NUD!!!! - Martin S1K

Well, I just had a NUD last week when I got my Kamaka HF-3 and thought I would have satisfied the UAS for awhile.

Silly me......I took a tour of the Martin Guitar Factory in PA last Friday and saw lots of the koa ukes being built. They are all very nice.

They don't sell any guitars or ukes at the factory and I did get to play an S1 while I was there but that was it.....so I thought.

After the tour we stopped by the old factory and saw where they put together the kits to make a guitar and I thought well, lemme wait on that.....

So we got in the car and took off to travel to Lancaster for the weekend. On the way out of Nazareth my hubby says "why don't we stop at the music shop?" Nazareth Music is on the way out of town and is the nearest Martin dealer.

Well, I am never one to turn down an opportunity to stop by a music store stocking high-end guitars so I was like "SURE!!!!!" :smileybounce:

We went in and asked about ukes - they only had the S1. While I was there I got to play several of the high end guitars they had and they were very nice but I'm really not GAS-ing for another guitar at the moment......although the D-18 I played was really nice.

So, after taking up the guys time I was like "ok, thanks" and my hubby says "do you want the uke?"

I was like "do I want the uke......what....are you silly, of course I want the uke!!"

So, that's how I ended up with the S1. It's a sweet little uke, a soprano which I find a bit small but it sure sounds nice.

Can I marry your husband?

Wow that is gorgeous! Congratulations!

That grain looks really cool!

Congratulations! It looks adorable, and the story of how the uke came to you is heartwarming. I'm totally envious that you toured the Martin Guitar Factory. I'm not from a guitar background -- I recently began playing a tenor guitar (four steel strings, tuned D-G-B-E) -- but I've recently become interested in them while helping a friend look for one and may buy myself a starter steel string guitar, and Martin has such great history in the guitar and ukulele worlds. Enjoy the newest member of your stringed instrument family!

Congrats. Funky grain.

Hate to be the one to tell you this, but that is just a standard S1 That's a Mahogany. Looks Identical to the one I've got in my shop. The very few S1K's that have made their way into the world are marked S1K on the inside.





Sorry that the shop told you it was a koa

Nicko said:

It sure doesn't look like my S1. That doesn't look like mahogany to me...not Martin mahogany, anyway. Looks like the same wood the C1K and T1K are made of.

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99% positive it's a mahogany. Especially since the label on it says its a S1, not a S1K.

Here are 2 I've got in my shop right now. One on the left is a S1, on the right C1K.

My bad - it is just an S1 not an S1K...

Not sure why I thought it was S1K - it's clearly marked as S1 on the label and I knew it was mahogany when I bought it.

Just wanted to make sure everyone knew it wasn't the shop that told me that, somehow I just called it an S1K.

Don't know how to change the thread title - maybe a mod will read this and change it to S1 from S1K.

Unless there was a really serious error at the factory, it's mahogany. And very lovely, too.

Yes, my bad. I was looking at the uke in PedalFreak's post. The uke in BigSky's post clearly shows S1 on the label.

I'm going to go take a nap now.

Congrats. That has some beautiful wood grain. And now your Kamaka won't be lonely when your gone.

PS. it sounds like you have a super spouse!

BigSkyUkuleleGirl said:

My bad - it is just an S1 not an S1K...

Not sure why I thought it was S1K - it's clearly marked as S1 on the label and I knew it was mahogany when I bought it.

Just wanted to make sure everyone knew it wasn't the shop that told me that, somehow I just called it an S1K.

Don't know how to change the thread title - maybe a mod will read this and change it to S1 from S1K.

Click to expand...

Oh good! I was hoping a shop wouldn't lie that it was a koa

PedalFreak said:

Oh good! I was hoping a shop wouldn't lie that it was a koa

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Totally my fault.

For some reason I just called it an S1K and didn't make the connection that the "K" was for koa......ok, I'm going to stand in the corner now.....

Congrats BigSky! Sure is purdy. As with guitars, I'm sure the hog has a different sound. Hope it's complimentary to the rest of your ukes.

And BTW, the Mako Tenor has arrived at my place. Acclimating in the box. Shouldn't be too long before I can open it. This waiting thing is killing me.

If you do HAVE to stand in the corner, take a uke with you -- it makes the "timeout" so much more enjoyable.