Martin mahogany sopranos

I've got one of each , they all sound like ukuleles to me. If there is a difference it is sutle , at least to my ear. They all sound great , the style 2 is my favorite but only because of the way it looks , I love the binding. Sound wise they seem the same , but there are alot of people with better ears than me.
 
Somewhere on this site is a comparison sound test on different model Martins , I'm too lazy to find it but you might .:anyone:
If I remember right , most people liked the SO , I have two of those and they get played the most.
 
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There was an earlier test done I think by the same pdxuke and you had to guess which uke was which.
 
The greater difference between Martins is related to when they were made. Earlier ones were built a bit lighter.
 
I've been wondering where to find more data on this topic myself too, it seems to me that there were variations and evolutions within a Martin Style.

The Ditson Martin Uke got my attention and I found a photo of a collection of them together (see: http://ditson-ukulele.com/#styles , scroll down until you see a picture of a young lady holding a Uke and to the left of that there are a row of Ukes). The photo shows a row of Soprano Ukes and to my eyes some look like they have wider bodies and fretboards than others, far left being the widest. I wonder what widths they were and why they changed, does anyone know?
 
I've been wondering where to find more data on this topic myself too, it seems to me that there were variations and evolutions within a Martin Style.

The Ditson Martin Uke got my attention and I found a photo of a collection of them together (see: http://ditson-ukulele.com/#styles , scroll down until you see a picture of a young lady holding a Uke and to the left of that there are a row of Ukes). The photo shows a row of Soprano Ukes and to my eyes some look like they have wider bodies and fretboards than others, far left being the widest. I wonder what widths they were and why they changed, does anyone know?

This book:

http://themartinukulele.com/purchase.html

is great.
 

Thanks for the pointer, I checked the link and found the book. It's quite a few dollars, the pound is weak at the moment and I expect shipping will be a significant charge too. For the moment I'll have to do without it and hope that there are on-line details that will give me more of a insight (than the very little I have) on the early Martins and their development. Made a start here: http://www.guitarhq.com/martin_ukes.html and http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/History/Martin/MartinUkes/martinukes.html .

I wonder what the dimensions of the Martin 0M (in the photo) were, love how plain it is plus the wider nut and wider body. From this thread I guess that they are pre 1920 as around that time extra dots were added to the fret board (and maybe other changes too),see: http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?73280-Dating-Martin-Ukuleles .
 
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This book is a wonderful read. Very well done. While I like Martin and I appreciate their place in history, I'm not exactly a Martin "fan-boy" and yet I still love the book.

While it's koa rather than 'hog, there is a Laughlin 2K for sale on FMM. It was previously mine and it's a pretty exceptional instrument and true to the vintage tone of earlier Martins. I'm not really playing traditional soprano anymore and if I didn't still have a recent 2K I'm selling, I'd probably buy it back just to have.
 
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