Replica Vintage Ukulele

Would you be interested in aged replica ukes?

  • Yes, would buy right model if available

    Votes: 4 6.2%

  • No, not my cup of tea

    Votes: 48 73.8%

  • Not sure, depends

    Votes: 13 20.0%
  • Total voters
    65
  • Poll closed .
Ukuleleblues

Ukuleleblues

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One of the thing I initially was drawn to in the ukulele world 8 years ago was the lack of pretense or snobbishness. I came from the guitar world where name brand snobs are all over. For me the current phenomena of "aged" guitars is part of that. Fake yellowed plastic, scratches, dents, etc. I even read once on a SRV replica start advertisement that the "burn marks were made with the same brand cigarette Stevie smoked". They get big $ for these instruments.

My question to you is would you buy an aged, replica ukulele. Is there an unmet need in the uke world for a replica formby banjolele with harp beer stains on the head? A Herbert Khaury aged Martin. A Cliff Edwards uke with dents from where he dropped in while on a binge?
 
no, I hate fake stuff. Why would you do that to a beautiful new uke on purpose? I feel bad aging my ukes on accident. but at least it's honest.
 
No way for me. I doubt any mainstream instrument manufactuer could make a good replica of an older handmade instrument. The old ones were made by hand by apprenticed then master craftsmen. Today, to keep the price down, they either make them offshore or with computers. May look the same but I'm sure don't feel and sound the same. Martins new ukes are a prime example. I have yet to play a newer one that has the true Martin sound and feel. To get a true replica made by a skilled craftsman would put the price way up.

Course there are guys like Timm's who makes a really nice Martin soprano at a decent price but he's one of the few that I know who does that with quality; and he doesn't make them in large quantities.
 
Does an Ohana TK-38 fall into this definition?
 
If you're asking me, Yes I think it does fall into the definition. Ohana makes a great uke for the price but it is by no means a replica. It may look llike a Martin 2, same woods but not the same craftsmanship, finish or sound. Don't get me wrong, if I were looking for a modest priced uke it would definitly be an Ohana or Mainland. But I would'nt be looking at them as a replica of a Martin or any other vintage instrument. It would be more that they are good sounding ukes for the price they are sold for.
 
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but I wouldn't buy a replica. I prefer the vibe from the original.
 
I voted "Not my cup of tea."

Weirdly enough, I just accidentally "reliced" my Keli'i this weekend, aaaaannnnnd, I may try to get rid of the (admittedly) tiny dent because, in my mind, it rivals the Grand Canyon ... even though a rational part of me knows it's invisible unless you know where to look.

I really don't understand how it can be fashionable for a brand new instrument to be dinged, stained and crackled.

Some of my instruments did come to me pre-dinged, 'cause I'm cheap, and I like that played-in sound ... but they came by those dings honestly, courtesy of someone who played them and loved them.
 
Define Replica

Were you to mean to replicate something like an all mahogany Gretsch American soprano, I would say yes....were you to mean make it look like it's Willy Nelson's guitar I would say no.. Go for sound reproduction and feel....not for looks, please.
 
Yes, there are new replicas of older ukuleles. Lots, in fact. They are not imitations, not fraudulous, but odes with a slightly different twist. Most are as good as the originals, some are even better. The Martin template is used by many (Kiwaya, Timms, Ohana), older Hawaiian models get some attention (aNueNue and Ohana), Gibson on occassion (Glyph) and then there are L&H/Gretsch camp ukes (Stagg), vita ukes (Ohana), knutsen harp ukes (aNueNue) and even harmony aero-ukes (Ukiyo and Pohaku).

No, 'relicing' or 'ageing' is something none of the modern makers do. Except for some resonator ukuleles: NRP does it, and Republic as well.

About relicing: I always thought that sunburst finishes (something Gibson came up with in the 1930s to cover up aesthetically less pleasing woods) were a kind of relicing, imitating the UV-effect on violin lacquer by highlighting exposed parts and darkening the deeper crooks.
 
How about if they offered an exact replica of Jake S's "favorite" uke with case down to the exact aging, color, binding, tuners, scratches, dents, signatures, stickers, bullet holes (whatever they have), at a premium over a "new" version of the same uke and case. Of course it would come with a certificate of authenticity signed by Jake. How appealing would that be to a Jake fan/player? Buy?
 
No, I would not.
Hell, I'm the kind of person that would commit sacrelige and refinish a vintage uke to make it look new!
 
Absolutely, positively NO.

My ukes, guitars and other instruments have all earned any scars they have, whether from me or a previous owner.

Funny, this reminded me of when my aunt remodeled her kitchen some years ago. She went for the "distressed" look and said they had these giant key rings with tons of keys and literally threw them against the cupboard doors to purposely make dings in them.
 
I once rebuilt an old uke-banjo that had a very distressed surface. I photographed it before rubbing it down to the bare wood and refinishing it. I was pleased with the work I did, but when I compared the before and after photos, I regretted having obliterated the previous owner's name, and a date from the 1930s, scratched into the paint. If I do it again, I will try to find a way to preserve that aspect of the instrument's history.

Having said that, I would never try to fake such individual identifying marks. What's the point? Both the perpetrator and the buyer know it is a fake.
 
Last edited:
Relic ukes are already here! I should have checked Youtube first.

http://youtu.be/zqTlbZ62T1E


I still don't get it.

Maybe I should try it myself. Anyone have a Martin 2-5k or shiny new Kamaka the want relic'ed? Send me a pm for my address. Step 1 will be ship it to me USPS with just an address label on it, no need to use a case or box. Step 2 is I refuse it at the door and they send it back, boom, instant relic.
 
Ukuleleblues said:
Relic ukes are already here! I should have checked Youtube first.

http://youtu.be/zqTlbZ62T1E


I still don't get it.

Maybe I should try it myself. Anyone have a Martin 2-5k or shiny new Kamaka the want relic'ed? Send me a pm for my address. Step 1 will be ship it to me USPS with just an address label on it, no need to use a case or box. Step 2 is I refuse it at the door and they send it back, boom, instant relic.
Click to expand...


That uke in the video was hardly a Martin 2-5k or shiny new Kamaka. He actually made that piece of crap uke look better !! Might do that to a dolphin!
 
I live in a house full of cats and dogs who run about and shed fur and show no respect for musical instruments left on couches or leaning against walls. And then there's and me walking around bumping into things. I can age a ukulele in a few weeks just by practicing. So why would I want someone else to do it for me?

But if anyone wants an aged uke, send me yours, plus $50 and I'll age it for you.
 
1) Gibson was doing sunbursts long before the urban myth of hiding poor wood. And anyone who thinks it's cheaper to spray a sunburst than to reject wood has not sprayed sunbursts!

2) The best "vintage replica" ukes I've seen are Ken Timms' and Mike DaSilva's, but they're not "distressed" like the Fenders mentioned.

3) I think the first to do the relic thing may have been Seymour Duncan with his "Antiquity" series, and there's a logic to that...if you're going to do a pickup swap or replacement on a vintage electric guitar, a brand new pickup just looks wrong. But I also have a feeling that Seymour was wandering around in the shop one night and saw boxes of reject pickup covers and had an "ah-ha" moment...

4) I've been to the Fender custom shop where they antique the instruments to various degrees, and it's spooky to see a rack of Muddy Waters Telecasters, all with the same cigarette burn, the same finish chips, the same arm wear...really weird.
 
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