Wanted: MoonBird
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You won't be sorry. My tenor is my fav performing uke. Great sound unplugged and killer plugged in! Love the electronics and their stock strings. Had to special order a couple extra sets for future changes. Good luck on your search...
Jerryc41
Well-known member
There is a legitimate seller on eBay who offers them at good prices. I paid less for mine that someone who bought one in Taiwan. I think this is the seller I used - $1050 for a Moonbird tenor, $50 shipping from Hong Kong (in 2019).
https://www.ebay.com/itm/aNueNue-x-...726149?hash=item23c3329005:g:-3AAAOSwb8Vb4Ffk
It's a big investment, but I have no regrets for buying my Moon Bird Tenor. It's a fabulous instrument.
Jerryc41
Well-known member
Yes, it is. A friend has one, and although he has several ukes, that's the only one he plays since he got it.
Jerryc41
Well-known member
As if anything you read online isn't true.
I'm sure this is legit, though.
They are legit. Kalei Gamiao and Corey Fujimoto are the new US distributors. I would trust anything they do with ukuleles. They've been posting here since the new distributorship has been announced and I'm sure they will answer any concerns you might have.
I love my Moon Bird Tenor, and they really aren't that expensive for the quality you are getting. I would expect to pay twice as much to get similar quality construction, feel, finish and tone in a USA made instrument. They don't have a traditional uke tone (I have less expensive instruments for that) but if you are looking for clarity, chime and sustain you should be more than happy with a Moon Bird.
I think I understand what you are trying to say, but your comment could be read to imply that the Moon Bird is USA made, which it most certainly is not. They are built in China for a company based in Taiwan, using moon spruce from Switzerland and Indian rosewood, but were designed by Mitsuta Morihiko, a luthier from Japan. They are truly an instrument that spans the globe, but with a sound that is out of this world. (I couldn't resist that last part...)
The Moon Bird series is incredible. I own many ukuleles, that run the spectrum from cheap to expensive, from mass produced to custom built. My favorite is my concert Moon Bird.
Thanks for the advice and recommendations everyone. Ideally I would like a concert as it fits a hole in my line up. But I’d be happy with any of them. It sounds like they are popular enough that there may not be much for a secondhand market. Everyone has nothing but great things to say about them. Maybe I bite the bullet and just order from AnuenueUSA. Anyone know how delivery times are running from Hawaii?
I assumed in my response that the person who made this post already knows Moon Birds are made in China. My point is that it would be a lot more expensive to get that sort of quality in a USA made instrument. Moon Birds cost less because labor is cheaper in China, but the quality is on a par with very expensive USA made ukes. That's my opinion anyway.
That's what I figured you meant, after re-reading it, but it isn't where my mind went the first time I did.
Yes, they would be *way* more expensive built in the US, but you are right, their quality is absolutely on par with any of my US made ukes.
You won't go wrong with a Moonbird....unless you fall in love with them so much you want to get every size. Now I'm on the lookout for Koa Birds too!
Jerryc41
Well-known member
Excellent! Smart move on their part.
I might be able add a little information to this post and your question about this seller. I purchased the last Moonbird tenor that was on Reverb from this distributor in Hong Kong on May 3rd. First let me say that their pricing is not what it was just 6-8 months ago. They were listing them for $1100-$1200 then. Now they are listed at $1400 and I can tell you that they will not negotiate very much right now. At least not with me. Believe me I tried! I had about a year ago purchased a Moonbird tenor from this company (FMC) Funmusiccenter for $1150 + $50 shipping w/no tax. It arrived in a week from purchase! Yes it is a fantastic ukulele. However, I had a friend who just had to have it so I begrudgingly sold it to him thinking I could always get another if I wanted. Well about 2 months ago I wanted another so I purchased the only one I could find anywhere. So I bought the one on Reverb from the same company. The best price I could get was $1300 plus $60 shipping plus sales tax so when all was said and done I was in to it for about $1450. HMS hadn’t had any for quite a while and my last experience was FMC was good so I went for it. I purchased on May 3rd as I said and they shipped on May 5th! Well I still haven’t received the ukulele yet and the only tracking information is “tracking unknown at Hong Kong facility”. That message has been the same since May 11th. I have sent repeated messages to them and all they say is it was sent and there are COVID delays right now. I sent a request to Reverb to investigate and they told me to get in touch with seller one more time and request a tracer put on package and to get an update. It took two try’s but just this morning they got back to me to let me know that they’re not sure where the package is but it is now taking between 44-66 days for delivery. I’m now at 47 days and have no idea where it is. I will say my past purchase with them was excellent in every way. I still believe they are a good company but with COVID I think it’s hard for everyone. My only complaint this time is their slow response time to questions. However I understand they probably are just tired and/or barraged with questions and complaints. So a long story short is if you’re going to buy from them prepare for a substantial delay in receiving the ukulele. Quite honestly it’s been so long that I purchased a new Kanilea KSE from HMS that I am really liking so much that I am thinking about just moving the Moonbird along when I receive it. I know they’re very popular and rightfully so. I haven’t made up my mind completely yet but am leaning that way right now. Hit me up if you’re interested. Anyway I hope this helps with your question!
