Vintage Roll Call

pdxuke

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THREAD UPDATE: Thought it might be fun to revive this. You can see from my sig line that from having only 1 vintage uke I now have a bunch. I'm a believer. So: Roll call--anything new?

Ok, so I thought this might be fun: I'd be interested in hearing about the vintage (let's say, 1970 and back) ukes you might own.

I'm particularly interested in knowing if you Martin collectors have, for example, more than one of the same style; like more than one type 0, 1, or 2. Pictures would be nice, but not entirely necessary.

But I don't mean for this to be just for Martin collectors: I'm interested in all your Vintage Goodies!

I'll start:

I have exactly one, but i love it: Martin 1948 style 0
http://www.gryphonstrings.com/instpix/33126/Extra.php
 
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Here we go.....the thread I will be checking over and over. I am crazy about vintage....I'll start with the oldest ukulele I own, and likely the oldest one I will ever own.

1890's -1900 Spruce Top with Mahogany back and sides. Tortoise Shell Moustache Inlay.....and a mystery who made it.
IMG_7269.jpg


Here is my Royal Hawaiian - 1920's
IMG_7235.jpg
 
Hi There, thanks to my buddy RyanMFT who posted here I picked up this 1932 Martin. It is the only year they used both the rear imprint stamp and the sticker on the front of the headstock called "The transition year". All quarter sawn mahogany style 2. The sound is amazing. It is the only soprano I will ever own so I figured it had to be a Martin.

untitled-3465.jpguntitled-3467.jpguntitled-3468.jpguntitled-3471.jpguntitled-3475.jpg

Cheers!

Ok, so I thought this might be fun: I'd be interested in hearing about the vintage (let's say, 1970 and back) ukes you might own.

I'm particularly interested in knowing if you Martin collectors have, for example, more than one of the same style; like more than one type 0, 1, or 2. Pictures would be nice, but not entirely necessary.

But I don't mean for this to be just for Martin collectors: I'm interested in all your Vintage Goodies!

I'll start:

I have exactly one, but i love it: Martin 1948 style 0
http://www.gryphonstrings.com/instpix/33126/Extra.php
 
I own a few vintage ukuleles. No Martins though. I have played a few old Martins and they all sound really good but I did find some better than others just like any brand of ukulele. I own two old birch Regal sopranos, a Roy Smeck Harmony with plastic fretboard (a great sounding little ukulele actually), and a Kumalae style 2. Ryan MFT Your unknown ukulele, have you considered Ibanez? It looks a lot like an old Ibanez that was on ebay a while ago. Just a thought.
 
My one and only vintage uke is my 40's Martin Style 1, an excellent example of the breed. I got it on ebay from a kid that inherited it from his Grandmother.


Martin2.jpg

Scooter
 
I have a couple, but only one that I really play all the time. This is my 1928 Harmony Johnny Marvin "Tenor" (it's really a concert scale, but at the time it was the largest ukulele being produced, made specifically for live performance) It's not pristine, but it sounds unbelievable:

P8230030.jpg

P8230026.jpg

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P8230013.jpg
 
I have a late 20s or early 30s Gibson Uke-1. :)

UaCjY.jpg
 
1940 Martin 3m- last year with the celluloid embellishment on the soundboard, first with the round fret markers. Mine is transitional I suppose, it has both
 
Here are some of my vintage sopranos. A 28-32 Martin 0, a 62+ Martin bari and a White label Kamaka tenor didn't make the picture. Also Gretsch and Lyon & Healy Camp ukes.

VINTAGE SOPRANOS 004.jpg

20's Wurlitzer w/violin pegs
28-32 Matrin 1K
30's Supertone w/ mother of toilet seat finger board
40-50 Gretsch
50's Martin 2
50's Harmony solid mahogany with rosewood fingerboard
Gold Label Kamaka (Ozzie)
Gold Label Keiki Kamaka

Bill
 
Wow, Bill!

(This thred is so much fun :)

Bill (and others) how are the wooden pegs (violin style) to tune? I have my eye on a uke with them, but they scare me, haha!

Also, does anybody here own more than one Martin style 0, and if so--why?
 
2 1920's Martins that were my Granddad's. A style 0 with plenty of wear, and a koa style 1 in great shape. Both had minor back cracks that I had repaired, both sound amazing, and both are challenging to play due to low bar frets and close-set strings. That and they are sopranos...the style 1 is impossibly light, and the wood is super thin.
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=30457&d=1322627639
They are what got me into the ukulele in the first place, but I'll confess to not playing them every day. The style 1 especially is more of a Sunday-go-to-meeting uke.
As for wooden pegs, I love them. So beautiful, simple and light. Maybe a little more hassle, but worth it for an all organic instrument.
 
I LOVE wood peg tuners! No need whatsoever to be afraid of them. In fact, I think they are easier to use than mechanical friction tuners! I would have them on any/all my ukuleles. If you have the chance to get a ukulele with wood pegs, go for it, they are fun, and lighter than any other type of tuner.

Here is a picture of my 20's Kamaka Pineapple, style 4....with wooden pegs! When I got it there was no tuners. I called Kamaka and they said they don't have a source for wood pegs and that they "are awful". I took it to my luthier and he installed these rosewood tuners, they dropped right in as the holes were already tapered.

 
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how are the wooden pegs (violin style) to tune? I have my eye on a uke with them, but they scare me, haha!

They're not bad. Just a short learning curve. You need a little forward pressure on them, but not so much that they bind. Not quite enough and they slip. Once you get that, the tuning accuracy is about the same as regular friction tuners.

Bill
 
That may be one of the best descriptions I have seen as to how to work with wooden tuning pegs.........well done KamakOzzie!
I have a couple vintage ukulele's with wooden peg and they work just fine once you get the hang of them.
 
Ok, so I thought this might be fun: I'd be interested in hearing about the vintage (let's say, 1970 and back) ukes you might own.

I'm particularly interested in knowing if you Martin collectors have, for example, more than one of the same style; like more than one type 0, 1, or 2. Pictures would be nice, but not entirely necessary.

But I don't mean for this to be just for Martin collectors: I'm interested in all your Vintage Goodies!

I'll start:

I have exactly one, but i love it: Martin 1948 style 0
http://www.gryphonstrings.com/instpix/33126/Extra.php


I do have more than one type of style 3 Martin :)
SN856460.jpg
I also have a very old Style 1 and Style 2, and a couple of other vintage ukes I enjoy playing very much.
 
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