I have a uke that I bought in Kobe Japan back in the early 50. I was in the Navy at the time serving on a heavy cruiser. The uke only cost me 800 yen which at that time came to around $2.30. The sound wasn't all that great but it was the only instrument I had at the time. Anyway, I had all of my buddies sign (scratch) their names on the back, sides and neck. Also scratched in the names of all the places and ports we visited.

Somehow the uke managed to survive years of neglect, poor storage, etc. About ten years ago I decided undertake a restoration. I patched the cracks, reattached the bridge and installed some tuners. Then I added some good strings and was amazed at how well the old uke sounded.

It's interesting the amount of interest people have shown in that old uke and especially all of the scratched names and carvings. I played it just tonight at a fund raiser and several people checked it out.

Not much in the way of decorations but it sure means a lot to me.
        
Cap't Bob