Is this a good price for a vintage Martin?

gustophersmob

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NUD! Vintage Martin Concert

Hi!

There is a guitar shop about an hour drive from me that has a vintage Martin concert uke on consignment for $500. I saw it when I was in that town this past weekend, and am considering going back to get it. They say it is a 50's model. It has a the label on the peg head and tortoise binding. It appears to be in good shape. There is a small repaired crack on the top and a longer unrepaired, but stable, crack on the back. It does not have a case. My luthier would fix the crack for about $40-50, plus the cost for a case would put me about $600 all in. Does that seem reasonable? Is there anything in particular I should look for to further evaluate the condition of the instrument?

Also, are there any good online sources that could help narrow the date range?
 
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Sounds good to me, especially if you love it. If anything, its value will increase over time. I see only one recently sold on eBay, which went for an offer something less than $895.00. Who knows what it sold for, but I bet it didn't go as low as $500. See pic below.

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Cool, thanks for the info.
 
NUD! I decided to get it! Can anyone help me with dating it based on the pics?

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I'd say you got a very good deal. It's a beauty.
 
I think you did get a nice price on a very nice looking and not all that common Martin. Congrats!
 
Lovely concert Martin! You don't see that size around very often. How's the sound? I bet it's absolutely amazing. Congratulations on finding a treasure.
 
Lovely concert Martin! You don't see that size around very often. How's the sound? I bet it's absolutely amazing. Congratulations on finding a treasure.

Thanks! I think it sounds great. A very nice open and mellow sound. I'm coming from primarily import sopranos, and even though they are solid wood, the wood on the Martin (at least the top) is about half the thickness of the imports. That plus the larger concert size just makes it sound bigger. I know that's not a helpful descriptor when it comes to sound, but I don't know how else to describe it really.

It appears to have some kind of fluorocarbon strings on it. I've found that I prefer Aquila Nylguts on my sopranos, but am wondering if maybe fluorocarbons are better on this?

I'm assuming by your user name you're in Ohio? I live near Dayton and found this uke in Columbus.
 
I'm assuming by your user name you're in Ohio? I live near Dayton and found this uke in Columbus.

Yep, I'm in the Miami Valley, too. I need to start keeping my eyes open if ukuleles like yours are floating around here! All I've ever found was this:
 

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Wow! Congratulations on a great find! I bet you're glad you went back and got it. It looks to be in excellent condition. I can imagine that it really sings, and should for a long, long time!
 
Wow! Congratulations on a great find! I bet you're glad you went back and got it. It looks to be in excellent condition. I can imagine that it really sings, and should for a long, long time!

Yes, I am happy with my decision. My main struggle in deciding is that I've been searching for a similar "deal" on a Gibson soprano, but so far have been unsuccessful. The Martin is probably a better choice anyway, as I kind of like the slightly larger concert size, and I don't think Gibson made any concert size ukes.

Now I'm debating on whether I should upgrade the tuners. They work, but are not very smooth. They are the original Grover champions, which I could just get an identical set, or I could upgrade to gotoh upts, but that would require reaming the holes larger.
 
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I wouldn't ream a vintage Martin for UPTs, but would try to rehab the originals (disassemble, clean and lube), and if still not good, would try a new set of similar looking Gotoh frictions. I hated frictions at first, but when you've adjusted the screws, they work ok, stay in tune well, and just look right on a vintage uke.

Thanks for the input! I've got friction tuners on my soprano that work fine, so I'm not opposed to them. Grover champion tuners are still available which would be a match as far as replacement. I plan on making it a players uke, so I'm not 100% opposed to making changes. I've done similar mods to my 20 year old Gibson J-45. I'm the type that finds an instrument he likes, and plans on keeping it forever.
 
Yep, I'm in the Miami Valley, too. I need to start keeping my eyes open if ukuleles like yours are floating around here! All I've ever found was this:

I've never seen one at this price for sure. Hauer music in centerville currently has a vintage Martin soprano, but they're asking way too much, IMO. Centerville music (across the street from Hauer) also has one for a better, but still a bit high price. It does provide the opportunity to try them out, though.
 
I've never seen one at this price for sure. Hauer music in centerville currently has a vintage Martin soprano, but they're asking way too much, IMO. Centerville music (across the street from Hauer) also has one for a better, but still a bit high price. It does provide the opportunity to try them out, though.

Yes! I've seen both of those. Not touched the one at Hauer, but have held/strummed the one across the street. I like to go in there and ogle the cool old stuff he has. I guess I'd already dismissed both of those ukes as not "finds," since I agree with you that they are priced too high.

You really got an EXCELLENT deal on your concert I think.
 
Yes! I've seen both of those. Not touched the one at Hauer, but have held/strummed the one across the street. I like to go in there and ogle the cool old stuff he has. I guess I'd already dismissed both of those ukes as not "finds," since I agree with you that they are priced too high.

You really got an EXCELLENT deal on your concert I think.

Yeah, they do have some very cool stuff. I'm primarily a guitarist, and some of the old Gibson arch tops they get are very drool worthy.

You may already be aware, but there is a local luthier named Mark Kaiser. He is one of the best luthiers around, IMO and can fix just about anything. centerville music is a drop off point for him, so if you ever need any repairs you can take it there and he can fix it.
 
Here are some new pics in better light with the case. As you can see, it fits well around the body.

So far I'm very pleased with this instrument. It has a great tone and is almost crazy loud for the size.

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Congratulations and welcome to the Vintage Martin Ukulele owners club! It will certainly bring you many years of enjoyment.
 
I'm the type that finds an instrument he likes, and plans on keeping it forever.
I'm the same way, which is why I put Gotoh UPTs on my vintage Martin. With that said, I only enlarged the holes on the back portion of the headstock allowing me to reinstall the old tuners if my heart ever desired. However with the new UPTs, changing strings and keeping in tune is a cinch.

Now had my Martin been in pristine condition, I would think twice about the modifications required for UPTs.
 
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