Feb/4/11
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Jake Shimabukuro Signature Kamaka: Ukulele Window Shopping

No doubt about the hottest uke item on eBay this week: a Kamaka Jake Shimabukuro Signature ukulele. In 2006 Kamaka announced they’d be making 100 ukes to Jake’s specifications, individually tested by him and with his signature. And they were going to decide who gets them by lottery. The seller obviously isn’t a player and seems to have made a shrewd investment and is selling it now Jake is very big. If the seller gets the asking price, there’s a very nice $11,500 profit in it.

When I was a kid there was a big craze in the UK for American Football. I was a Bears man (because of The Fridge) and I demanded a Wilson Football for Christmas. It turns out that Wilson turned their hand to ukuleles with Ashland ukuleles.

An interesting new eBay shop in the UK: UkeniqueUkuleles. No seller feedback as yet but they’ve got some promising items off the bat.

Photos: I usually skip over the Hawaiians-in-grass-skirts photos but I found this one interesting. Girls w/ ukuleles in yard.

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  • Written by Woodshed
  • Filed in: eBay
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13 Comments

  1. Howlin' Hobbit February 4th, 2011 11:48 pm

    That Ashland uke, assuming it doesn’t sound like ass, looks like a pretty good deal at only 3 bills.

    So… did you get your football?

  2. Ron Hale February 4th, 2011 11:48 pm

    Weren’t some people complaining that Kamaka
    were putting so much time in on the Jake uke
    (a vanity instrument in my book) that production of other ukes was lagging, and that real people wanting real ukes were having to wait for this silliness to pass? I seem to recall something of the sort. Won’t repeat my rant about uber-expensive ukes (again) here, but the JAKE UKULELE!!!!!!! makes the Sceptre seem like a Flying V in comparison. Speaking of which, I’m a pink Flying V fan now, Al. Drop by HU to see why.

  3. Claudio February 5th, 2011 12:37 am

    I heard the same story that you couldn’t get an order into Kamaka etc..

    I’m quite disappointed that it doesn’t have a slotted head – I didn’t realise that was the case until just now.

  4. Bam February 5th, 2011 8:25 am

    So you still an American football fan? It’s getting pretty big in the uk again.

  5. Woodshed February 5th, 2011 11:11 am

    Hobbit: Of course I did. I’ve always been a good boy.

    Ron: I don’t remember that, but I haven’t been paying particular attention to it.

    Claudio: I’m a bit surprised by that too. A slotted headstock is the first thing that comes to mind with Jake’s uke.

    Bam: No, not at all. I don’t have a TV so I don’t keep up with any sport.

  6. pepamahina February 7th, 2011 12:21 pm

    I’m with you on the no TV thing to a point, we don’t have “TV” either, no cable, no signal of any kind, and consequently no commercials and such, ever. But do you really physically have no TV? We use ours to watch DVDs. Do you really watch everything on your computer?
    Just curious.

  7. Claudio February 7th, 2011 1:42 pm

    Haha Pepamahina – The curiousity of a scientist with the lack-of-TV disbelief of an american :D

  8. pepamahina February 7th, 2011 3:57 pm

    Hi Claudio-
    Yeah, like you said on your blog, “my degree says I’m a scientist.” But it’s not disbelief, it’s definitely interest, although I will admit that I am the only American I know personally who doesn’t watch TV unless it’s on DVD. I would like to physically get rid of my TV too, but I haven’t yet figured out how my family of four can gather around the laptop to watch a flick, you know what I mean? Children are way to wiggly for that sort of thing. You’re married or at have an “significant other”, right? Do you and your sweetie cozy up next to the computer every time you want to watch a movie? I had no idea the British were so snuggly ;)

  9. Claudio February 7th, 2011 4:27 pm

    I’m sadly a 5 TVs around house sort of chap.
    Main TV is 47″ which is massive by UK standards. My main TV an Internet enabled Samsung and I can push video to it from Samsung GT9000/Galaxy phone and watch youtube on it etc. TV watching behaviour has changed quite a bit here now. We tend to record what we want to watch so that we can skip the ads.

    Brits are snuggly. The wife does actually call me sweetie and does try to move in for the snug despite the size of my TV :)

  10. Howlin' Hobbit February 7th, 2011 5:15 pm

    @pepamahina — we have two TVs in our household and neither of them is hooked up to anything but DVD/VHS players, for the same purpose as yours. (though we have no wiggly kids to contend with, unless you count the cats.)

  11. Woodshed February 7th, 2011 10:33 pm

    pepamahina: No, no TV at all. In the UK you have to pay a TV license every year if you own a TV – even if you never watch the TV on it. And I don’t have anyone to snuggle up to, so that’s not an issue.

    Claudio: 47 inches? Are you trying to compensate for something?

  12. Claudio February 7th, 2011 11:48 pm

    Yep……Poor eye sight.

  13. pepamahina February 8th, 2011 4:57 am

    So the Hobbit and I only have 4 TVs between us, but thanks to Claudio, you two Brits have 5…and no kids…hmmm. That TV license stuff is craziness! You guys really do have nutty taxation habits. Maybe you should all go dump your TVs in the channel to protest…it worked for us. Oh, and if any of you nice ukulele strumming English girls are lurking out there, will one of you please go and snuggle Alistair for God’s sake? (Sorry…but I am an American remember, I’m supposed to be obnoxious!)

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