Jul/3/09
6comments

Martin, National: Ukulele Window Shopping

Quite a number of Martin ukuleles on eBay this week. Particularly catching my attention are this Style 3 Taropatch, this 1926 Tiple and this Daisy 5M.

I’m going to have to buy a Le Domino one of these days.

This week, shame on me, I’ve a g**tar catch my eye. A 1930s Slingerland Songster from Jake Wildwood.

National are the resonator makers. So it’d be interested to hear what their bottom of the range resophonic ukulele sounds like. That one looks like it’s been used to hammer nails into a barn door. But people seem to be bidding on it enthusiastically.

Brand names that don’t suit the ukulele #1: Conqueror. Save it for your range of condoms.

It’s July. Where are people selling ukulele Christmas ornaments?

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6 Comments

  1. todd July 3rd, 2009 7:02 pm

    Conqueror brand Ukulele…..love it….just saying it and associating it with the ukulele makes my teeth itch…..

  2. ronhale July 3rd, 2009 7:27 pm

    Perspective. There’s you & the world you live in & there’s
    everyone else, & we’re all on both sides of that divide. Still & all,
    “you poor dumb bastards. hicksville.” is sweet.

    The power of Formsby & Tim lives on, will it ever die? Who from
    this run in popularity will join them in the general public’s mind, or are there too many players (& styles) today as opposed to those two being lonely towering figures? Or, perhaps today’s players perform primarily for
    other players & fans, while George & Tiny performed for everyone,
    the general public will never associate the ukulele with any of today’s
    players in quite the same way, & George Formsby & Tiny Tim will forever be the image of
    the individual ukulele player in the popular consciousness.

  3. Jimmy July 3rd, 2009 7:27 pm

    I dunno, I quite liked the CONQUEROR. Looked nice and cool names are cool.

  4. Woodshed July 5th, 2009 12:49 pm

    todd: The name is just wrong.

    ron: I’m not so sure. I don’t hear the F-word from anyone but lazy journalists and the over-40s.

    Jimmy: That name is not cool!

  5. Hello Jodi July 5th, 2009 6:00 pm

    I love my Le Domino but the bridge is all f’ed up and needs adjusted. I don’t know that it’s worth $600+ though…

    And I’m also a sucker for archtop guitars. So so pretty.

  6. Woodshed July 6th, 2009 11:59 am

    Jodi: I’m always surprised how much the beaten up vintage ukuleles go for. I’ve given up saying, “… but it seems a bit over-priced,” because I usually end up looking stupid.

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