Vintage Martins: like, dislike, never thought about them?

Doc_J

Doc_J

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I've owned two vintage Martins, an O-style soprano and most recently a tenor. Both are from the 50's. The soprano I had first. Honestly, I did not like my particular O-style vintage soprano. Maybe I got a dud. It was very plunky with bad intonation, but in relatively good shape. I tried to like it, but the modern sopranos I had sounded so much better to me. So I sold it on eBay (where I bought it) for about the same price I paid. Tried an old Kamaka soprano (Gold label). Liked its sound less than the Martin. I swore off vintage instruments and never looked back for 2 and half years.

After reading the Martin ukulele history book I felt the urge to try a vintage Martin again. I had to hear for myself how a vintage Martin tenor would sound. Well one arrived not too long ago. And I am impressed. Maybe I got a really good one this time, don't know. Thought I'd share some pics and a sound sample.

Got any thoughts, pics or sound samples for vintage Martins?

Here's mine, a 1950s age Martin 12-fret tenor in good shape (and with fair amount of crazing). This has some Worth Browns on it of questionable age, but is intonating well (so I left them on). It feels and sounds great (just a little lower in B tuning), IMHO. Glad I tried one. Now, I just have decide to stick with the Worth Browns or put on new ones.

Sound sample (B Tuning) :https://app.box.com/s/pw4e9ani8jfb4ud3my3c

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I'm listening to your sound sample right now and I can't believe how well the low notes ring. The second and third strings sound perfect to my ears.
 
congratulations! there's nothing wrong with that!
 
I like Vintage Martins. The only real issues I have had is the occasional tuner not wanting to work well. Oh, also the plastic or bakelite being brittle and breaking. I love the sound. To me it is different, but that is the draw. Modern instruments have a different tone. The "plinky" soprano sound of a vintage Martin is what I think of when I think of ukes from that era. Modern sopranos, for the most part, are not as "plinky."

As I have gained more experience, I have realized that the modern feature I like the most is geared tuners. However, I just can't bring myself to put those on a vintage instrument. Maybe if some of the planetary geared tuners fit a little better I might try it.
 
Yours sounds lovely, as have nearly every vintage Martin I've encountered. But in my (admittedly limited) experience with vintage ukes, in general they are too "fiddly" for me to deal with - slippy tuners and so forth. That said, I like the vintage Martin sound so much that when my custom was built, that was the general sound I asked the builder to aim for, so for me, it turned out to be the best of both worlds (Pegheds *and* a vintage Martin sound!).
 
I looooove classic Martin ukes. I finally found a Style 0 in great shape (hurray for both craigslist and patience) this past fall. Here's a recent Seasons video with some strumming and picking...

 
Great singing and playing Ralf. Must admit your vintage Martin soprano sounds so much better than the one I had.
Yours is definitely a keeper.

Here is a poor sound sample of the Martin O with intonation issues that I had (but no longer do) : https://app.box.com/s/2ae1mg0ur0edn4wg0l8h


TheOnlyUkeThatMatters said:
I looooove classic Martin ukes. I finally found a Style 0 in great shape (hurray for both craigslist and patience) this past fall. Here's a recent Seasons video with some strumming and picking...

Click to expand...
 
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Doc_J said:
Great singing and playing Ralf. Must admit your vintage Martin soprano sounds so much better than the one I had.
Yours is definitely a keeper.

Here is a poor sound sample of the Martin O with intonation issues that I had (but on longer do) : https://app.box.com/s/2ae1mg0ur0edn4wg0l8h
Click to expand...

Thanks, Doc. Yep, I found a sweet one. Your Martin tenor uke sounds terrific, too. When it's ready for a string change, you might try some nylon strings for a deeper tone. (I'd try D'Addario J54 or Ko'olau Mahana).

That Style 0 you had sounds like it'd been chewed up and spit out. Hmm. Maybe something got bent out of shape over the years, or maybe some of its binding had come loose? I've played six or seven classic Martin sopranos at shops---all the ones that were in good shape sounded great.
 
You definitely got a nice one Hodge! It has a nice warm with crisp notes. Congrats!
 
Congrats doc j!
Had 2 vintage sopranos before. Both sounded great. Timms soprano was marginally better and new so i stuck with the timms. I did have a vintage concert martin which didnt sound as good.
 
I'm in a separate camp. I like BOTH vintage Martins and the new ones. The new Martins really are underrated (though expensive) in my book but they do have a different sound to the vintage ones.

Of course, there are also Laughlin Martin copies It's like owning a vintage Martin when it was new in the 1930s. They have bar frets, Waverley tuners, the same build, same sound but none of the (possible) problems associated with vintage ukuleles.
 
I think if I happened on a good deal on one that was a really good player (not all of them are, not even the old Martins) I'd love to have it and I'd probably play it a lot. But, to have a vintage anything just because it is vintage just isn't in my playbook. :)

John
 
I have a beat up 1934 style 0 that sounds amazing. Yes, it is plunky, but that is the charm of the thing!
IMG_1523.jpg
 
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I really like the necks on the tenor and baritone . slim and fast. makes some of the chords on the bari easier then some of the wider thicker necks. and the mahog they used is really nice, as are the bindings.
 
Wow, great find. It is gorgeous and has that full vintage tone that only age can give. I was just at Gruhn's and played all their vintage Martins. All but one had great tone. But I walked out with a new uke in the end because I don't know enough yet to pick a good vintage instrument.
 
OldePhart said:
I think if I happened on a good deal on one that was a really good player (not all of them are, not even the old Martins)
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I've had mostly amazing experiences with the vintage Martins I've played but I once played an old style 1 in a music shop which sounded dull with poor intonation but still priced over £1000, yet my £300 beat up style 0 sounds incredible, especially tuned to D.
 
Not all Martins are great unfortunately. I've a 25% failure rate. I have had one that sounded really quiet (1960's Style 0) and a 1950's Style 2 that the neck must have been glued on incorrectly as the frets on the fretboard actually went down hill. Like all Ukes, it takes time to get a good one sometimes. My first 1940's I thought was brilliant until I bought a second one. Some Ukes just have a bit more Mojo for whatever reason.

Best thing you can do with a Martin is bin the Worth Clears/Aquillas and put on some Martin M600 Fluoros. These are the best strings for vintage Martins and ive tried them all.
 
@herby660 - you just nailed why I won't buy any vintage instrument without being able to play it first or at least have the right to return it. I think probably for every magical old Martin or what have you there were probably a dozen average ukes that through age, misuse, and abuse, became real stinkers. Most of those are probably in landfills by now, but it would be my luck to get one. LOL

I'm not saying that there aren't some really great old ukes...just that they aren't all great as many would be led to believe if they just went by forum posts. I think some folks "hear" with their hearts and the fact that something is old and a "classic" colors their perception considerably. That's okay, for them, but I'm all about sound and playability and I'm just not impressed with age or headstock logos.

That's not to say if I found a decent deal on an old Martin that sounded and played great that I wouldn't jump on it like a cat on a June bug, it's just that the fact that it's an old Martin wouldn't really be a factor in the purchase decision.

John
 
OldePhart said:
@herby660 - you just nailed why I won't buy any vintage instrument without being able to play it first or at least have the right to return it. I think probably for every magical old Martin or what have you there were probably a dozen average ukes that through age, misuse, and abuse, became real stinkers. Most of those are probably in landfills by now, but it would be my luck to get one. LOL

I'm not saying that there aren't some really great old ukes...just that they aren't all great as many would be led to believe if they just went by forum posts. I think some folks "hear" with their hearts and the fact that something is old and a "classic" colors their perception considerably. That's okay, for them, but I'm all about sound and playability and I'm just not impressed with age or headstock logos.

That's not to say if I found a decent deal on an old Martin that sounded and played great that I wouldn't jump on it like a cat on a June bug, it's just that the fact that it's an old Martin wouldn't really be a factor in the purchase decision.

John
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Me too. Nevertheless I have acquired a Martin Style 0 soprano from the 50s and a Gibson Tenor that appears about the same age but I'll never know unless their serial #s are done like the guitars (W522 19 if anybody here happens to possess this knowledge). Both sound excellent with Aquilas on them and not just my opinion. Got my first uke (Kala ASAC T) in '09 and used it as a reference sound against the other two. The Kala will be turned into a low G next string change.
 
Great thread Doc, here's mine. It's a Martin Tenor, early sixties 14 frets to the body, Aquila nylgut strings, Bb tuning. The sound sample is a bit rough and ready with no effects. Hopefully this works, I am totally useless with technology!
https://app.box.com/s/1dxt2htskoqfb0hf9f7s I forgot to mention that I love this uke!
 

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