Wanted - Manuel Nunes ukulele

pukiki

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Aloha. I own a small tiki bar in Madeira Island called Pukiki. As you all know Madeira is where Manuel Nunes was from. My bar celebrates the historical link between Madeira and Hawaii and I'd love to bring a Nunes ukulele back home to have on display to the public. Condition is not really an issue because it will be display only. If anyone has any for sale please get in touch.
Mahalo,
Carla
 
Good luck Carla, they are hard to come by. I am hoping to find one myself one day. I have an early ukulele made before 1900 which has elements from M. Nunes and Santo but can't be conclusively attributed to either. Not much is known about Nunes's history in Madeira (at least in ukulele world). I don't know much more than that he was a cabinetmaker before he left for Hawaii. Do you have any information you can share about his, or Santo or Dias's history and lives in Madeira?
 
Danno, if you see it is still there, please connect with me. I have been hoping to find one for about 6 years. I don't have the big bucks that many of the big collectors have because I work in mental health but I'd jump at one that is in rough shape.
 
Danno, if you see it is still there, please connect with me. I have been hoping to find one for about 6 years. I don't have the big bucks that many of the big collectors have because I work in mental health but I'd jump at one that is in rough shape.

I'll be down by there this afternoon, I'll try to remember to check...

I went by there and it was gone.
 
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This is a neat idea. Just a suggestion: perhaps for your purpose, a replica would do? They are much cheaper and easier to come by. I suppose you could even add some playware, stains and patina to make it look older. Not to produce a fake, you should clearly label it as a replica, but it might be enough to show your customers what an early Ukulele looked like. I think Ohana and Anuenue make affordable Nunes/Dias inspired replicas, and then there are contemporary custom makers like William King, Glyph, and Kunihiro Matsui who have picked up such early design elements.
 
Aloha everyone! Thanks so much for all your replies. After a lot of research I have managed to get my hands on both a Leonardo Nunes and a Manuel Nunes! I received the Manuel Nunes one today and made a quick video with them side by side! :D As far as we know, this is the only Manuel Nunes ukulele to have found its way home to Madeira. Soon to be on display at our little tiki bar Pukiki with the history of the origin of the ukulele. A Portuguese gift to Hawaii!
Here's a link to the video:

https://www.facebook.com/pukikibar/

We'll be adding some pictures and a lot more information and history of the machete and ukulele to our facebook and website soon! If any of you are ever in Madeira come and say aloha!

Mahalo,
Carla
 
Aloha,

Can anybody out there help me date this Manuel Nunes ukulele?

manuelnunesuke.jpg
 
M. Nunes & Sons

a1.jpga7.jpg2014-05-19_15-06-31_627-1.jpgDSCN0545.jpg
This is an M. Nunes & Sons that is either refurbished or kept pristine over the years. I can trace it back to Hawaii in 1942. It was purchased by a musician couple who in later life moved to Florida where I purchased it from their estate. I'll take $1000 plus shipping for it.
 
Aloha,

Can anybody out there help me date this Manuel Nunes ukulele?

View attachment 103845

Looks like the tuners have been lovingly hand carved with a knife by someone later in its life.

Manuel Nunes claim to be “the inventor of the ukulele” first surfaced in 1909 around the time the company name “M.Nunes and Sons” was used by him - thats out of Jim Tranquada and John King’s ukulele history book (a must have for the uke crazy) they also state that M. Nunes stopped making ukulele’s in 1917. His Son Leonardo started to compete with his Father on the mainland from 1912 and by 1915 his instruments where distributed nationally again in competition wih his Dad.

Here is a link for the Grinnell Brothers Music House where the ukulele was distributed from.

http://www.historicdetroit.org/building/grinnell-brothers-music-house/

And the Family page

http://www.grinnellfamily.org/index...-music-house&catid=54:grinnell-lore&Itemid=97

between 1912 and 1917 would be my guess.
 
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I saw a Leonardo Nunes Uke in the Strum Shop in Roseville a few weeks ago. They were asking $400 for it. I'd post the pix but I can't get them to post>?
 
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Our Manuel Nunes ukulele is finally on display in our tiki bar (Pukiki). As far as I can tell its the only one to have found its way back home to Madeira.
ukulele.jpg
 
Our Manuel Nunes ukulele is finally on display in our tiki bar (Pukiki). As far as I can tell its the only one to have found its way back home to Madeira.
View attachment 104796

Nice to hear, does your Bar have a website?

It would be nice to go and see this online and read about it...
 
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