$100,000 ukulele
- Thread starter badhabits
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CPG
Well-known member
I enjoying reading about instruments that fetch these kinds of prices.
Chris Thile has a mandolin that I believe cost him around $200,000.
I believe it's a vintage Loar. Probably similar to this: https://www.elderly.com/collections/instruments/products/gibson-f-5-lloyd-loar-1924
Check out the most expensive instrument Elderly has on their site: $218,000
https://www.elderly.com/collections/instruments/products/gibson-explorer-1963
Chris Thile has a mandolin that I believe cost him around $200,000.
I believe it's a vintage Loar. Probably similar to this: https://www.elderly.com/collections/instruments/products/gibson-f-5-lloyd-loar-1924
Check out the most expensive instrument Elderly has on their site: $218,000
https://www.elderly.com/collections/instruments/products/gibson-explorer-1963
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Canada Jim
Well-known member
One of Martin's ugliest guitars, a 1958 or 1959 D-18E, just sold at auction for $6,000,000.00, setting a record for the most expensive acoustic guitar.
This guitar belonged to Kurt Cobain and was the one he used on MTV Unplugged; strange since martin marketed it as an electric guitar and Kurt definitely was plugged on the show.
These guitars came with two DeArmond pickups, but since Kurt didn't like the sound of the DeArmonds, he disconnected them and used a Barolini 3AV soundhole pickup.
Martin only sold these for two years, since they were not very popular at the time.
This guitar belonged to Kurt Cobain and was the one he used on MTV Unplugged; strange since martin marketed it as an electric guitar and Kurt definitely was plugged on the show.
These guitars came with two DeArmond pickups, but since Kurt didn't like the sound of the DeArmonds, he disconnected them and used a Barolini 3AV soundhole pickup.
Martin only sold these for two years, since they were not very popular at the time.
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peanuts56
Well-known member
yowee! Saw an episode of Antiques Roadshow the other night and they were updating items from around 2000-2001. A lady had a violin that had been appraised somewhere around 25k in 2000. The show was from 2016 I think. The updated appraisal was around 150k.
Another episode I saw had a guy bring a violin to be looked at. The guy and his wife spotted an old army trunk someone was throwing out. He thought he could use it to store tools in. He went up to the house and asked if he could just take it. The people were ok with that and mentioned there was some stuff inside they were also throwing out. The violin was one of the items. The appraiser put the value at 35K!!!
Another episode I saw had a guy bring a violin to be looked at. The guy and his wife spotted an old army trunk someone was throwing out. He thought he could use it to store tools in. He went up to the house and asked if he could just take it. The people were ok with that and mentioned there was some stuff inside they were also throwing out. The violin was one of the items. The appraiser put the value at 35K!!!
Jerryc41
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My brother has a vintage Gibson Explorer----or perhaps a Japanese lawsuit Explorer---I don't recall which........I'll forward the Elderly Posting to him. His Explorer is a little beat up....a previous owner--whom my brother knew wanted to give the guitar some used character look vibe to it and took a beer bottle to the body and put a bunch of dings in the body. Sad. My brother got the guitar and several others for an outrageously good deal....My brother just retired.....perhaps he's sitting on a silver mine........I'd say gold mine but the guitar is not pristine....
Instruments are to be played whether a Stradivarius......a Loyd Loar......a Gibson.......a Makala dolphin.........my mother in laws violin from the late 1600's is still played now and then..........if it's in the house it's going to be played at some point........
Instruments are to be played whether a Stradivarius......a Loyd Loar......a Gibson.......a Makala dolphin.........my mother in laws violin from the late 1600's is still played now and then..........if it's in the house it's going to be played at some point........
ukulelekarcsi
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There is a huge difference between asking prices, appraisals (often for insurance purposes) and paid prices. I genuinely don't think anyone will pay 100 000 dollars for a 1970s Martin tenor without an interesting back story.
The highest prices ever fetched by ukuleles, were usually for quite rare instruments, not always made by top companies, but in any case owned and played by famous people (think George Harrison, George Formby). My theory is that those prices are often paid by companies purely for the press exposure such an outrageous sale causes.
The highest prices ever fetched by ukuleles, were usually for quite rare instruments, not always made by top companies, but in any case owned and played by famous people (think George Harrison, George Formby). My theory is that those prices are often paid by companies purely for the press exposure such an outrageous sale causes.
bbkobabe
Well-known member
Hi all!
There is a modern version of this Martin available for $1700 on the Craigslist/Northbay CA right now if you want to save a few bucks...
Bill
There is a modern version of this Martin available for $1700 on the Craigslist/Northbay CA right now if you want to save a few bucks...
Bill
Pukulele Pete
Well-known member
I have a Martin HSO soprano , and it may be the only one that survived . Martin made 178 of them but from asking here and on the Four String Farmhouse , It looks
like I may have the only one . Any thoughts on its value ? ?
like I may have the only one . Any thoughts on its value ? ?
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Will it make me play better? If not, maybe I should hold on to the $$$? 
Pukulele Pete
Well-known member
The AD for Mandolin Bros . is probably more than 10 years old . The HSO pictured may be the one I have and may be the only one that has survived .
Jerryc41
Well-known member
...maybe I should hold on to the $$$?
But then all you have is money, and that's no fun. I prefer stuff to money. My spending is based on the assumption that there will be no emergencies that require lots of money in my future.
