Carnival Cowboy

This one has a crack on the soundboard just to the left of the bridge so how playable it will ever be I don't know? And I've said I'm not buying old clunkers any more never mind old clunkers that are damaged; so why? WHY?!

Well it has all its original push fit Carnival tuners and so I thought I would bid the opening amount just for the tuners; after all no one else might bid - and they didn't!! Also apart from the crack it looks in pretty good nick, the decorations not worn much, and the nut and bridge are in one piece. I can have a go at the crack with some superglue or something and it will still be a bit of fun even if its not very playable. Yes its a clunker but it still gets a Ye Har!

It's here now and every bit the clunker I was expecting - only smaller? Yes, when it turned up it's a Mini not a Soprano which is better because it means the tuners will definitely fit the Carnival Banjo. Of this Ukulele, it is more damaged that I was led to believe. There is two big cracks on the headstock and small crack on the side of the neck in addition to the one mentioned, plus a lot of extraneous glue on one side so I think the top may have been re-glued at some stage. I can clean it up a bit and if I put some strings on I might be able to get  quick burst of Waltzin' Matilda but other than that is tuners off and a wall hanger in the depths of clunker corner because it doesn't look so good close up and its only really good for looking at.

Well I got some strings on and it took a C tuning, (I didn't go higher because of the cracks), and it didn't sound too bad, I was expecting a lot more rattle, (but that's not to say it sounded very good; just not as bad as I was expecting - but it does have a bit of a chime to it), but like all Minis its a bugger to play. The intonation is a bit off as you go up the neck; it's about a full tone off at the 12th fret. This is partly because the nut is moulded quite high, (so are the frets), but also because the 12th harmonic is at the 10th fret, (was Carnival trying to decimalise music?). Without this issue the build quality was never that great anyway so I wouldn't worry too much if I lost it, and I doubt I'd get another one even if it was as cheap as this, but what the heck its a bit of fun and I can really play it in the bath!