As far as I know, there is no official licensing organization that tests and certifies the skill levels of those who profess to be luthiers. Is there any such organization?
One reason I ask the preceding question is that, a year or so ago, each of the 12 student's in my granddaughter's Hi School woodworking class built a tenor ukulele from scratch, using tools & equipment at the school's workshop, & following patterns supplied by the teacher. The one she made plays pretty doggone good. I wouldn't pay more than $200 for it but it plays pretty good.
It seems that, as the ukulele market grows & grows, there are more & more self-proclaimed ukulele craftsmen appearing on the scene, and their "USA-built" instruments are priced minimum $500 & up. A few months ago I bought an all-solid-wood tenor, with a Hawaiian-sounding "K" logo, from a California-based builder, who advertises on Ebay, for several hundred dollars. It's pretty to look at, has decent intonation, but sorely lacks volume and sustain. One of the other people in our uke club bought a tenor from the same outfit & had similar results to mine. The ukes are pretty & usable, but not really worth what we paid for them.
When I read Pepe Romero Jr.'s background I see that he apprenticed to several master luthiers and trained for several years before going out on his own as a professional luthier. So I wonder -- if I see a uke advertised on Ebay as professionally built in the USA, how do I know if the uke was made by a real luthier who "paid his dues" (as did Pepe Romero, Jr.) or who is, instead, a woodworker or cabinet maker or hobbiest who saw a hot ukulele market & decided to make instruments that are "okay instruments" BUT are probably over-hyped & over-priced?
One reason I ask the preceding question is that, a year or so ago, each of the 12 student's in my granddaughter's Hi School woodworking class built a tenor ukulele from scratch, using tools & equipment at the school's workshop, & following patterns supplied by the teacher. The one she made plays pretty doggone good. I wouldn't pay more than $200 for it but it plays pretty good.
It seems that, as the ukulele market grows & grows, there are more & more self-proclaimed ukulele craftsmen appearing on the scene, and their "USA-built" instruments are priced minimum $500 & up. A few months ago I bought an all-solid-wood tenor, with a Hawaiian-sounding "K" logo, from a California-based builder, who advertises on Ebay, for several hundred dollars. It's pretty to look at, has decent intonation, but sorely lacks volume and sustain. One of the other people in our uke club bought a tenor from the same outfit & had similar results to mine. The ukes are pretty & usable, but not really worth what we paid for them.
When I read Pepe Romero Jr.'s background I see that he apprenticed to several master luthiers and trained for several years before going out on his own as a professional luthier. So I wonder -- if I see a uke advertised on Ebay as professionally built in the USA, how do I know if the uke was made by a real luthier who "paid his dues" (as did Pepe Romero, Jr.) or who is, instead, a woodworker or cabinet maker or hobbiest who saw a hot ukulele market & decided to make instruments that are "okay instruments" BUT are probably over-hyped & over-priced?
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