Swagerty Ukulele
RatingsSwagerty ukuleles are some of the most distinctive, even startling, ukuleles ever produced.
Swagerty first began producing ukuleles the late 1950s and became massively popular during the surf craze of the 50s and 60s - the pointed ends of their ukes were intended to be driven into the sand while their owners were off catching waves.
They produced a number of models including the Surf-a-lay-lee, the Kook-A-Lele, and the Treholipee (you can see the original patent for the Treholipee here).
The Swagerty company ceased trading in the 1970s. so if you're after one, your best bet is to keep a close eye on eBay. Be warned, when they do show up, bidding for these can be fierce.
On Video
UkeTube superstars GUGUG with their Swagerty Treholipee ukulele.
On eBay
US $269.90
12 Comments
I am From San Clemente and knew Swagerty. I have a kook-a-lele bought new. That was so fun watching you guys play that damm thing.
I went to San Clemente High School from 1968-1971 and my Dad bought The Singing Trehõlipee for the fun of it. It looks great hanging on a wall and there is always someone who says “what the . . . is that!” But no one ever tryed to play it. I inherited it and now it stays with me in a small town in Norway. Since the ukulele is now back in stile and there are a lot of new songs to play I am learning to play it. So if there is any one out there who knows where I can buy some very long strings for it please write a comment here. Thank You Kindly
Ancil Swagerty was my uncle, Great fun watching those guys play the ukulele. Have a small collection myself, but never learned to play them. Dan Swagerty
I just bought a KOOK AL LEE Today for $15.00 needs some work. It is mustard yellow no notes painted on it. I need to glue it a little and Dream of finding two paddle tunners for it and a bridge i will make. Some fun though . great song.
I’ve owned a Kook a lele for about 5 yrs now and I only ever played it when I first bought it. Now it hangs on display. I want to restring it now but I can’t work out what strings to use. I suppose I need to use guitar strings. The distance from the nut to the bridge is 18 inches or 47cm which is closest to a tenor scale.It is 80 inches from the tuning pegs to the bridge. Wikipaedia shows 4 different tuning options for tenor ukes, this just confused me. Can anyone help me please?
Picked up a Treholipee at a yard sale today, with the plan to re-sell it on EBay but after seeing you guys play it and reading what everyone else had to say I might just keep it for fun. Finding new strings would be great though if anyone has any ideas. Thanks!
Lyle: Try Worth strings. They’re double length.
Inherited a Treholipee and am thinking of throwing it on eBay… now that I hear the potential this exceptional instrument has, I’m on the edge of learning how to play…
i have a number of ukes made by swaggerty one of them being a double neck, this one being the kook-a-lele. anyone ever seen these?
I know the Swagerty family and am on the hunt for Swagerty ukes. I appreciate the history you’ve provided.
Like Dan Swagerty (above), I am a nephew of Ancil A. Swagerty, the inventor and manufacturer of these ukes. He made a series of them: The Treholipee, Kookalalee, Little Guitar, Banana Bass (literal shaped like a big banana), Surfalalee (which could be taken on a surfboard and used as a paddle or played in between sets) and others. I worked in the small factory named Swagerty Specialties off of Pico Avenue in San Clemente during the summers of 1968 through 1973. Our largest client was Holiday Inn. That company ordered several thousand for its hotels in Hawaii to put in every room. They came in many colors and the painter was an auto-body man who my uncle recruited from our home base of Clayton, New Mexico. Ergo the bright colors which included gloss orange, red, yellow, natural grain matte brown, and two pastel shades–blue and green. A few were also black, but the Banana Bass was always bright yellow! He also made traditional harps and dulcimers in very limited numbers–really one-of-a-kind through orders.
I recall his original idea was to modify instruments he had seen while serving in the US Navy in WW II. He was a pilot and traversed the Pacific several times during the war carrying men and materiel back and forth between Hawaii and US bases. Filipino and Japanese instruments influenced his designs, as well as his time among Polynesian cultures in Hawaii and elsewhere in the Pacific.
I’m not a string player, only horns and the sax, and never learned to play one of these. I drilled the holes, glued the frames, set the fret, sanded them, and swept up the mess all those summers. Good memories. My Uncle Ancil was a living legend and creative inventor, as well as expert craftsman who also made Mission-style furniture, which is scattered across California and the Southwest. He died in 1991, age 80 and is buried in Newport Beach.
Anyone have info on the Swagerty upright bass? One stringed instrument. I have pictures if it helps
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