New vintage Uke Day!

And before I forget, thanks UU crowd for helping me realize the gift I was being given (just $95 at the antique store). Even with these old strings i can tell that it'll play like a dream...can't wait to tune it up with some new ones.
 
That really looks stunning! Congratulations! And what a bargain...
 
Yes! I am so glad you got it! I was waiting for these pics.

Looks great, what a deal you got. One great thing I notice is that it has what appears to be an ebony saddle. That is great, the saddle on my Favilla soprano is part of the bridge and is not removable. I bet the harder wood saddle will make it sing even more.

I like Martin strings on my vintage mahogany sopranos, Aquilas tend to be too punchy and harsh on them for my tastes. Also, seems like the Aquila strings have more tension which I don't mind not having on a vintage ukulele. Enjoy the heck out of it!
 
I was following you talking about this. Glad you bought it. It's a beauty.
 
Congratulations, looks nice, I was hoping you were going to buy it.
 
That is great, the saddle on my Favilla soprano is part of the bridge and is not removable. I bet the harder wood saddle will make it sing even more.

I like Martin strings on my vintage mahogany sopranos, Aquilas tend to be too punchy and harsh on them for my tastes. Also, seems like the Aquila strings have more tension which I don't mind not having on a vintage ukulele. Enjoy the heck out of it!

It appears to be ebony...and my thoughts exactly about the strings. Don't want to put a whole lot of stress on it.
 
That's in amazingly good shape! Put some Martin 600's on it - it'll sing!
 
I have four vintage Favillas from the 20's/30's to probably late 50's. According to Tom Favilla that U2 with white tuners likely is a post '45 uke. I love Favillas and think they are the best buy in a vintage uke. No they're not as bell-like as my 20's Martins but they have a rich, round, and complex vintage mahogany sound that you don't get in a new uke. And although they can usually be picked up in great condition for under $200, if you played them blind they'd beat many a uke costing three times they price sound-wise. I just can't say enough for Favilla's and they seem to be at a low point now price-wise having dropped substantially since I first started looking at them early last year. I like Fremont Blacklines or Worth Browns on my Favilla's. I've never liked the feel or the sound of Martins in comparison and I would urge you to try these strings. My early U-2 doesn't have quite the projection of my older ukes and I thought about trying Aquilas (it came with new Martins but I didn't like the sound) but actually I think that I'll just live with the softer rounder sound. Here's a link to a photo with dates of Favilla's http://www.catfish1952.com/favilla.html I think that yours likely is the fourth from the left. I think that the dates on this site are approximate. I have a ~20's/30's U2 (second from the left), but it also has a blue and silver decal which according to the Favilla family was only used between '29 and ~'35 unlike the teens to 20's date that's given on the web site. Favilla ukes also had serial numbers between '53 and '57. Enjoy your uke, g2
 
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