News that ukuleles are outselling electric guitars has been welcomed by guitarists.
The small four-stringed, guitar-shaped instrument is probably best known for being played by cheeky war-time film comic George "Turned Out Nice Again" Formby. Elvis strummed one in his movie Blue Hawaii and Beatle George Harrison was reputedly a devotee.
A survey of 180 music shops for the Musical Instrument Retail Conference reported that ukulele sales were well up while demand for electric guitars was falling.
"This should be great news for struggling guitarists everywhere," said a spokesman for the National Union of British Axemen. "If demand falls, so should prices - it's economics innit?"
But local star stringmeister Nobby Plectrum is not impressed: "Do me a favour... soon as I heard, I dashed down me local guitar shop thinking I'd pick up a Gibson Les Paul nice and cheap like.
"Fat chance - Gibson Custom Shop Slash Appetite For Destruction signature model Les Paul? One quid shy of ten bloody grand! So much for that idea.
"So I bought a ukulele for sixteen quid."
