of the biggest assets I have is my ukulele/guitar collection. And I should probably sell off the non-essentials. I may only get a few thousand out of it, but that's a few thousand more than I otherwise would have. I don't think home sellers take ukes as payment.

I figure that if I sell them and feel the pain, I can start getting very serious about saving. I've been horrible with my money recently. But if I save 80% of the money that I make between now and graduation and invest it, I'll be on track to move out from home...two years after I graduate. T_T So that shows how badly I need to get started on this whole saving for a down payment thing.

Here's where you come in. I am willing to keep five ukuleles. Of the following, which five would you recommend I keep?

Applause Tenor (UAE-148)
Flea Soprano Pineapple
Fluke Tenor+pickup
Kamaka Concert (HF-2)
Kamaka Soprano (HF-1)
Kamaka Tenor (HF-3)
Kamaka 8 String Tenor
Kanilea Tenor (K1-T)+pickup
KoAloha SuperConcert (KCM-02)
KoAloha Pineapple Sunday+pickup
KoAloha Tenor+pickup
KoAloha Sceptre+pickup
KoaPiliKoko Tenor
Leolani Tenor
Tangi Soprano

I've already listed my G String tenor for sale. And I've taken out the three that I would keep aside for my dad as well as one that I have on hold for a friend.

In my head, I already know four out of five that I would keep for sure. I just don't want to bias anyone. :)

Down payment savings, step one, here we go.

I know you like to sticker up your ukes. Which ones did you sticker up?
 
Keep them all. Work one more month before making your down payment.
 
Lay them all out, play one right after the other, keep "highgrading" and refining your favorites until you have five. Compare weight/feel, playability, sound, aesthetics, and the undefneable quality. As great as they probably all are, I think you can narrow it down with this method. 5 ukes of this quality is a lot....probably a lot of redundancy in the "herd."
 
Hey Jon,
How much on the LXM???
Do second time buyers get a discount?? ha ha
Yup I bought from Jon before....and was a pleasure doing business with him...go for it gang...
 
hey Jon, just thinking a little more about your question....does it really matter which ones you sell...they're ALL awesome mate. You can't lose...pull some names out of a hat...it's the fairest way :p
 
So, if this was my list... w/your rules, I'd keep these:

Kamaka Soprano (HF-1)
Kamaka 8 String Tenor
Kanilea Tenor (K1-T)+pickup
KoAloha Pineapple Sunday+pickup
KoAloha Sceptre+pickup

NOW... I I was instead merely lusting after your collection :drool:

I'd say keep all the K's except for the PS & Sceptre, & dump all the soprano's AND sell ME the PS & Sceptre for really cheap! ;)
 
If moving is an option , I have a house in the FL panhandle on the water I might trade you for the whole collection. Well, I might let you keep 1, not the ps though.
 
I'd probably keep these:

Kamaka Concert (HF-2)
Kamaka Tenor (HF-3)
Kanilea Tenor (K1-T)+pickup
KoAloha SuperConcert (KCM-02)
KoAloha Pineapple Sunday+pickup
KoAloha Sceptre+pickup

But if you seriously want to cut down the collection and save money toward your down payment, I would say keep a maximum of two that are your favorites. If I had to do the same thing and could only keep two, it would actually be a pretty easy choice since there are two ukes that I play almost all the time.

Good luck on your way to your first home!
 
you seriously have too many that are awesome in their own right. It sounds like you are into the tenor scale so keep PS, Kamaka soprano, and your 3 favorite tenors.
 
I am no expert, but I have been watching the news on real estate value... and I would wait a bit longer before buying anything, because new foreclosures are continuing to hit the market every day. Hawaii might be a different market though, but it is something to consider. Many people have lost their investments as well as their homes, and the rules are being re-written on what is a good investment these days. The market is still declining, and I wouldn't want to sell any ukes or guitars that I would miss later (and have to buy again at much higher prices) to buy property that may decline in value. My brother sold off his coin collection when he was in his late teens for a stereo. Needless to say, the coin collection would be worth more today than that stereo.

–Lori
 
You must sell some of these instruments or you'll need a four-bedroom house! That's millions of dollars in Hawaii, right?!

List the five ukuleles you PLAY the most. Keep them. Sell the rest.

Write down which acoustic guitar, bass, and electric guitar you PLAY the most. Keep them. Sell the rest.

Best of luck figuring this out!
 
You must sell some of these instruments or you'll need a four-bedroom house! That's millions of dollars in Hawaii, right?!

List the five ukuleles you PLAY the most. Keep them. Sell the rest.

Write down which acoustic guitar, bass, and electric guitar you PLAY the most. Keep them. Sell the rest.

Best of luck figuring this out!

Yeah, what he said! Quickest and probably surest method of thinning them out.
 
Selling ukes is a dumb way to "make" money, I'd hang onto all of them.

Saving money is the way to get money piled up, BUT .... the smart people are waiting and renting right now. That half-mil you're talking about should buy you a rather decent little house in Manoa, fee-simple not leasehold. Seriously. Real estate is going down 10%-20% a year right now. Save and wait. You can rent something nice, or just live with the P's (parents) and wait. You need to learn more about real estate, it's a very weird market not like used cars. You'll see condos (yecch) for $750k and then houses in rather nice areas for $500k.
 
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