Buying a Martin S-1 online?

Captain America

Captain America

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I'm hundreds of miles from a good uke shop. . . and not many uke shops carry more than one or two of any particular model.

What's the best way to buy a Martin S-1?

On-line? Drive all day and hope to see a couple?
 
Captain America said:
I'm hundreds of miles from a good uke shop. . . and not many uke shops carry more than one or two of any particular model.

What's the best way to buy a Martin S-1?

On-line? Drive all day and hope to see a couple?
Click to expand...

Try before you buy is always the best approach, but not always practical. Since you already decided on the uke you want and don't have a need to compare different sizes and types etc and given the logistic issues of going to a store you are probably safe to order one online. To choose between a small number of individual models may not be worth the effort, though it is certainly nice to find the particular one that speaks most to you. When buying online, it's important to read all the small print for the rules and regulations, may be value in finding a dealer who charges a bit more but has less hassle and surcharges. Reviews of the buying and dealing with issues experiences are often more important than reviews of actual ukes.
 
I'm almost certain MIM is stocking Martin now. So I would go with her. MIM's ukes on Reverb. Then you know you get something that has been inspected and had any needed setup work done on it.
She's temporarily shut down to catch up on orders after NAMM, but will be back shortly...I think it even said Friday in what I read.
She does allow returns too.

I had one once that I got from Musician's Friend...didn't have the MIM option then and Elderly was out of stock maybe.. Their out of the box instruments are usually pretty good...but I'd still prefer it be in actual hands of the dealer for an inspection.
By the way, I didn't let mine go because there was anything wrong with it, I just wanted to try something else. I think the S1 is a great little uke! I did install geared tuners on mine, since I hate friction pegs...but the uke itself was great.
 
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Mim is now an authorized Martin dealer, so check with her.
 
Since you haven't tried it, consider if they'll take a return. Even if you have to pay for return shipping, it should be cheaper than the gas and time to drive hundreds of miles.
 
I'm reluctant to buy from the Mim Store(c) since I like diversity and there should be room in the Ukulele Universe for more than one uke retailer. Just my take here.

I think glen's got a good point: I'm thinking Elderly since I've had catalogues from them in the past and bought strings there; seemed a good place.
 
While each instrument may have some variances in wood or subtleties in tone, Martin has decent enough quality control that you are likely to get something decent without playing it. You might also consider Elderly instruments. I bought an instrument from https://maurysmusic.com and they were easy to deal with and the set up was fine. Good luck!
 
Captain America said:
I'm reluctant to buy from the Mim Store(c) since I like diversity and there should be room in the Ukulele Universe for more than one uke retailer. Just my take here.

I think glen's got a good point: I'm thinking Elderly since I've had catalogues from them in the past and bought strings there; seemed a good place.
Click to expand...

And I thought HMS was the only 'ukulele retailer in the universe! I like Elderly too but their shipping is pricey: $165 minimum to Oahu for an 'ukulele...
 
Captain America said:
I'm reluctant to buy from the Mim Store(c) since I like diversity and there should be room in the Ukulele Universe for more than one uke retailer. Just my take here.

I think glen's got a good point: I'm thinking Elderly since I've had catalogues from them in the past and bought strings there; seemed a good place.
Click to expand...
There is HMS, Uke Republic, Fan-Uke that are mainly uke stores. Elderly does sell a lot of ukes, but they are a heck of a lot bigger than MIM....so I can't say I entirely understand your logic, but to each his own.
I will say this. Your uke will generally get more attention from one of the smaller ones like MIM. I've had many an instrument from Elderly over the years. Yes, you usually get an instrument that plays well and doesn't have any major problems. They aren't as thorough though, especially with ukes, in my experience. Example: You will get level frets usually, but they are not always crowned or polished. I've gotten instruments with flat frets on top that were levelled but not finished. Playable? Sure....Could it be better? Yes. I think the more expensive instruments get more attention though, and the Martin should be better from the factory than the lesser expensive imports. I have received some lesser expensive instruments from there that were more thoroughly setup, but just saying it's not always. I do still recommend them as a good store to do business with. They're just not my first option for ukes.
That's my 2 cents.
I hope you find the dealer and uke that satisfies you. :)
 
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gochugogi said:
And I thought HMS was the only 'ukulele retailer in the universe! I like Elderly too but their shipping is pricey: $165 minimum to Oahu for an 'ukulele...
Click to expand...

Haha, we certainly like to focus on what we know. I had never heard of "Uke Like The Pros" web store before someone mentioned it in the marketplace a few days ago. I'm not recommending them (for or against) as I know nothing about them except that YouTube likes to recommend his videos. Mim is pretty much a one person operation as far as I can tell, so I don't think she could corner the market if she tried. Does Uke Republic sell Martins? Could be another option.
 
If you go the Elderly route, they sometimes use generic photos, so ask for a pic of the actual instrument. Personally, I like the looks/woods of the older ones, when they often used nice dark rosewood for the fingerboards, and seemed to have nice dark mahogany too, compared to the current offering.
 
This is a common uke and available at almost all respectable retailers, such as Sweetwater, SamAsh, MaurysMusic, ZZsounds, Guitarcenter etc . A quick search found that they all have the same price of $419, but may have slight differences in shipping costs and customer service.
 
Thanks all. I'm leaning to Elderly Music. As I said, I think if everyone buys from Mim's Big Uke Store, the end result is monopoly and not so good, just imho.
 
Captain America said:
Thanks all. I'm leaning to Elderly Music. As I said, I think if everyone buys from Mim's Big Uke Store, the end result is monopoly and not so good, just imho.
Click to expand...

Under that reasoning, I would think you would buy from Mim. She is a single operator using her house as her business site and personally sets up each ukulele that she sells. That limits her volume of sales. She has this stellar reputation for her service which is why you see so many recommendations here.
 
Captain America said:
Thanks all. I'm leaning to Elderly Music. As I said, I think if everyone buys from Mim's Big Uke Store, the end result is monopoly and not so good, just imho.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with some of the other comments. I haven't bought from Mim, although I came close a couple times. And there was once or twice where she dropped the ball with emails, though this has happened to me with just about every retailer and builder that I've contacted, including HMS and Uke Republic. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from any of those three or my local ukulele shop just to support smaller businesses, and I do when they have what I'm looking for.

I don't think Mim is even close to having a monopoly. In fact, I think her weekly cap limits her from doing more business (while ensuring more attention to each setup and sale). I would imagine that cap prevents her business from growing much larger. But it probably also gives her a good work-life balance and is a factor in why she has such a loyal following on UU.

Totally your prerogative not to buy from Mim, but I think if preventing a monopoly is your thing, she would be preferable to one of the many big corporations you can purchase Martins from.

I've heard good things about Elderly, too. But if you want a different mom and pop shop, check Reverb. I bought my Martin from a small music store that I found on Reverb.
 
glennerd said:
Haha, we certainly like to focus on what we know. I had never heard of "Uke Like The Pros" web store before someone mentioned it in the marketplace a few days ago. I'm not recommending them (for or against) as I know nothing about them except that YouTube likes to recommend his videos. Mim is pretty much a one person operation as far as I can tell, so I don't think she could corner the market if she tried. Does Uke Republic sell Martins? Could be another option.
Click to expand...

I was attempting to be sarcastic... However, I actually purchased a Tiny Tenor 6 from Uke Like The Pros last year when HMS went out of stock. His price was higher and I had to pay for shipping to boot. Unfortunately USPS lost my TT6 for a month and then delivered a crushed (!) box with a busted up instrument! ULTP was very good about it and sent me a return label and refunded my money. I also bought something from Uke Republic when, again, HMS was out of stock and they were prompt in delivery. However, nuttin' beats a short drive to HMS to actually try out an instrument, and they're always willing to sweeten the deal, especially if you're a repeat customer.

Not everybody buys from Min's. Not danced that tune yet...
 
gochugogi said:
I was attempting to be sarcastic... However, I actually purchased a Tiny Tenor 6 from Uke Like The Pros last year when HMS went out of stock. His price was higher and I had to pay for shipping to boot. Unfortunately USPS lost my TT6 for a month and then delivered a crushed (!) box with a busted up instrument! ULTP was very good about it and sent me a return label and refunded my money. I also bought something from Uke Republic when, again, HMS was out of stock and they were prompt in delivery. However, nuttin' beats a short drive to HMS to actually try out an instrument, and they're always willing to sweeten the deal, especially if you're a repeat customer.

Not everybody buys from Min's. Not danced that tune yet...
Click to expand...

I'm sure I speak for a lot of people, when I say I'm more than a little envious of anyone who can drive to HMS! Good information on ULTP. They look like they have a decent selection. I've bought two from HMS and three from Mim and like both shops, but shipping to Canada works out a bit better for me with Mim and I was buying Ohanas from her, which HMS doesn't have. I'm fine with trying someone else if I hear good things about the dealer.

Mainly though, I just want an awesome shop I can drive to (just one quarter as awesome as HMS will do). ;)
 
Actually, I'm about a 20 minute walk from HMS but I try not to visit too often for obvious reasons...
 
Captain America said:
I'm hundreds of miles from a good uke shop. . . and not many uke shops carry more than one or two of any particular model.

What's the best way to buy a Martin S-1?

On-line? Drive all day and hope to see a couple?
Click to expand...

I've bought over a hundred ukes online. No problems yet. Assuming the uke isn't damaged, it should be fine - from a local store or an online seller. See what kind of return policy the seller has.
 
Captain America said:
Thanks all. I'm leaning to Elderly Music. As I said, I think if everyone buys from Mim's Big Uke Store, the end result is monopoly and not so good, just imho.
Click to expand...

I’m kind of surprised that anyone could think of Mim being a big Uke store, to my perspective it’s near a one person show in a shop that’s tucked any in some remote location. Now Elderly is a big music store and certainly massive compared to Mim, I wouldn’t be surprised if they sold ten times more Ukes than Mim too.

Mim’s known to us here because she caters for the on-line community of enthusiasts that is UU, she delivers guaranteed quality via mail order and that high quality is regularly verified by folk here. To be honest the best way to avoid monopoly is to support small suppliers like Mim; I don’t like discrimination but women do suffer discrimination against them so there is case to be made for fighting that (discrimination) by buying from her too. YMMV.
 
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