Vintage uke

Ghibli

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Australia
Guys
just got this soprano last week. Old (50yo+?), unkown manufacturer, a few hairline crack, some of them glued. some other at the back. It had no strings, not sure when it was last time it had strings fitted.Vintage uke1.jpg Will have to be careful when I put new strings on - I was thinking of fitting Martin fluorocarbons, they're flexible enough as I'll have to make a knot to fit them at the bridge end.

Anyway, the uke is a little dirty. Any advice on a gentle cleaning product to clean the instrument?
Cheers
 
That is a really sweet looking little spruce top. (Looks like spruce). I used previously on an old guitar some Howard's "Clean A Finish" wood and upholstery soap, very minimally, and it was fine (don't know if you can find it down under). Lifted the dirt without hurting the finish. I don't know what would be "correct" in this case. I suppose it depends on the value. It looks like a good nicely made little uke. I would take care whatever you use not to rub any dirt into the cracks and make them stand out however. For strings I generally use Worth Brown lights on all my vintage ukes so as to put less tension on them, but any flourocarbon is probably ok. I would not use nylon.
 
Hi Teek
i agree, the soprano looks sweet and well made, and that convinced me to get it even without knowing the manufacturer.
As said, the bridge does not have any holes for the strings to be threaded through, so I'll have to make a knot on the string itself and then wedge the knot in the slot in the bridge. In terms of strings, I am not set on Martins, however, and I might give a go to the Worth Browns light you mention, as I am not sure about how structurally sound this uke is, the less tension the better I think. Thanks for your tips.
 
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