"The Gibson" old Ukulele. Help?

krip1121

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Hi, My wife ran across this old Ukulele and I am curious to know more about it. Can anyone give me some more information on what model this might be? All she has been told is that it is from the 30's. Any help is appriciated! s-l1603.jpgs-l1602.jpgs-l1601.jpgs-l1600.jpg
 
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I'm no expert, but because it has The Gibson on the headstock, it was likely made between 1926 (start of production) and 1928. From 1929, they simply said Gibson. Based on the fancy fretboard markers, it is a Style 3. That is the extent of my Gibson knowledge!
 
Hi, My wife ran across this old Ukulele and I am curious to know more about it. Can anyone give me some more information on what model this might be? All she has been told is that it is from the 30's. Any help is appriciated! View attachment 97483View attachment 97484View attachment 97485View attachment 97486


It's a Gibson Style 3 and Eddie is most likely right about the timeframe (late 1920's). Gibson was better known for their banjo ukes, and their wooden ukes never seem to have the cache and desirability of the Martin ukes of the same era. That being said, this is a highly decorated uke by a top American manufacturer, and still brings a premium price. I've seen these go for $1500-2000, but usually in pristine condition. This one has a lot of honest wear on it, and ought to go a bit lower.
 
Thank you all so much for the info! I cant beleive it is from the 1920's! It is just awesome to see something that old still in decent shape.
 
Style #1 is the most common, your style #3 is much more rare and appears to be in great shape for its age.
"The Gibson" definitely dates it to the 20's.
I have a soprano (style #1) and a Tenor from 1926.
 
I was recently in touch with Joe Spann at Gruhn Guitars. He is the author of a book on the early Gibson years. According to him it is hard to exactly date the instruments as there was no real uniformity as to certain design elements or the logo used.

While for what ever reason Martin has that cache as mentioned above, The Gibson are terrific instruments. They are well built and many have gorgeous wood and workmanship and sound fantastic. Enjoy!
 
Did your wife buy the Gibson? Where did she find it? I never come across things like that locally. Nice find.
 
Looks great. Are you going to take the plunge?
 
Did your wife buy the Gibson? Where did she find it? I never come across things like that locally. Nice find.

It was a leftover item from an estate sale. Her mom runs the Estate sales and lets us get rid of anything thats left over. What a find!!
 
It looks like you have it listed on eBay. You might consider offering it here in the marketplace for interested parties. If you are coming here for the knowledge, why not use the resources available and maybe get it in the hands of someone who will love it?
 
It looks like you have it listed on eBay. You might consider offering it here in the marketplace for interested parties. If you are coming here for the knowledge, why not use the resources available and maybe get it in the hands of someone who will love it?

Sorry for the long wait to answer....I am working offshore of Dubai at the moment. My wife had already listed it on ebay before I even knew about it. When she told me about it I got interested and wanted to find out more. I told her I would like to keep it but she said once something is listed and bid on she cant cancel the auction.
 
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