FS: Pepe Spruce/Rosewood tenor

For sale is a 2011 Tenor Pepe Ukulele. This one has a Spruce top, Brazilian Rosewood, back, sides, fingerboard and bridge. There are abalone fret markers at the 5th, 7th (two of them), and 10th frets. There are also single side position markers at these frets when played from the right-hand playing position. It is strung with high-G La Bella strings. It sounds like heaven, it truly does. Here are some recent reviews of Pepe Ukuleles:

http://www.cairns.com.au/article/201...ocal-news.html
http://theukulelereview.com/2012/04/...he-new-guitar/

I could go on and on about the great stuff, and it is all well-deserved and true. Here are the negative things: there are some strum marks on the top and the tiniest finish scratch on the back, about an inch long and the width of a hair- it can in the right light and at the right angle. I will include pictures of these.

Comes with a hard shell case and Oasis humidifier. It has been kept humidified and in its case in a non-smoking home. Other than the issues mentioned, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this uke and nothing affects the sound or playability. I only went in depth about these issues because I want to disclose 100% and I want you to know everything.

This uke retails for $2850 and there is a one year wait for them. I am asking $2300 shipped and insured to the Continental US. Since this is Brazilian Rosewood, and CITES applies, I will be unable to ship internationally. Several UU members have seen and played this uke, I'm happy to provide that information as a reference to a serious buyer.


Please excuse the bad playing and sound quality; this is a Rock Band mic plugged into a laptop... but I hope it give you a good idea of what it sounds like:
https://soundcloud.com/tigeralum2001/pepe-sample

Feel free to ask any questions.

nice uke..

Noticed that bad boy on my regular BayArea craigslist perusal earlier this AM -- nice indeed..

I have a rosewood/spruce Romero. It is flat out the best ukulele I've ever played. It is extremely light, and sounds like a cannon. I can hold my own with two guitars.

I'm one of the UU members who have seen and played this instrument and it is beautiful. The sound file doesn't do justice to the projection this uke possesses. Each note rings clear and true while playing the most delicate pieces or even while you're doing your best Pete Townsend impression. I held this instrument in my hands a couple weeks ago and I will honestly say that I didn't see the tiny scratch on the back. It sounds AMAZING! I would have taken it home, but then I would be sleeping in the playhouse in the backyard (I have a custom CR on the way).

Congratulations to the person who snaps this up. You're going to LOVE it!

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. This uke is awesome, but I want to be sure everything is fully disclosed! So many times people leave off something important - I have seen factory seconds passed off as new, etc. I want there to be no surprises for the buyer. I inspected this uke with a very critical eye.

Having said that, it is a wonderful uke. It is not a factory-made uke, but hand built by a master luthier. I encourage you to look into Pepe. The list of people who own his ukes is impressive- many industry titans and household names.

PM me with any questions or for more pictures, etc.

Mahalo for looking!

How is the neck weight with the Gotoh tuners on it? Is it neck heavy?

Thanks for the question! I am not 100% sure how to answer beyond saying "no" but I will try.

The whole uke is incredible light, almost unbelievably so. The neck joins the body at the 12th fret, but the neck heel starts at the 10th fret, if that makes sense. The furthest back I can place my finger is on the back of the neck at the 10th fret because of the heel. I can balance the whole ukulele on my index finger at the 10th fret. It favors the body side, but it is nearly balance.

I hate to hazard a guess as to the whole uke's weight as I don't have access to a postal scale. However, all Pepe ukuleles are extremely light... I am happy to point you to others that can confirm this, or you can search the reviews of Pepe's ukes yourself. Almost everyone mentions this fact because it is so stunning and unexpected because the craftsmanship is great, you sort of expect it to be heavier than it is.

Please let me know if there are other questions!

What kind of finish? French polish?

ukestah said:

What kind of finish? French polish?

Click to expand...

Yes, Pepe only does French Polish.

Is this the ukulele I played at the San Francisco UU Jam? If it is, that was one totally sweet ukulele. (I've got a new Mya-Moe coming this week, so I'm tapped out, but if this is the uke I think it is, then the person who ends up with this uke is going to be one lucky player.)

Wow this uke is still here....good luck CJ but I know you'll miss this one...

mds725 said:

Is this the ukulele I played at the San Francisco UU Jam? If it is, that was one totally sweet ukulele. (I've got a new Mya-Moe coming this week, so I'm tapped out, but if this is the uke I think it is, then the person who ends up with this uke is going to be one lucky player.)

Click to expand...

Hey Mark
yeah I tried it also..nice tone and good looking uke,,
one day gots to see your ukes..are you trying to be the Stan of Northern Calif..
or the CJ..haha

good luck with the sale CJ,,hard to believe this uke still here

mds725 said:

Is this the ukulele I played at the San Francisco UU Jam? If it is, that was one totally sweet ukulele. (I've got a new Mya-Moe coming this week, so I'm tapped out, but if this is the uke I think it is, then the person who ends up with this uke is going to be one lucky player.)

Click to expand...

Yes, same uke from the jam. It is sweet; perhaps I dwelled too much on the cosmetic flaws because I am a perfectionist and I don't want anyone surprised.

This is an awesome uke and would make a good use of your tax return!

hawaii 50 said:

Hey Mark
yeah I tried it also..nice tone and good looking uke,,
one day gots to see your ukes..are you trying to be the Stan of Northern Calif..
or the CJ..haha

good luck with the sale CJ,,hard to believe this uke still here

Click to expand...

I notice you removed your uke list from your signature before you posted this Len :rofl:

I can't believe this is still here either.

If my tax return were bigger I'd be all over this, but it's barely enough to buy new strings. Hope it goes to a new home soon. Good luck!

gyosh said:

I notice you removed your uke list from your signature before you posted this Len :rofl:

Click to expand...

Haha
I am going low key now..
waiting for Mark's and Stan's sig..

don't see too many Pepe's for sale?

I have played this uke--it is extremely sweet--very very nice.

Tigeralum2001 said:

Yes, same uke from the jam. It is sweet; perhaps I dwelled too much on the cosmetic flaws because I am a perfectionist and I don't want anyone surprised.

This is an awesome uke and would make a good use of your tax return!

Click to expand...

syfc said:

I have played this uke--it is extremely sweet--very very nice.

Click to expand...

I got to play it at the SF Ukejam, and it is beautiful, and sounds great. If you've been wanting a Pepe Romero, this one is the real deal, and being sold by a quality UU Member.

Would the deep strum marks cause issues with the uke later down the road?