Roughed up, played hard and scuffed up

SuzukHammer

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I have bought 2 of Eugene Ukulele's old ukes and they are banged up with strum marks. I swear to God that buying used EugeneUkulele ukes is much better than buying new ukes.

Chris Tarman mentioned an old Gibson was surprisingly wonderful to play. I completely believe it now.

I am a believer in old beat up ukes!! strip me down and hit me with a Low G string til I say ENOUGH!!, I am converted.

To celebrate, I put strum marks on my unplayed Koaloha that's been sitting in its case and it sounded nothing but tasty, spicy, and zesty. I looked at those strum marks. Yes, they are permanent and it means the Koaloha will be played. Its gone from case queen to player in one sitting.

I just had to post it.

Getting rough is what its all about.
 
That's a message I can get behind. My best sounding uke is 83 years old and looks like it:

P8230026.jpg
 
Good picture.

Maybe I should invest in an old uke.
 
If you wait and keep your eyes out, an old uke will come to you. If I had bought mine retail I probably would have spent well over $500 (Johnny Marvins aren't rare, but the airplane bridge version was only made for 3-5 years and many Harmony enthusiasts chalk them up as the finest ukes Harmony ever produced). As it were, the guy who brought it in sold it to me for $80, because he wanted it to be played by a uke player and not get restored and repainted by a collector.

I still might get it cleaned up at some point, but as it is it sounds divine and I don't wanna mess with a good thing.
 
Here's my Style 2. I'm not responsible for many (if ANY) of those marks. IMG_0242.jpg
And my Style 1 has some little marks that weren't there when I bought it last August. IMG_0243.jpg
Even my Flea is getting in on the game! IMG_0244.jpg
I did make all the marks on the Flea, and I believe the Style 1 is pretty much all me too. It was really minty when I got it.
 
SuzukHammer, just don't take a belt sander to them to get that vintage look. Have you ever seen Kenny Wayne Shepherd's Strat? I swear that's what he did to get it to look like Stevie Ray's. It has MASSIVE, SERIOUS wear in places that a guitar would not normally get that much wear. Maybe it's for real, but it sure likes like he just got out some power tools one day...
 
SuzukHammer, just don't take a belt sander to them to get that vintage look. Have you ever seen Kenny Wayne Shepherd's Strat? I swear that's what he did to get it to look like Stevie Ray's. It has MASSIVE, SERIOUS wear in places that a guitar would not normally get that much wear. Maybe it's for real, but it sure likes like he just got out some power tools one day...

I dig Kenny Wayne Shepherd; but, I hadn't ever seen his strat.

I can pretty much figure out how Eugene Ukulele plays though. haha. And I swear his ukes have mojo. His Black Bear is pretty scratched up like he was playing lottery scratchers on that thing; but, it has a very unique sound, like an echoing room. Sustain with a capital SUS. I think I should go to his house and see what ukes he's throwing away cause they got his mojo and its good stuff.

Chris, When you get your ukes scruffed up and I get mine scruffed up, we should do a trade. Maybe we need to have the travelling scruff uke teaching everybody that getting rough means better sound.
 
My kamaka's finish is worn out in places but I swear it makes it sound better. Hah!
 
SuzukHammer, just don't take a belt sander to them to get that vintage look. Have you ever seen Kenny Wayne Shepherd's Strat? I swear that's what he did to get it to look like Stevie Ray's. It has MASSIVE, SERIOUS wear in places that a guitar would not normally get that much wear. Maybe it's for real, but it sure likes like he just got out some power tools one day...

I just don't understand the concept of putting fake wear on new instruments. It must be a viable selling point though, since Fender has a whole line of new "road worn" guitars.

http://www.fender.com/products/roadworn/models.php?partno=0131012306
 
There is a real trick to playing instruments for years without leaving any sort of scratches on them. I have always considered it a thing with which I have been blessed-- no scratches. It is the "angle of attack" and even with a guitar (flat-picking) and mandolin (hardcore-flat-picking), I leave no scratches. If you can learn to play without leaving a scratch, you will preserve the maximum value for collectors and still enjoy having a "player" uke or other fretted instrument. Not to be critical, but that is my personal philosophy.
 
Suzuk,
Alright, I GOTTA say somethin!! I play Lokahi every ding-dang day, and the first time I put a strum mark or ANY mark on it, I'll probably crawl up in a little ball and cry like a baby! But, then as the years pass, I'll get over the first mark. Then when the 2nd one happens, the process will start all over again!;) So far, I've got 3 ukes, no strum marks. But then, I strum up on the neck 2-3 frets too. That could be why. Only thing they got is may a little oil on them where I sometimes play without a shirt, but if I can get my lazy self to wipe them down with a microfiber rag, that's easily taken care of. I'm gonna end up saying this--they're yours and you have fun doing whatever you want with them--as long as you do what you said and play for that baby every night!!

Scott
 
I just don't understand the concept of putting fake wear on new instruments. It must be a viable selling point though, since Fender has a whole line of new "road worn" guitars.

http://www.fender.com/products/roadworn/models.php?partno=0131012306


I was in NYC a little over a year ago and stopped into an instrument shop. I had noticed in the window a Les Paul junior that looked as if it had seen a lot of battle, perhaps even been through a fire. Turns out it was new! The shop has "a guy" who distresses the instruments, then they charge significantly more for them than they do the ones that are brand new and look it. It's really quite hysterical: You pay more for a new guitar that looks old and beat up than you do for one that looks new, but you pay more for an old guitar that looks new than you do for an old one that looks old.

I need a more elastic brain to completely wrap my head around this one. I don't mind some honest wear and tear on a vintage instrument. However, if I get a new one, I'd prefer to put the marks on it myself.
 
Ha ha, Have you seen those jeans that you pay extra for to have them look warn out. The funny thing is you see people wearing them and the warn out places won't be placed on their bodies in the right place. I am with hmgberg, I can't quiet wrap my brain around paying extra for something that looks used.
 
Okay, if anyone out there has a uke that looks too nice, I'll be happy to break it in, or just plain break it, for you. I'll do it cheap, say $100.00. Feel free to PM me. Honestly, I can make a real mess out of it for you...years of experience.
 
I guess I should state that I buy most of my ukes used because I have to figure in shipping rates and I'm kinda a hoarder. I got nice case-queen ukes but, the beauty was getting that first scruffed up expensive used uke that basically said - "play me" and it made making music fun - taking that worry out of the equation.

I have case-queens and I never really talk about them.

oh... I guess I should say "Alot of my japanese ukes are case queens" I started to figure that out. They have low action and thin strings. You have to get used to it if you want to play those things.
 
SuzukHammer, just don't take a belt sander to them to get that vintage look. Have you ever seen Kenny Wayne Shepherd's Strat? I swear that's what he did to get it to look like Stevie Ray's. It has MASSIVE, SERIOUS wear in places that a guitar would not normally get that much wear. Maybe it's for real, but it sure likes like he just got out some power tools one day...

Heh, heh. You gotta remember that Strat is about twenty years older than he is - chances it was pretty beat up before he got it. The other thing is stop and think about how many hours some of these kids put on these guitars, compared to what we do. I used to think one of Jonny Lang's tele's looked "artificially relic'd" until I realized he'd been playing it six hours a day or more for 8 or ten years before he got his first recording contract.

Some of these guys put more hours on an instrument in a year than most of us do in twenty years! And for SRV followers like KWS, there pretty rough hours, too.

Not to say KWS didn't maybe grab some sandpaper, but I wouldn't say it's a sure thing just 'cause he's young and the guitar is really beat up.

John
 
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