Compared: 1940s Martin Tenor, Martin 1T Iz Tenor, and Collings UT1

I have in my possession a 1940s Martin Tenor, a current model Martin 1T IZ Tenor and a Collings UT1M. These are three mahogany ukes that are very similar. I'm not including sound samples right now because I don't have time to make them, and I think that these ukes sound very similar. With compression due to recording I don't think you can tell the difference in the sound to the extent that there is any.

All three ukes are the same size. The 1940s Martin has the join at the 12th fret, the Collings at the 13th fret, and the IZ tenor at the 14th fret. Comparing the bodies and necks- holding them side by side and back to back, the size and shape is the same.

The weights feel slightly different. The Collings is the lightest. The IZ tenor is the second lightest, and the 1940s Martin is the heaviest, but the differences are small. I think the biggest difference in weight between the two Martins is in the tuners. The 1940s Martin has direct metal tuners.

The bridges are completely different. The Old Martin has the bridge pins and no compensation in the saddle. The new Martin has a string-through tie bridge like a classical guitar and a compensated saddle. The Collings has a simple slotted bridge and a compensated saddle.



The overall construction appears similar with the same style one piece neck. The old Martin has two braces across the back and a center brace vertically across the back. So does the IZ tenor. The Collings has three horizontal braces and no vertical brace. The braces are more "finished" on the Collings and the old Martin. The braces are unfinished and are cruder pieces of wood on the IZ tenor. The Collings braces are clearly thinner.

The old Martin has some wear so it's hard to say how perfectly finished it may have been. The Collings was finished to perfection. Every joint is perfect. The bridge is fully finished wood. The tuning pegs fit precisely. The new Martin is finished quite well but not to the level of the Martin. The bridge is a little unfinished. The tuning pegs are not as perfectly fit. The inside wood is unfinished. The old Martin is shiny, the Collings is a polished but not shined finish, the new Martin is more of a matte.

The Collings has a radius neck, setup is perfect. Intonation is excellent. The new Martin has a flat neck, setup is perfect and intonation is excellent. The old Martin also has a flat neck. There is slightly more rise to the strings at the high frets. However, it is well within tolerances of a good setup and the uke comfortably plays the full length of the neck. Intonation is also excellent.

The sound of all three is remarkably similar. I can tell them apart when I play them but I'm not at all sure that I could in a blind test. The Collings has the most balanced sound, more depth and midrange along with great sustain and a lot of ring in the high notes. The IZ tenor has stronger mid range. The high A is a little weak for my taste (a common issue with Martins) . Sustain is good but not as good as the Collings. The vintage tenor is a smudge brighter than the modern Modern and the sound a little less subtle. There is a bit more ring in the high notes. All three ukes have different strings so its hard to tell how much difference there is if the strings were the same. I don't find the Modern Martin booming or loud. The loudest of these 3 is the Collings followed by the Vintage Martin followed by the modern Martin.

The Collings and the Vintage Martin came with excellent quality, well-fitting cases with arched tops. The modern Martin comes with a hard shell gig bag covered in vinyl. The zippers on it do work well but it comes across as a cheap solution for an expensive uke.

Overall, in order of playability and sound, my preference is 1. Collings, 1. IZ tenor, and 3. Vintage Martin.

For the money the Collings is the bargain. It sells for slightly cheaper than the iZ tenor and is a better instrument by a small degree.

SOUND SAMPLES HERE: https://app.box.com/s/7oev0jzy75u6swfo0pqb

These were recorded with my Zoom H1. The quality is pretty terrible - there was background noise and I recorded myself - which was hard. I truly believe any meaningful difference you hear is only because of the recording.

Interesting comparison of these three ukes. Very thorough. Thanks for taking the time to share this info.

Yes thanks so much! I have wanted a vintage Martin tenor for years and bought the Collings UT-2 as an alternative, since I felt it would not have any issues and would have a warranty.

Very interesting. Thanks for doing that.

It would be interesting to either have sound recordings or at least have you listen while somebody else plays (preferably blindly; listening, not playing ;-). A very excellent guitar player was checking out my ukes last night and commented how the sound differed when playing vs. listening in certain cases. Might not be an issue here, but it might.

I'll try to record all three with my xoom and put the sound clips up. I honestly think that the sound of a recorded uke is always different than the sound of the actual uke. While I do hear some differences, slight adjustments in my playing make those difference pretty much disappear. Of course there are also variations in even the same model of a uke.

Pete says that his Martin 2 tenor, which also mahogany is "boomy". I don't find any of these to be "boomy" but Pete's could be different, or it could be that we play differently, or that we hear differently. The only sonic difference there should be between Pete's Martin 2 and my IZ tenor would be the piece of wood used. Construction is essentially the same.

SOUND SAMPLES ADDED - See first post - https://app.box.com/s/7oev0jzy75u6swfo0pqb

This review is so timely since I am looking hard at an older martin 1T right now. After reading this, I will give the Collings a closer look, since they are comparably priced.
Thanks!

There is a certain "vibe" to the vintage instruments that for some people is the only thing that will do. A lot of people write about how "they don't make them the same." If you look at them closely, the new Martin IZ and the older Martin 1Ts are very very similar. The two things that stand out as major differences are the bridge and the tuning mechanism. The bridge is a personal preference thing. Personally I dislike pinned bridges but have them on a couple of ukes and guitars. The tuning pegs are the other difference and the tuning pegs on my 1T tend to bind. I have taken them off, taken them apart and cleaned them, but I still can't find that magical spot where they stay in tune and are not too tight. I have tried other vintage ukes where the tuners work great. With older instruments I always struggle between experiencing them as a sort of magical connection to the past and as something that is just old and a bit worn out. In the case of the vintage Martin tenor the vibe doesn't catch me as it does with some Martin sopranos I have tried.

As between the three tenors I experience the sound as having very similar qualities. The Collings to me feels the most responsive and has the most clarity of individual strings as well as better sustain. To me the Collings plays and sounds the way I imagine Martins would if Martin made their ukes to the highest level of care. Objectively if you look at my newer Martin and the Collings side by side, you would see the small details that show the diminishment of care. It's not sloppiness in the Martin, its the difference between an extreme OCD level of attention to detail and a reasonable level of attention to detail.

But OCD level of detail is not all there is a uke. I actually like the Martin IZ tenor very very much and find it very pleasurable to play, for me more so than the vintage Martin. I don't think it sounds as good as the Collings, I don't think the neck is as easy because it lacks the Collings radius, but for some reason I might actually enjoy playing it more. Don't know why. Of the three the one that I don't particularly enjoy playing is the vintage. And I don't know why.

This all leads me to think that the best bang for the buck is the newer Martin 2 mahogany even though I've never played one.