Hester's Ukulele Collection 

A Martin tenor uke from the 50s. That's a very special instrument and it sounds beautiful, Thanks Hester!

I'd like to have seen the nickel finished Dobro you played on "The Good The Bad, and the Ugly". Agreed , you're a warm and lovely person. Missed meeting you in Maine, USA. Stay as charming as you always seem to be.

What a wonderful story about your Father. Thank you for sharing!

What a nice visit. Thanks so much!

I just heard of you guys a couple of days ago. A friend from a ukulele group I belong to just all sent all of us one of your early performances on RU-vid. Now I can’t get enough - have searched RU-vid trying to find out if you’re all still together (so sad to hear about Kitty) and still performing. You have a new fan!!! 😍

Wow! Nice! Love! Hello from Finland! Thank You! 💖😍💖👍

As one who rescued a broken Kamaka off my mum's living room wall, I Love your rendition of Teenage Dirtbag

Thanks Hester, my ukulele pals and I have seen the UOGB several times. We always have a good time and try to have a chat after the show. We saw you in Cheltenham town hall when you were heavily pregnant and wished you all the best. Keep plucking Love Carol Whitfield.

💕Hester, my favorite for ever. Greetings from Finland 🌹

Thank you, Hester, for your time. I got to see the Ukes a few years ago at Chico State in California, a fond memory.

Thank you Hester for that delightfull show and tell, hope your girl keeps up the family tradition or at least preserves your collection 😃

Thank you Hester. You would be excellent as a ukulele teacher. A very gentle patient lady.

Such a lovely lady, I could have listened all day. I’m still furloughed 😘🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍🏻

Thank you, Hester. Enjoyed your ukulele collection. Best wishes from the San Francisco Bay Area. Stay well. Stay safe.

Lovely stories. I enjoy it so much when you & Peter sing & play "You don"t send me flowers". I can't get enough of it. You are my favorite! dan

Love Hester. would love to look through the memorabilia with her. A fascinating woman.

Anymore for anymore. Haven't heard that for ages. Lovely collection. Thanks for sharing.

Great Hester. You are a great warm person. Could watch you all day . Have been to your concerts a few times. Saw you all at the Big House down South last year. Love you Hester x.

Delightful! Absolutely delightful. Warm greetings from across the pond! Love the UOGB!!!

To be honest I didn't think I would watch the whole of it and want more. Thank you for sharing your memories, and for sharing them so.💙

Thank you Hester you have a lovely display of uke's with fond and sentimental memories, i have 2 uke's my 1st Kohala soprano and my favourite Ohana concert, very much enjoy the jamming sessions love how talented you all are💖🎶😎from 🇦🇺🏝😚

Hello there, lovely accent you have, I could listen to you tell stories for hours! Thank you for sharing your collection with us. If I was you, I'd get a nice sturdy case with a lock on it, for that Martin...to keep it from getting snipped or worse. Be Well ☮️

Very enjoyable, Hester, thank you! Loved the photographs and the stories.

Thanks Hester. I could easily have spent all day watching you show your ukulele collection. The personal stories and watching you share photos and memorabilia along with them made this very touching. I too, like most uke players, have UAS and most of them also have some memory attached. My current favourite is my Anuenue harp ukulele which is fun as the learning on it is all self taught and there are no books for this. It was given to me by my wife for a special occasion and I remember this every time I pick it up. I look forward to the next installation of these uploads as always. THU.

Hello Hester.. Thank you for this video. Thank you ESPECIALLY for your music, Thank you for your friend Kitty and thank you for being so beautiful and gladdening the heart of a much older jazz musician, still capable of having a crush on you!

I've got all day to look at all your ukuleles - just kidding. Thanks for sharing the ukes and their stories. Lovely. A bit over a year ago, I was given a toy-sized uke, very cheap, with no strings that a friend had gotten off a "free" table at a garage sale. I finally got around to putting strings on it (first time, and I did quite well, I must say) and gave it to a friend's 2 year old boy, our sort of surrogate grandson, who is fascinated by the things. His dad plays for a heavy metal band, so the boy knows the moves and how to hold it. I have a Kala tenor 5 string that I love, but I can't play near as well as any of you in the UOofGB. Love all your videos!!

You without a doubt my favourite,love your singing voice❤️

I watched you all play in Cardiff a few years ago and loved it. Lovely stories and thanks for sharing. Regards Michael

Thanks. Just started playing at 65.

Thankyou Hestor that was really lovely xx, me and my partner will see you and the guys in Liverpool 2022 at the Philharmonic ..sending our Blessings from Southport xx Best wishes from Clive and Sheila xx

Thank you Hester, some lovely uke's.

Lovely. thank you.

I am so jealous of the Martin tenor.....but you deserve it. Was at the Albert Hall prom, and at Cecil Sharp more than once. And had my wife and daughter with me at the Albert Hall, all 3 of us playing along when requested....May you soon be back on the road and entertaining. Loved your daughter's appearance on the Shiver Me Timbers video !

Thank you Hester, I really enjoyed that.

Hi Hester. Re your dad's beat up uke case. Maybe get in touch with the uk tv show The Repair Shop? That case is exactly the kind of thing they repair. They specialise in stuff that has history and sentimental value so I'm sure they could fix it!

I love them all! What a wonderful instrument!

Thank you for sharing your lovely collection of ukuleles and memories with us. Brilliant. Sorry for the loss of your dad, glad you have such warm fond memories of him. I myself was orphaned at the tender age of 38. Have a wonderful day!

Thanks Hester! That was so sweet!

lovely Thank you for being real

Thanks Hester, I love the Martin. What a lovely thing to have of your father’s. 😷

This was truly enjoyable and encouraging. It shows that you don’t have to have the latest and the greatest to make great music. I love the stories. I would have loved to sit all day and listen to your stories. That’s one of the many things in life that makes it enjoyable and worth living...stories and what things mean to people. That was very precious and very meaningful to me! Thank you for taking the time and sharing it (all of what you did) with us. It was wonderful.

Ι adore ukelele.I have one,red,black and with a blonde girl in the back.Thank Hest for memories and hopes.Happy new year for all of us!🌹

What a lovely video!

Thank you that was so much fun. I met you in Nova Scotia many years ago at their first ukulele Ceilidh. I think you are the best.

Thank you so much for sharing your ukulele collection. And for the photos, they were great.

Thanks Hester I enjoyed your little video about your Ukes 😊

Just lovely, thanks Hester.

I just found you guys on u-tube the other day. As a retired former musician myself, I really enjoy your performances.

How wonderful Hester, a window on your ukulele life. I very much enjoyed the guided tour of your ukulele family.

So nice to hear all your stories. Thanks for making these videos for us.

Without my son …… now 30 & a father himself I may never of come upon your work & modest band. Keep going because you rock me. Go for it x

Definitely love the "no-string-attached" "pretty easygoing' uke there!🎸

That was fun. Would love to see the rest. 😁

I loved seeing all those instruments Hester. I would suggest that you get in touch with the BBC programme, the "Repair Workshop", to see if they would like to do the restoration on your historic "Martin" ukulele case. It is quite amazing to see how they manage to rescue things that are looking well beyond repair.

Thanks Hester. I really enjoyed this. We saw you perform in Melbourne some years ago and just loved it.

That Martin Tenor is gorgeous! Great collection!

That was wonderful. I’m so happy she has her dads Martin.

Thank you for this great insight to your collection. The Martin is especially beautiful. Concerning Brüko I have a correction. They are made in Kitzingen in South Germany by a family enterprise and from there distributed all over the world. I have a little collection of those. Thomann is the big shop that sells musical stuff all over the world. The I-uke I love and use also, it is very practical...all the best for you, hope to see you again one day. I was very glad to have managed to get to your great concert in February last year...

Thank you.

I have a regular Kala Solid Mahogany Concert I love the faux tortoiseshell binding. I pretty much have all Kalas. I am a Kala snob.

Wonderful

Thanks for a great video I’m going to start playing the ukulele soon as a complete beginner love watching the video’s of the orchestra

Thanks for sharing your well used and well loved ukes with us!

Thank you

Thank you very much Love your stories and your collection.. I recently discovered the Ukelele, got a Noah Classic Sunburst as a gift from my wife. After two weeks practice, I can play Somewhere over the Rainbow fairly well, feeling great about it😊, keep on strumming.

Thanks Hester, keep smiling

Thank you Hester. I've just celebrated my 80th birthday and have never shown any musical talent whatsoever, but I do enjoy music and it's a real treat to listen to you talking about your various instruments. Have I left it too late to learn to play a ukulele, I wonder?

Lovely collection, and most certainly contact the Repair Shop currently showing on BBC 1.

Brilliant. Thank you 👏👍

Great collection. Thank you for taking the time to show us. I feel so much better now that I know the name of the dreaded U.A.S. of which I've been stricken. Why have 1 when 14 will do? 😉

Hello from Arkansas. Thanks for enjoying the “view from there”.

Hester This Was So Nice Inviting Us In

Love ya, Hester.

Great stuff Hester. Good to see you looking well. With regard to the Martin, regardless of the fact that you will not take it from the house, if it were mine, I would definately keep it in a strong case, the more so, because of its 'Sentimental' value. ( Who knows, further down the line, your daughter may wish to 'add' to its life)! Accidents DO happen, even at home! I have two TGI cases. In my view they are first class, and I would recommend them to all and sundry. Peace.

That Martin sounds Fresh as a daisy,engrosed,tho still waiting for the wipers going swish.Brilliant

Thanks Hester from Auckland NZ Ross and Avix

Hi Hester, a really eclectic collection! Thanks for sharing! I think a proper new case for your dad's Martin is in order. If it smells musty, it might off-gas onto the instrument! You don't want that....

Hey, just found your cover of teenage dirtbag… wow! Your voice is incredible, love the reference back to the ukulele during the chorus, had to listen to it 100 odd times. Haha! Sorry to hear your loss too btw. Much love❤

Thankyou.

Your fathers Martin sounds very sweet.

Thanks!

Hester, what is that metal resonator ukelele that you play sometimes? Who makes it and do you have any interesting stories about it. I love what you and the rest of the Orchestra do! You all are a gift to the world!

Sorry that you lost your Dad. Lovely that you have his ukulele, you need to buy a new case for it. I have a soprano ukulele that belonged to my Aunt (she didn't play). She bought in the mid 60's, it's a Barclay. It sounds good (I play, for almost two years). I love playing it because it was her's. I own four ukuleles; three sopranos, & one concert. My love to you all. Thanks! Patti

A reel of 'Gaffatape' would works wonders [inside & out] on your 'clown's shoe' [LoL] Martin uke case Hester......I've revived many thus over the years & you'd be surprised how long such a repair will hang together......a Martin deserves it. (Adore your UOGB......you're all SO warm & wonderful & YOUR stories are just smashing......SOoo sad re KL though. )

Heartfelt condolences. Please get a good case for that Martin!

Good idea

Good vid

I recall the Ukulele's of your band.

I would like to see you peeps play Paul's Dance, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra tune.

Would love to hear you play

Dear Hester well i am an old german grumpy man. Now facing the pandemic situation AND beeing a very amateur ukulele player i found that ukuleles are pack animals. Please stay healthy greets from bavaria

❤️

Nice presentation by a Lovely lady. Any plans of going back to Sweden with the tour?

Thanks Hester I enjoyed that I could watch you all day, though it seems that most of the orchestra’s instruments seem ancient,beat up and damaged. Which is testament I suppose of good use.thanks for the insight and a memorabilia video would be brill.xxx

Big like friend nice 👍👍stay connected please 😊😊

Musical ability is genetic.

Nice collection Hester, are they just a few of the ukes you own? I have a habit of buying ukes just because they look nice and must have UAS as I now have 13.

Thanks for a very entertaining video. I enjoyed watching it. I may be able to set your mind at rest regarding your feared UAS condition. No matter what George has told you, I suspect that UAS is an over diagnosed ailment. In earlier times as a born again cyclist I was accused of having too many bikes (mountain, touring and hybrid etc.) and always wanting more. I began to worry a great deal and feared that I may have BAS (a similar condition). I could hardly move in my shed for bikes, bike stands, tires and special tools. I was eventually assured by older and wiser mature aged cyclists that there was nothing at all wrong with me. The simple fact was that the ideal number of bikes to own was X + 1, with "X" representing the number of bikes already owned. I suspect that the same principles apply to your collection of ukuleles. I hope this makes you feel better! Keep up the good work and, for Heaven's sake, take the opportunity to buy yourself another ukulele (and restring the other neglected ones)!

Take the case to "The Repair Shop" they would love to fix it.

The last uke has the size and timber of a nice Venezuelan cuatro.