What's your greatest ukelele sale/trade regret?
- Thread starter KevinFL
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hoosierhiver
Well-known member
Passed up a vintage Martin because I was too busy to deal with it that day, the guy had gotten it because someone owed him money and probably would have let it go for a very good price. He didn't have it with him and I never got his phone number.
Ukejenny
Well-known member
I haven't sold any, but I do remember seeing an old Kamaka in a guitar store. The strings on it were ancient and it wasn't tuned; maybe the tuners didn't even work. But, it was expensive and I didn't have time to talk to the guy or even try to get him down on the price. It was being sold on consignment.
we tigers
Well-known member
I regret selling my Kiwaya KTS-4. That was a brilliant little uke.
coolkayaker1
Well-known member
I regret not driving 18 hours in the middle of the night to pass KevinV on the highway to nab that Manny Nunes from the thrift shop.
janeray1940
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No regrets here at all! I've re-homed 4 ukes so far and in each case it was the right thing to do. And I even made a nice little profit on two of them 
billten
Well-known member
Pretty funny, i sold my Kiwaya a couple of weeks ago and i'm already thinking it was a huge mistake, i really miss it. Ahhh well, the guy who bought it was cool and a real player so at least it's getting some air time...
iamesperambient
Well-known member
we tigers
Well-known member
I'm about to right that wrong with a Timms...
Dane
Well-known member
When I had to sell my KoAloha D6 to pay student bills 4 years ago. Was a big stupid mistake, I should have found an alternative, or sold something else instead. I have a new one coming this week or next from HMS, so I'm in a good mood.
On the flip side, I sold to an active member who is a wonderful person and she has taken very good care of it and given it the love that it deserves.
On the flip side, I sold to an active member who is a wonderful person and she has taken very good care of it and given it the love that it deserves.
I am kicking myself that I did not buy your MP concert you recently sold. Cedar top, walnut back and sides, my favoirite woods. I was doing the right thing by holding off because I had a deal pending. I have tried to pay for it three times, still not finished still pending. Not even sure if I will ever see it. Oh well more money to spend on a Covered Bridge tenor.
RichM
Well-known member
I don’t have any ukulele regrets. I’ve sold some wonderful instruments over the years, but I’ve acquired equally wonderful instruments in the meantime. Sometimes you have to put them back into circulation and let some other folks enjoy them.
I do have a mandolin regret, though. I used to own a Kentucky KM-DAWG, a licensed reproduction of a John Monteleone Grand Artist mandolin owned by David Grisman. If you’re not familiar with Monteleone, he is one of the finest living luthiers and his mandolins sell for $25,000 and up. Monteleone even sent one of his mandolins to Kentucky’s workshop in Japan to be measured and examined to make the reproduction as accurate as possible.
The KM-DAWG was built by Eichi Sumi, then and up-and-coming luthier in Kentucky’s shop. Sumi’s gift was greater than anyone surmised, and he produced 48 exquisite handbuilt mandolins. The mandolins were expensive by Kentucky’s standards, but very, very reasonable by quality handbuilt mandolin standards.
I lucked into one of these a few years ago, and it was just plain the best mandolin I ever played. I loved it for a couple of years, but the legend of Sumi continued to build, and I kept getting offered more and more money for it, until I finally cracked and sold it for an offer that seemed too good to be true.
I’ve never played a mandolin I liked more, and I sure wish I had it back.
I do have a mandolin regret, though. I used to own a Kentucky KM-DAWG, a licensed reproduction of a John Monteleone Grand Artist mandolin owned by David Grisman. If you’re not familiar with Monteleone, he is one of the finest living luthiers and his mandolins sell for $25,000 and up. Monteleone even sent one of his mandolins to Kentucky’s workshop in Japan to be measured and examined to make the reproduction as accurate as possible.
The KM-DAWG was built by Eichi Sumi, then and up-and-coming luthier in Kentucky’s shop. Sumi’s gift was greater than anyone surmised, and he produced 48 exquisite handbuilt mandolins. The mandolins were expensive by Kentucky’s standards, but very, very reasonable by quality handbuilt mandolin standards.
I lucked into one of these a few years ago, and it was just plain the best mandolin I ever played. I loved it for a couple of years, but the legend of Sumi continued to build, and I kept getting offered more and more money for it, until I finally cracked and sold it for an offer that seemed too good to be true.
I’ve never played a mandolin I liked more, and I sure wish I had it back.
billten
Well-known member
Ahhh yes, the beautiful sounding MP. Well there is a lovely MP pineapple for sale right now.
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Telperion
Well-known member
This is a great approach, and one I try to employ myself. Sure, it's sad to see certain nice ukes go, but in almost every case, when I've sold one, it enabled me to try something new.
Sometimes the new one wasn't as great as the one I gave up, but I really enjoy trying new and different ukuleles, so I'm quite happy to have had those opportunities.
I've had several of these too, where I could tell that the new owner appreciated and loved the uke even more than I did - sometimes coming back months later to again thank me for selling that particular uke to them. Knowing that someone else got a lot of joy out of a uke I let go really helps to negate any regret.
-Steve
These are truly great attitudes to have...........sharing the joy and the love.
This also helps me rationalize UAS. The more I buy the more I sell the more joy I spread. A false sense of philanthropy goes a long way to combat feeling shallow and materialistic
Oh ya that will work
DaveY
Well-known member
I have sold three ukes, and have no regrets about them – they had served their purposes for me (but not others).
I regret not jumping (figuratively, of course) on that $375 Tiny Tenor that was on the Marketplace a few weeks ago. If the person who bought it is tired of it, I hereby offer $376 for it.
I regret not jumping (figuratively, of course) on that $375 Tiny Tenor that was on the Marketplace a few weeks ago. If the person who bought it is tired of it, I hereby offer $376 for it.
RichM
Well-known member
Amen to that. I used to own a uke by a very well-regarded builder that just never spoke to me. I simply couldn't get the tone I wanted from it. I sold it to another UU member here on the Marketplace and he adores it. He's posted several videos with it, and it sounds great in his hands in a way it never did in mine. Seems like everybody won in that scenario!
Similarly, my go-to uke is my Maui Music tenor, which I bought from a UU member who just didn't bond with it. To me, it's one of the best ukuleles I've played, but it was someone else's disappointment. Sometimes the right instrument just has to meet the right person.
David Newton
Well-known member
I wish I still had my Davy Crockett Guitar.
The early 90's was a time of craziness in the uke world, and flipping ukes was profitable.
The early 90's was a time of craziness in the uke world, and flipping ukes was profitable.
Dane
Well-known member
I loved the story about the bass guitar Captain
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