Swagerty Surf-A-Lele Ukulele [Vintage]

Description

This listing is for a very unique vintage ukulele and a modern gig bag. This rare ukulele is called a Surf-A-Lele, and it was made by the Swagerty company in the 1950s and 60s. The cool mid-century modern design was supposedly functional as well as aesthetically interesting because the straight headstock allowed surfers to stick the headstock of the uke in the sand when they decided to stop strumming and start surfing!
This ukulele can be considered either a long tenor or a short baritone as the scale measures 18 1/4” but it currently has baritone strings. This ukulele measures 26 ¾” long x 7 ¾” wide at the bottom bout x 1 ¼” thick. I am uncertain if this ukulele ever had a finish on the wood, but it seems to be mostly just the matte finish of the wood itself now. In other words, it does not have a shiny gloss finish or much of a protective coating at all. I am uncertain about the species of wood this is made from, but it is laminate wood, not solid wood. A fun thing about these ukuleles is the “Murf the Surf” decals they sported, which were drawn by Rick Griffin. This ukulele actually has two of those decals - one on the top of the ukulele above the sound hole and one on the back of the neck, right above the body. These decals are in excellent shape.
Overall, this instrument is in great condition for a vintage ukulele. Best of all - there are no cracks! There are some scratches on the body, as well as a chip in the sound hole, but nothing abnormal for a 60ish-year old instrument. There is a pin hole in the bottom that probably held a strap button at some point. There is a spot on the top where the wood is lighter in color than the rest of the wood, and some of the black dye is scratched in one small spot on the design. The back shows some minor scuffs along the bottom and on the corners of the triangle. There is a bit of separation between the side and the top of the body on one bout, but it seems stable (see photos). The bridge seems to be firmly attached. The fretboard is made of molded hard plastic, and it is dull. I am uncertain what type of cleaner or restorative agent is safe to use, so I will leave that task to the new owner. The frets are molded into the fretboard and I do not spot any chips, dents, or irregularities. The neck seems straight and firmly attached. The wood on the top where the strings go into the body does seem to be showing some wear. I definitely recommend using low tension strings to avoid worsening that issue. I replaced the tuning pegs with new friction tuning pegs as it only had three tuning pegs when I purchased it.
The neck has a very thick, almost square profile. The body is quite thin, so that combined with the triangular shape give it a different feel from other ukes when playing. The string action is pretty high. It has a pretty loud sound, considering the thin body made of laminate wood.
The gig bag is modern and is in near mint condition. All the zippers work perfectly. It has a moderate amount of padding, two backpack-style straps, and two front pockets. It is a bit big for the thin, oddly shaped body, but it accommodates the long neck perfectly.
I purchased this two years ago, and it has been kept in my nonsmoking, climate-controlled home ever since. It has been humidified as necessary and properly cared for to the best of my knowledge while I have owned it. I am selling it because I have quite a few ukuleles and want to thin out my collection by selling those that I do not play often.