Soprano Uke and hard case for $15 - What a deal!

Had a great Ukulele find last week.

I found someone on Craigslist selling a Soprano Ukulele and hard case for $15 cash. I couldn't tell what kind of Uke it was so I emailed them and asked. The woman replied and said it was a Leolani. It looked like a Zebra wood Uke so I figured for $15 how could I lose even it it turned out to be a junker. The case alone was worth more than $15. I told her I would take it no questions asked and drove on down to Huntington Beach to pick it up. It was dark by the time I got there so she just met me on the corner and passed the Uke to me and I gave her the cash. I didn't even get out of the car and really couldn't look at it until I got home.

It turned out not to be one of Leolani's low end souvenier Ukes but rather a nice solid top and back zebra wood soprano all nicely bound body with binding on the rosewood fret board and laminate Zebra wood on the headstock. It's not a high end Uke but with the case worth a heck of a lot more than 15 bucks! I was so damned pleased with it. I even found the Uke shown on the Leolani website.

My wife has been wanting to learn to play the Uke and so has been wanting one of her own. Imagine her surprise when she came home to find her little Leolani waiting for her. I put some Aquila strings on it and it sounds pretty darned good. The Uke is like new.

Here in California where everything is so expensive and everyone wants top dollar even for used stuff, it quite a surprise to run into a deal like that. I emailed the girl back and thanked her. She just said she doesn't play the Ukulele very well and was glad it had a good home.

I don't know if I would ever find another deal like it again.

Very cool. Thanks for sharing your story.

Oooh Ssweeetttt!

Congrats!

ukuleleleluku said:

It was dark by the time I got there so she just met me on the corner and passed the Uke to me and I gave her the cash. I didn't even get out of the car and really couldn't look at it until I got home.

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You make it sound almost like a drug deal.

Congrats on a sweet find!

itsme said:

You make it sound almost like a drug deal.

Congrats on a sweet find!

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Yeah it kind of felt that way and thanks. It was kinda different and it wasn't how i imagined I would pick it up. In fact she jokingly said to me as she passed the Ukulele through the car window... "I've got the Goods, You got the cash?"

She was a College age woman living by the Beach, having some dude she doesn't know showing up at her apartment to get a ukulele. I suppose she was trying to be safe and not allow me to know exactly where she lives. Can't blame her. I admit that with some of the Craigslist stories that go around it did cross my mind as to my own safety as well. I sold my Guitar through Craigslist last month and that was a good experience too. So far Craigslist has worked out for me. I've never used it until just recently.

ukuleleleluku said:

She was a College age woman living by the Beach, having some dude she doesn't know showing up at her apartment to get a ukulele. I suppose she was trying to be safe and not allow me to know exactly where she lives. Can't blame her. I admit that with some of the Craigslist stories that go around it did cross my mind as to my own safety as well. I sold my Guitar through Craigslist last month and that was a good experience too. So far Craigslist has worked out for me. I've never used it until just recently.

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I can totally relate. I would never invite a stranger from CL into my home, but would opt to meet them at a nearby public place instead. The few times I've bought from CL (or remember the old days of the paper Recycler mag?) my husband always insisted on going with me just so he'd feel I was safer.

Granted, most people selling on CL are completely legit (well, except for maybe in the "personal/adult services" section) but you can never be too careful, especially as a young, single woman.

I imagine she didn't know what she had or how much she could have gotten for it and just wanted it gone. She wanted it to find a new home where it'd be played and enjoyed, and out of her closet or whatever. She got that, and you got a nice bargain.

My husband and I walk several times a week, and whenever there's a yard sale, we have to stop so I can check it out. Someday ... maybe ... I'll find a nice treasure like that.

Sweet deal on a nice uke. Congrats!

gotta love those crack addicts, i got a new lawnmower for 25 bucks.

that's what we call a
Score!!

Awesome find! I gotta start browsing CL.

any time you want to come play my Leolani, you know where I live. Sarah is home from Iowa Saturday night. wdt

Leolani

What a delight to find out that a good deal really is a great deal! The people who import them are just wonderful people with whom to do business. Do NOT visit their website without first turning off the sound..the song they play "I'm Yours"
causes ear worms, and horrid gas mileage if you are someone who taps your foot while driving.

I have the new long neck soprano. It is what I call Elegant Simplicity for looks, and it has good quantity and quality of sound.

Very nice looking!

itsme said:

My husband and I walk several times a week, and whenever there's a yard sale, we have to stop so I can check it out. Someday ... maybe ... I'll find a nice treasure like that.

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I met my husband at a yard sale. I tell everyone he was cheap and he tells everyone I was the best thing he ever got at a yard sale. Ya never know when you will find a treasure.

Hey thank you all for the comments... and to think I almost didn't bother with it because I didn't feel like driving down to the beach to get a uke that at first I figured might be a bummer. But then I thought hey dummy, at least go get it for the case and you can always fix the uke. I really don't live that far away but the traffic sucks on Beach Blvd.. I'm glad good sense kicked in and inquired about it.

What a delight to find out that a good deal really is a great deal! The people who import them are just wonderful people with whom to do business. Do NOT visit their website without first turning off the sound..the song they play "I'm Yours"
causes ear worms, and horrid gas mileage if you are someone who taps your foot while driving.

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Yeah, I've seen some things from Leolani on Youtube. They seem like pretty cool people. My wife was thrilled with her new Uke and got on the Leolani site. She was even more thrilled to hear that song and sat there for about a half hour listening to the song over and over, admiring Ukuleles. It was cute and I was happy for her but the song makes me think of American Idol and I can't stand that show so it was mildly irritating as well. Now I have to play the song for her. I prefer to play it in B flat not B. I'm now teaching her to play "I'm Yours" in the key of C. I admit to avoiding that song like the plague as well as "Somewhere over the Rainbow" because those songs for the ukulele are like the Righteous Brothers "Unchained Melody" & Sinatra's "My Way" is to Karaoke.

Oddly now I'm playing those two songs more often and I kinda like it probably cuz it makes my wife happy and we can share the Ukulele together. She's struggling with rythm but she'll get there!

Is this going to be the new trend?
I for one am looking forward to being asked if I want to buy a Uke on the way home from the pub.
Instead of being asked if I want to buy drugs.. lol
I'm trying to picture a shady fella with a trench coat approaching me.
" wanna buy some Ukes? I got whatcha need. What's your poison? Bari's, soprano's or something in between?
I got it all. Just name your poison pal..." LMAO...

Great story and pretty uke! Congrats on the score and I hope your wife plays it to death!

I'd be pretty stoked about that too! Congratulations!

webby said:

gotta love those crack addicts, i got a new lawnmower for 25 bucks.

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LOL - yeah...just wait 'til this gal's roommate get's home and discovers his/her baby is missing! Just kidding...I hope. LOL

John

Congrats! Happy for both of you!