Has the uke 'bubble' burst in the UK?

Doc_J

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Messages
4,707
Reaction score
311
Location
McDonough, GA
I think UAS is probably waning as people are getting less but higher quality. When I first started I wanted a bunch of difft sizes and difft wood types but not so much now as I can humanly play one uke at a time. Custom seems like the way to go!!.

I'm totally guessing and I don't live in the UK.
 
Last edited:
The article has the same news value as "The Onion" has in the US. It's a satirical website. ;)
 
Funny. Should be in the Jokes section...
 
There's a certain type of player whose interest will be in the cheaper end of the market and whose interest is bound to wane by the nature of how they are: The hipster. Ukulele was cool before you ever heard of it. ;)
 
The best satire often has a grain of truth.

If you compare the prices of ukes to what they were just ten years ago, it's obvious that the ukulele fad has driven prices up tremendously. In February of 2002, a Kamaka Soprano HF-1 cost $426 at Elderly.com. Today, that same instrument costs $845, a 98% increase. A Fluke was $158, now $238 (a 50% increase). The CPI Cost Index for that same period was only 27%, so additional factors are at play.

Although I love the uke and I think it's a wonderful instrument, I agree that this latest level of interest is likely a fad similar to the uke crazes of the past. When the fad dies down, I wonder what will happen to the uke makers who have driven their prices up so high? Will decreased demand produce decreased prices, or will we end up seeing some uke makers close their doors? Kamaka has moved into a new larger space with (I'm assuming) higher rents, and certainly they've had to her additional workers to try and meet demand. If the fad ends quickly, (as fads often do), that could be a big hit for a company to bear.

Maybe someone who has more experience with the manufacturing side of things would care to weigh in?
 
I'm actually on the fence about whether it's a good thing or not about a uke bubble bursting.

On the one hand it would suck because the increase in popularity means more availability of both quality ukes and accessories. On the other, it would be great because I can't stand those insufferable hipster doofus poseurs who see the uke as nothing more than an ironically cool accessory so they can appear to be in-touch with the current fashionable trends.

In any case, I guess I'm fortunate to live in a place that has several local music shops that not only carry ukes, but have folks that are knowledgable about them.
 
I'm actually on the fence about whether it's a good thing or not about a uke bubble bursting.

On the one hand it would suck because the increase in popularity means more availability of both quality ukes and accessories. On the other, it would be great because I can't stand those insufferable hipster doofus poseurs who see the uke as nothing more than an ironically cool accessory so they can appear to be in-touch with the current fashionable trends.

In any case, I guess I'm fortunate to live in a place that has several local music shops that not only carry ukes, but have folks that are knowledgable about them.

I've never even been a tiny bit fashionable or cool, so I'm glad the world has finally come around to my way of thinking. :)
 
I'll believe the uke bubble has bust when I see homeless ukes sleeping under bridges, and begging for change in the streets.
 
there will always demand for quality, some of the prices will have to get real, though.
 
After investigation it has been found JP Morgan was trading in the ukulele futures market.
Now we know where the 2 billion went.
 
Saw this article on the price of used ukes dropping in the UK via the Pete Howlett FB group.
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/ukulele-market-crashes-2012051527187
This led the writer to conclude the uke bubble has burst.

While I don't believe interest in the ukulele is waning (especially on UU), apparently some think so. What do you all think?

I like that the other news stories on the site are "Murdoch to buy UK prison system, just in case," and "Greeks apologize with huge horse."
 
I like that the other news stories on the site are "Murdoch to buy UK prison system, just in case," and "Greeks apologize with huge horse."


I preferred The Onion story on Hershey's running out of candy and would cease operations immediately.:)
 
What about those of us players that have quite a bit of money tied up in ukuleles? I thought about that a few weeks ago. I own guitars and old tube amps that I know will never go down in prices. I've sold several high end guitars to help with the purchase of some of my ukes in the past year and now I'm thinking is that such a smart move as I know the collectable guitars I sold will always keep their value but what about the ukes I've acquired if the ukulele fad fades? Does that mean myself along with a lot of others out there will take a hit in the pocketbook?
 
Maybe crazy but just a thought I had.
What about those of us players that have quite a bit of money tied up in ukuleles? I thought about that a few weeks ago. I own guitars and old tube amps that I know will never go down in prices. I've sold several high end guitars to help with the purchase of some of my ukes in the past year and now I'm thinking is that such a smart move as I know the collectable guitars I sold will always keep their value but what about the ukes I've acquired if the ukulele fad fades? Does that mean myself along with a lot of others out there will take a hit in the pocketbook?
 
What about those of us players that have quite a bit of money tied up in ukuleles? I thought about that a few weeks ago. I own guitars and old tube amps that I know will never go down in prices. I've sold several high end guitars to help with the purchase of some of my ukes in the past year and now I'm thinking is that such a smart move as I know the collectable guitars I sold will always keep their value but what about the ukes I've acquired if the ukulele fad fades? Does that mean myself along with a lot of others out there will take a hit in the pocketbook?

I wondered about this, too, since I just took the plunge and purchased a fairly pricey uke. And, like you, I also own guitars and other such instruments, and like to think they will hold their value.

I'm guessing uke pricing won't go down that much. Has there ever really been a crash in prices for any instrument? Over the years, I have purchased mandolins and banjos and what have you, and the good ones are always expensive. More expensive, in fact, than I expected. A premium banjo or mandolin will set you back $4000 or more. So by comparison, ukes are still pretty cheap.

The uke "fad" may wane, but good, solid wood instruments will always be in demand. Particularly since premium tonewood is only getting more scarce. For example, my Taylor guitar has increased several hundred dollars in value since I bought it 13 years ago, despite the fact that, these days, there are a ridiculous number of solid wood acoustic guitars available to a prospective buyer. It might take me a while to sell it -- assuming I wanted to -- but I am confident I could get more than I paid for it. The same should hold true for ukes. There will always be someone out there who wants a premium quality uke, and thanks to the internet, that person is now much easier to find.

Of course, this is all a moot point anyway because we buy these things to make music, not as investments, right? :D The fact that they may retain some value is just an added bonus. If I squeezed every last ounce of music out of my instruments and at the end they were worth nothing, I would still think it a good deal.
 
Good point Jeremy, we buy a uke because we love to play it, it is not an investment.
So, the market value should not matter.
 
Last edited:
Good point. I'll always want to play them and the enjoyment I get from that could be considered worth it.
I wondered about this, too, since I just took the plunge and purchased a fairly pricey uke. And, like you, I also own guitars and other such instruments, and like to think they will hold their value.

I'm guessing uke pricing won't go down that much. Has there ever really been a crash in prices for any instrument? Over the years, I have purchased mandolins and banjos and what have you, and the good ones are always expensive. More expensive, in fact, than I expected. A premium banjo or mandolin will set you back $4000 or more. So by comparison, ukes are still pretty cheap.

The uke "fad" may wane, but good, solid wood instruments will always be in demand. Particularly since premium tonewood is only getting more scarce. For example, my Taylor guitar has increased several hundred dollars in value since I bought it 13 years ago, despite the fact that, these days, there are a ridiculous number of solid wood acoustic guitars available to a prospective buyer. It might take me a while to sell it -- assuming I wanted to -- but I am confident I could get more than I paid for it. The same should hold true for ukes. There will always be someone out there who wants a premium quality uke, and thanks to the internet, that person is now much easier to find.

Of course, this is all a moot point anyway because we buy these things to make music, not as investments, right? :D The fact that they may retain some value is just an added bonus. If I squeezed every last ounce of music out of my instruments and at the end they were worth nothing, I would still think it a good deal.
 
I no longer buy ukes. I have found many of my latest ukuleles while rummaging through people's trash bins.

I now have so many Martins that I use 2 of the better sopranoes as salad tossers.

Sometimes, while I'm playing my favorite song Tiptoe through the Tulips, somebody will present me with a broadside of a Kamaka to my head. I believe this is some sort of island tradition because they will continue to do this until I stop and talk to them whereupon they will give me the Kamaka and ask me for 5 minutes of silence so they can get out of earshot. its a touching moment.

I like to harass the homeless people who hoard ukes. "I got a house", I tell them as I showoff a few potatoes..
 
Top Bottom