Old Uke Day

Tudorp · Nov 21, 2012

Well, actually it was the other day. But, just today was able to take a couple pics. I got this as a partial trade in, and I am really happy with it. It is a 1930's era Concertone. It didn't play very well, as many of them don't. But after a little tinkering, new strings, it is at least now playable. the original nut was rosewood it looked like. I don't think rosewood is nearly dense enough to be used for a nut, so I made a new one from bone. Shaved the bridge a little bit, still keeping a good distance from the head (too low and close to the head, you loose sustain). A new set of strings, and it made a world of difference. Very playable now, and a much brighter tone and not so muddy. I contribute that mostly the new nut. I was kind of suprised, because it has a beautiful birds eye maple veneer on the bucket. After the holidays, I decided to tear it completely down, and do a full restoration on it. I think with a gentle sanding, and a new nitro finish, it will really bring that bird's eye figuring out and be really striking. I have also started an arm guard made from some of the curly maple I had left over from my electric Les Paul uke. You can't really see the figuring in the arm rest, but after the finish on it, it'll pop and be a really nice functional accent. But, it is fun to play now, and I really can't wait to tear it down for a full restoration soon. I'll just enjoy it for a couple months first..

kvehe · Nov 21, 2012

This is nifty! Enjoy the restoration project - I know we'll all look forward to seeing the completed project.

oldetymey · Nov 23, 2012

Hi Tudorp

Couple questions for you as Im in the middle of a similar project. Do you have the strings going over top of the tailpiece in the back on purpose? I thought they went underneath? and how do you figure out where to place the bridge? I used the scale length from my other uke, it sounds right but not sure if it is right. Mine also has a wooden nut as well. Maybe a bone one would help in the same way as yours?
Thanks! Cool looking uke as well!

Pondoro · Nov 23, 2012

I've got a uke with the same veneer and hardware but a different headstock.

I'm guessing yours is a more expensive model or two different companies bought parts from the same source. Mine has no manufacturer's marks. Mine also has a very thin wood nut. I haven't messed with it except to install new strings and tuners, the old tuners had rubber knobs and they were dry rotting, plus one of the 4 was a dulcimer tuner.

Enjoy!

oldetymey · Nov 23, 2012

Pondoro said:
I've got a uke with the same veneer and hardware but a different headstock.

I'm guessing yours is a more expensive model or two different companies bought parts from the same source. Mine has no manufacturer's marks. Mine also has a very thin wood nut. I haven't messed with it except to install new strings and tuners, the old tuners had rubber knobs and they were dry rotting, plus one of the 4 was a dulcimer tuner.

Enjoy!

Hi Pondoro,

My uke is almost exactly the same as yours, mine just doesnt have the nice veneer, and the frets are set directly in the neck with no seperate fingerboard. It has no makers mark, but the shape of the headstock I think indicates Harmony?

mm stan · Nov 23, 2012

Aloha Bruddah Tony,
What a cool restoration project and will be lookin'forward to you update pics...thank you for sharing....still not sure if I should get one...

Pondoro · Nov 23, 2012

oldetymey said:
Hi Pondoro,

My uke is almost exactly the same as yours, mine just doesnt have the nice veneer, and the frets are set directly in the neck with no seperate fingerboard. It has no makers mark, but the shape of the headstock I think indicates Harmony?

OldeTymey - My frets are set directly in the neck as well, but the neck has a thin layer of dark veneer on top. So from the top it looks like there is a fretboard.

Not trying to hijack your thread Tudorp. What is your fret situation like? Applied fretboard or fretted through veneer?

Tudorp · Nov 23, 2012

I had one also like that, with the frets in the neck itself. Looked just like yours with no marks. I had found it was built by "Harmony". Harmony made many under different names, and many with no markings. Many of them at one time had lables that were marked "Standard Approved". The labels were paper, and typically torn up or messed at and at some point removed completely leaving it with no identification at all. Yours may very well be a Harmony like the one I had sold awhile back.

As far as the strings at the tailpiece. Technically, I think they are supposed to go under that piece, because they are actually banjo tail pieces for steel strings. With Uke plastic or nylon strings, sometimes the edge of the tailpiece will cut into the strings if they run under it. They work for awhile, but will eventially cut into the strings. I had my other one with them running under like they are supposed to be. I found that running them over the top, it puts less cutting stressed on the strings. As long as you maintain the angle over the bridge, there is no ill effects from running them that way. I just feel they go on better over, when using nylon strings.

My old Harmony with the frets cut right into the neck, I actually pulled them, and made a new actual rosewood fretboard, changed the scale slightly, and installed an actual fretboard with actually remedied several issues on those. Worked very well. I actually have an old thread here on that modification, and restoration. If you do a search on "Bango" ya might find that thread. That restoration and modification was really successful and made an otherwise difficult to play banjole into a very nice player. On the bridge spacing, just measure from the 12th fret to the nut. Then measure from the 12th fret to the head skin the very same distance, and mark it. That is where your bridge will need to be. The distance between the nut and the 12th, should be identical to the distance between the 12th and the saddle.
Hope that helps..

Tudorp · Nov 23, 2012

On this concertone, it does have an actual rosewood fretboard. Most Concertones did not have a fretboad, and were like the harmony with frets cut into the neck. But, there are some concertones out there that do have a separate fretboard, I assume they were slightly higher end versions. This particular one, is one of those with a fretboard. The fretboard is thinner than they ussually are, but it is thicker than just a veneer. It also has a veneer on the headstock, which isn't typical either. But it does all seem to be original to the banjole, so I am guessing it might be just a higher end version of the many of them. I'm sure they had student ukes and well as intermediate ukes, this one being more of an intermediate version. The ones labeled "Standard Approved" is not a manufacture, but I think that was just an industry standard for student ukes during the uke fade of the 1920s and 30s. There were tons of uke playing courses back then during that fad, and some organization had a "standard" for student ukes for those classes, and the ones that met the approval of that movement, got that sticker that read "Standard Approved". It wasn't manufacture specific, so many differnt ones had that label. I did some research long time ago on that, and that is how I understood it went on those..

oldetymey · Nov 23, 2012

Tudorp said:
I had one also like that, with the frets in the neck itself. Looked just like yours with no marks. I had found it was built by "Harmony". Harmony made many under different names, and many with no markings. Many of them at one time had lables that were marked "Standard Approved". The labels were paper, and typically torn up or messed at and at some point removed completely leaving it with no identification at all. Yours may very well be a Harmony like the one I had sold awhile back.

As far as the strings at the tailpiece. Technically, I think they are supposed to go under that piece, because they are actually banjo tail pieces for steel strings. With Uke plastic or nylon strings, sometimes the edge of the tailpiece will cut into the strings if they run under it. They work for awhile, but will eventially cut into the strings. I had my other one with them running under like they are supposed to be. I found that running them over the top, it puts less cutting stressed on the strings. As long as you maintain the angle over the bridge, there is no ill effects from running them that way. I just feel they go on better over, when using nylon strings.

My old Harmony with the frets cut right into the neck, I actually pulled them, and made a new actual rosewood fretboard, changed the scale slightly, and installed an actual fretboard with actually remedied several issues on those. Worked very well. I actually have an old thread here on that modification, and restoration. If you do a search on "Bango" ya might find that thread. That restoration and modification was really successful and made an otherwise difficult to play banjole into a very nice player. On the bridge spacing, just measure from the 12th fret to the nut. Then measure from the 12th fret to the head skin the very same distance, and mark it. That is where your bridge will need to be. The distance between the nut and the 12th, should be identical to the distance between the 12th and the saddle.
Hope that helps..

brilliant information!
The uke I have does have the remains of a paper label on the back of the headstock that says "standard approved" When I get time Ill have to post some pics, So I can safely assume its a Harmony from the 20's or 30's? I didnt expect it to be that old! Very cool, would you say in playable condition its worth the $75 being asked?

Tudorp · Nov 23, 2012

In playable condition, I would say closer to $100-$150. I see them go for an average of about $120.

Old Uke Day

Tudorp

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kvehe

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Pondoro

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oldetymey

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mm stan

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Tudorp

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Tudorp

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