Elderly Instrument ?

I grew up in Lansing; Elderly was my local music store, which was good and bad (bad in that any other store paled in comparison).

They have a large selection of ukuleles on display. One side of the wall has most of the mass produced, low to mid level instruments. On the other side are the higher priced (small builder, or vintage) instruments. If there's something on their website you'd like to try and they don't have it out, usually they'll go and get it for you.

Definitely worth the 4hr drive.
 
Why don't you peruse their online store to see what they have currently? As one bad monkey said, their selection is good. I was able to locate the LoPrinzi I wanted there, even though they were in short supply everywhere else, including thru the luthier. Customer service, in my personal experience was excellent.
 
SoloRule said:
Has anyone visited Elderly Instrument in Lansing, Michigan ? Do they have a good selections of Ukulele on display?
Just wondering if it's worth the 4 hour drive from Canada. Thanks
http://www.elderly.com/
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Hi Solo,

I don't think you will get more selection and variety at Elderly than you will with Cosmo Music store. But if you would like an adventure and some quiet time on the roads, then perhaps it is a good place for a road trip.

You might also consider the Ukulele World Congress this week end ... https://www.facebook.com/groups/236184839465/
 
Hve bought a mandolin, banjo uke, countless packs of strings, several accessories, etc. from Elderly over the years. PBS even did a TV special on the store. Nothing but good words for the operation.
 
SteveZ said:
Hve bought a mandolin, banjo uke, countless packs of strings, several accessories, etc. from Elderly over the years. PBS even did a TV special on the store. Nothing but good words for the operation.
Click to expand...

Does the Lansing, MI store have lots of ukuleles on display?
 
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Never been there. My experience is all internet with Elderly, started from referrals on the Mandolin Cafe.
 
As you have probably already noticed, their Website shows over 40 brands of new ukuleles in stock, and tells how many they have of each brand. It also shows over 20 used/vintage ukuleles in stock.

Their is a phone number for the showroom at the bottom of their site. You could call to ask how many of those ukes are on display.
 
I have visited several Ukulele stores here in Canada , the experience has been disappointing.
Most of the store 's website show a load of ukulele but very limited in the store. This is why I asked if any one has visited the store in person.
Thanks for all your valuable information.
Wish there is HMS within driving distance. :D
 
I've driven there from Chicago a couple of times (about 4 hours). They have lots of ukuleles on display. Plus they are happy to bring out any instrument they have on the website from the back or basement rooms. Check out that website, by the way. They really have most everything. Worth the drive? Absolutely.
 
On my to-do-one-day-before-i-die list: a kombi tour of the US stopping at all the best music shops in every town. then write a book about it.
 
Hippie Dribble said:
On my to-do-one-day-before-i-die list: a kombi tour of the US stopping at all the best music shops in every town. then write a book about it.
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Great idea for a book! Or a new TV series....The Uke Searcher....
 
It is definately worth the drive. You can easily spend a long afternoon there. Pablo's is a great lunch spot right around the corner too!
 
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You can't go wrong with a trip to Elderly. Great place fer sure.
 
Stan Werbin, owner of Elderly Instruments, is a HUGE supporter of the ukulele - a player as well as a collector of vintage ukes. Elderly sponsors a Mighty Uke Day celebration every year and hosts workshops with nationally recognized uke players every 2 or 3 months. Their selection is on par with HMS, Mim, or Uke Republic. So yeah, it's a worthwhile ukulele destination, especially if it's only a 4 hour drive - that's a day trip!

(Edit to add: I have bought ukes from Elderly in the past, and just yesterday received a guitar from them. Customer service, in my experience, is always top notch.)
 
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river_driver said:
Stan Werbin, owner of Elderly Instruments, is a HUGE supporter of the ukulele - a player as well as a collector of vintage ukes. Elderly sponsors a Mighty Uke Day celebration every year and hosts workshops with nationally recognized uke players every 2 or 3 months. Their selection is on par with HMS, Mim, or Uke Republic. So yeah, it's a worthwhile ukulele destination, especially if it's only a 4 hour drive - that's a day trip!

(Edit to add: I have bought ukes from Elderly in the past, and just yesterday received a guitar from them. Customer service, in my experience, is always top notch.)
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All true! I appreciate HMS and the others a lot, and have bought from most of them one time or another. That said, if one has the opportunity to be at a place where all strings are there and all string folk have a chance to associate and share, that's darned good.

All too often folk get pigeon-holed into one category (e.g., ukulele) and never get to deal with other-category folk on a peer basis. Finding locations where everyone (players of guitar, banjo, ukulele, mandolin, violin, etc,) can mingle without feeling like the outsider is good. I lucked into a couple situations like that after I went mandolin and it really broadened my outlook and desire to do more. Elderly may not be the epicenter for stringed activity in North America, but it seems darned close to it and is one of my "bucket list" destination sites.
 
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