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 $200.00
5 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?
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