LifesShort
Well-known member
Sometimes I do things that just do not make good fiscal sense. This is one of those times.
A few weeks ago, I won an eBay auction for a Harmony Baritone. Having heard so many good things about them, I was excited to get it. My excitement was short-lived, however, once I unpacked it. I found that although it was in pretty good shape, it was in dire need of a fret job. All of the frets showed pretty good wear, but the first three were so worn that the uke was almost unplayable. Also, I suspected that it had a loose brace because it buzzed when held at certain angles and played. Additionally, the neck was in the very early stages of separating from the body.
I could have tried to return it to the seller, but chose not to. Instead I took it to my luthier and asked him to take a look at it. He thought is was a great instrument and suggested that I repair it. He did a fantastic job getting it back in full working order and I'm very pleased with his work.
I had him install a set of Martin strings on it and it sounded very nice. But, after reading so many good things about Southcoast Strings, I ordered a set and installed them. These strings really made this ukulele come to life. These strings are tuned to Bb rather than G, so they are much brighter. However, because of the size of the body, it still has plenty of bass. I really love the sound of these strings.
I now have $286, including auction price and all repairs, invested in this instrument. I know that I could have bought two of them for this price, but I liked the idea of saving this one rather than just setting it aside to collect dust. Overall, I'm very pleased.
A few weeks ago, I won an eBay auction for a Harmony Baritone. Having heard so many good things about them, I was excited to get it. My excitement was short-lived, however, once I unpacked it. I found that although it was in pretty good shape, it was in dire need of a fret job. All of the frets showed pretty good wear, but the first three were so worn that the uke was almost unplayable. Also, I suspected that it had a loose brace because it buzzed when held at certain angles and played. Additionally, the neck was in the very early stages of separating from the body.
I could have tried to return it to the seller, but chose not to. Instead I took it to my luthier and asked him to take a look at it. He thought is was a great instrument and suggested that I repair it. He did a fantastic job getting it back in full working order and I'm very pleased with his work.
I had him install a set of Martin strings on it and it sounded very nice. But, after reading so many good things about Southcoast Strings, I ordered a set and installed them. These strings really made this ukulele come to life. These strings are tuned to Bb rather than G, so they are much brighter. However, because of the size of the body, it still has plenty of bass. I really love the sound of these strings.
I now have $286, including auction price and all repairs, invested in this instrument. I know that I could have bought two of them for this price, but I liked the idea of saving this one rather than just setting it aside to collect dust. Overall, I'm very pleased.