Another cool find (tho Meri might disagree) was a Jaymar toy piano for $5.00. I already owned one that I'd bought on the road (thus Meri's reluctance to opening our home to second one) but for $5.00 I couldn't pass it up, and hey - they're small! They sell on ebay for $30.00 - $70.00. I'm hoping to find a hole in a recording sometime where that sound will fit perfectly.
When we were on the road we'd occasionally rent a car and drive from gig to gig within an area. Bob Shane loved to stop at every antique mall along the way. At one of those stops I found a Flamingo ukulele for around $15.00. It's made of that old plastic (bake-a-lite? Josh - what is that material?) and it features a pitch-pipe for tuning attached to the head-stock. But the most unique thing about it is the official "Arthur Godfrey Uke Player", a little box that attaches to the neck and turns it into an "auto-uke". The box has 6 buttons that you can push, like an autoharp, to play C, C7, F, G7, D7 and A7. Sadly, it has one broken tuning peg and I haven't found anything to replace it. Maybe I'll open the compartment in a guitar case at the next garage sale and find a little bag of plastic tuning pegs.
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