email to tom favilla

i have a baritone favilla coming no serial # or label dating it from late '40s to early '50s. my fascination with this instrument is that it was being made on W 14 st. at the same time i was being made in beth israel hospital on E. 16 st. that along with favilla playability.
i asked tom about wood sourcing as this was before the cuban embargo. they used honduras mahogany along with peruvian until 1965 when they went with african on the bodies and retained peruvian for the necks.
i am a cabinetmaker as well as history buff and had to know.

No label or serial # puts it between 46-53. Tom is a wonderful man with the info on Favillas. I had one of the baritones same dating as yours and sure miss it. The quarter sawn mahogany was really a dark rich quilted coloring. I liked the sound better than my '62 Martin. If it had a slimmer neck, I would have sold the Martin instead of the F. May still sell the Martin and pick up another old F.

thanks for the exact dates patrick. i can't tell the wood character from the ebay pics and will have to evaluate it when it comes in. needs some cracks fixed and so forth. i was torn for a while between ordering a kanilea, the factory will make you one with a 19" scale as they are already tooled up for the long neck tenor. it would have had a nice and complex sound in koa. with the baritone size however mahogany is particularly apt, and then the lure of the old wood and old times sucked me in. the wood from this hemisphere is special as are the older instruments that used it. i stop being spock at this point. it's an extremely emotional affair.

I'm sure Kaneilea would sound nice. I've yet to find any uke new or used that puts out the same deep smokey bluesy sound the F. does. Mine was a very deep hued mahogany; very special.