Found a Manuel Nunes Soprano!

saltytri

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"Flabbergasted" doesn't begin to describe how I feel. Since taking up the ukulele a couple of years ago after a lapse of 40-plus years, I have regretted that we have been unable to find my mother's ukulele, which I recall clearly as a koa soprano that she got in the early 1950's. When I rolled in from work this afternoon, my wife handed me a Manuel Nunes soprano that she found in an upstairs closet. Neither of us remember how it got there but I recognize it as my grandmother's. She was from a kamaʻaina haole family and was living in Honolulu after the end of Nunes' career as a ukulele builder in the years after the First World War so I assume that she acquired it then. It is complete except for the pegs. The label reads:

Manuel Nunes
Guitar Maker
and repairer
Bethel St., bet. Hotel & King Honolulu, T.H.​

It is in pretty good shape and looks as if it could be successfully strung up if the pegs were there. A couple of the brass frets must be reseated and there is a crack on the back that should be repaired.

I would like to figure out the best course of action to evaluate its condition and restore/preserve it properly. Any thoughts from the cognoscenti?

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Wow. Flabbergasted is right. So happy for you! I would probably beg Rick Turner to help me restore it, but I am sure their are other good luthiers. Certainly, it is worth having that done by the best person you can find. Simply amazing!
What a great story thanks for sharing.
 
Beautiful uke! ...um, wait just a sec, I've got to check for something in the closet...oh well...nothing nearly as nice in my closet. Anyway, it's sometimes referred to as the "Cloud" ukulele owing to the shape of the inlay on the top at the tail block. I would have the crack repaired. It looks a little dirty and the top is a bit grimy at the upper bought. I would try to clean it. Virtuoso makes a good cleaner and a polish as well. The nut needs to be repositioned, it's probably loose and should be glued down. If it were mine, I'd have some violin-style tuners made for it. You may not need to do very much else...except maybe play it.
 
I'm sure there are plenty of good luthiers in the Pacific Northwest, but some options that come to mind:

1. Kamaka, if you want to mail it to Hawaii, and don't mind long wait times. A Nunes is one of the non-Kamaka brands that they'll repair / restore (I think).

2. Gryphon Stringed Instruments, if you want something closer to where you live. They do repairs/restorations on old instruments. Probably one of the better places in the country for that type of work.
 
That's gonna be a great uke! Find a good luthier who has worked on ukes to fix the crack, and spruce it up--and you'll have a lot of good play time with that!
 
Man, oh man, that is something special. The crack in the back looks very fixable. With some tuners and a possible removable of some of the remnants of your grandmothers fun times that should be singing in no time.

Please keep us up to date on the repairs.
 
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Take or send it to Frank Ford at Gryphon. He's as good as it gets in the US for this kind of restoration.

You might consider having him do a quick French polish on the original finish to brighten up the look without losing the patina and look of vintage. The Virtuoso cleaner is good, but it might get into the little finish dings. It's better for finishes in good shape that have a lot of grime and gunk. Maybe clean it up with a simple concoction of water, alcohol, and mineral oil before French polishing over that. That's a polish formula used by a lot of violin guys. Use very sparingly...

Not sure what to suggest for tuners other than checking around for some vintage ones. Hate to see modern "patent" friction tuners...maybe put Pegheds on it. The holes may have to be bushed to do that, but it would look right and work really well.

Fret work is no problem. That sucker has been played, though! Look at the wear on the fingerboard.
 
Thanks to all for your responses. I like the idea of sending it to Frank Ford, that is if Rick won't take it on! This thing needs to be fixed up to preserve it but it really cries out to be played so whatever I end up doing will be with that in mind.

Chuck, you're right about taking my wife out to dinner. She has a big "attagirl" coming. :)

I've been scouting around trying to date it by the label. A guess is that it predates 1910, when Manuel apparently started calling the business "M. Nunes and Sons."
 
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That's very interesting, thanks for posting, Salt. I have heard of M. Nunes, and have seen his ukuleles online.

I don;t know much (read: anything) about ukulele repairs, but I wouldn't just jam some superglue into that crack with your thumb and add some high tension strings, which is what I'd likely do.

Why?

There are two Nunes ukes on Evilbay right now that looks just like yours--one for $3500 and one for $4k!
 
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Everyone praised and admired the uke, but this man............I have a new level of respect for this braddah

Yeah, I'll bet that Chuck has been happily married for a long time. :)
 
Congrats on finding some uke history as well as some family history! Awesome the case is still with it. Please post with details of the repair work once its taken care of.
 
I second the request for measurements and details! My Kumalae-style soprano the Brad Donaldson built is my favorite - I love that narrow-waisted small body. This one is just as wonderful! I'd love to have the measurements and all that (trace the top maybe?) to try to build a tribute to it!
 
Wow, you are really lucky. That is a very desirable ukulele. I'd love to have it myself.

No disrespect meant to another poster here, but I would strongly recommend against sending it to Kamaka. Kamaka is not in the business of restoration/preservation. They are in the business of making broken ukuleles playable. Think preservation here as you have a wonderful example of an ukulele from Nunes' shop from around 1900.

It is a wonderful find and I am glad it is in good hands!
 
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Wow. Amazing discovery. Congrats to you. Thanks to your wife.

For a luthier, check out Kerry Char in Portland. He restores classic instruments and loves ukulele (and respects uke history).
 
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