I don't think many people saw it, but way back last May I posted about an old ukulele I had found in my closet that belonged to my great great aunt (she died in the late twenties early thirties). It need a pretty decent amount of work, so it kind of got stuffed away in a case until we could take it to some luthiers for appraisal and advice.
Well the first guy we saw was a bust. Told us it wasn't worth it, unless it had sentimental value, and that it'd be $250-$300 to fix, he'd just rather sell me a new one. Way too much. So we went to the luthier I bought my banjo from, who said he didn't think he could take it, but he knew a guy who might be able to. Few months later, we dropped it off with the third guy and last weekend I was finally able to make the hour and a half long drive to pick it up.
It's great. I love it. The luthier said he thought it was pretty nice. It sure sounds nice. I've spent more time playing it than I have my other ukes the past week.
So in the end it went from this (salvaged from a closet where it was probably sitting for decades with some pretty significant damage--crack in the top and a lifting heel)
To this (new nut, new pegs, repaired crack, and a repaired heel)
Well the first guy we saw was a bust. Told us it wasn't worth it, unless it had sentimental value, and that it'd be $250-$300 to fix, he'd just rather sell me a new one. Way too much. So we went to the luthier I bought my banjo from, who said he didn't think he could take it, but he knew a guy who might be able to. Few months later, we dropped it off with the third guy and last weekend I was finally able to make the hour and a half long drive to pick it up.
It's great. I love it. The luthier said he thought it was pretty nice. It sure sounds nice. I've spent more time playing it than I have my other ukes the past week.
So in the end it went from this (salvaged from a closet where it was probably sitting for decades with some pretty significant damage--crack in the top and a lifting heel)
To this (new nut, new pegs, repaired crack, and a repaired heel)