Washburn Lyon, Leopard Fluke: Ukulele Window Shopping

I’m a bit confused about what Washburn are playing at. They used to make ukes under the name ‘Lyon and Healy’, then they syphoned off the ukuleles to their ‘folk instrument’ section Oscar Schmidt. And now they’re selling ukuleles as Washburn Lyon. And they seem to be exactly the same as the Oscar Schmidt ukuleles. If there’s a difference between that uke and the Oscar Schmidt koa, I can’t spot it.

You don’t see many leopard skin Flukes around. I suspect those bleeding-heart liberals don’t think it’s worth killing leopards to make ukuleles. Damn hippies.

I’ve been eying up this National resonator.

Photos: sad man with busted up ukulele, Shirley Temple.

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?

eBay Browsing: Black Bear, National, Blue Star

Duane Heilman of Black Bear has made some strange ukuleles in the past, but he’s completely lost his mind with his latest ukulele. Inspired by the equally nutty Novax guitars, it’s a tenor scale ukulele on the upper edge of the fretboard and concert scale ukulele on bottom. I hate to think of the maths involved in that.

Relatively tame by comparison are an electric Blue Star Konablaster, and a Flying V made by Bob Hurney. I’ve no idea who Bob Hurney is, but the turtle shaped hole makes guess he’s something to do with Kanilea (who use a very similar turtle design).

A couple of National Ukuleles: This rather lovely Koa National has already been sold, but there’s a banana hued National still up for grabs.

Sweetest ukulele this week is this Kamaka soprano.