Weird-looking old uke

[guitarist21]

Paging through the vintage/used section of Elderly (one way ticket to major GAS, I do not recommend it), I found this wacky thing, thought you guys might find it interesting.

 

http://elderly.com/vintage/items/180U-403.htm

 

Ellen

[Stackabones]

 

I agree with the description -- "VERY cool"

 

Just not $1500 cool!!!

[denvertrakker]

Funny you should post this -

 

There's an article on this very uke in the new issue of Fretboard Journal.

[OldGuitarPlayer]

Do you think this was a mass produced thing?

[T.B.]

I've seen that uke too. ( I want to say in AG mags advertisement gear/guitar pages) I'll check when I get home.

 

Trina

[ChiyoDad]

Mark Schoenberger still makes them. See Ukiyo Ukulele. They're $875 to $950.

 

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Do you think this was a mass produced thing?

 

Yeah, it was a pretty big seller for Harmony, too...they offered it for at least a couple of years!

 

Had someone bring me one to fix a few years ago...wonder if she khows how much it's worth (I didn't!)?

[T.B.]

Mark Schoenberger still makes them. See Ukiyo Ukulele . They're $875 to $950.

 

Yep, that's the one I've seen in AG. Stakes, Schoenberger is selling his Uke for half the price of the other one.

 

Trina

 

P.S. Welcome ChiyoDad.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS HCAG Members

 

 

[Vytas]

NOw that's a "paddle" uke if I ever saw one. Or a "hatchet" uke. lol

[Samilyn]

Very cool and very strange.

 

But I'm sure I can manage to find better things to do with 1500 bones.

[ChiyoDad]

I can imagine "junior" mistakenly chucking that instrument out a second-floor window.

 

"But, Dad, it looked like a plane! I thought it would fly!"

[Muddslide]

Yeah, that's a cool uke. I've seen pics of lots of those but never played one.

 

The first uke craze on the mainland USA came after the World's Fair Hawaiian Exhibition in 1915. By the mid-1920s they were everywhere and in fact Martin Guitars credits their sales of ukuleles with keeping the company solvent during the Depression.

 

They became very popular again in the 1950s and 60s with Art Godfrey and Tiny Tim and others.

 

Since the late 1990s, people consider the renewed popularity the "Third Wave" of ukulele building and playing.

 

People have always done whimsical things with the humble ukulele.

 

Check out this pic of a couple of Swagerty brand ukes form the 1960s. They had three models. The one on the left in this photo is called the "Singing Treholipee." The huge sabre-like extension above the headstock was designed so that a person playing one on the beach could turn it upside down, stick it deep into the sand and go catch a wave on their surfboard.

 

http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om26750.html

[T.B.]

Well guessie what? You're suppose to say .... What? "The Fretboard Journal has an article written by Mr. Marc Schoenberger about reviving the Aero-Uke. The article is in FJ's winter 2007 issue, now on news-stands. You can learn/read more about this particular Uke's history and Mr. Schoenberger's process of building a "new" and structural improved Aero-Uke. Very timely Ellen.

 

Trina

[VengefulTikiGod]

I know I'm being a wet blanket, but ugh, that thing turns me off.