Martin O (50s?)

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soupking

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Selling this little Martin I bought from The Guitar Man in Salisbury, Maryland, on Ebay, this past April. I have way too many ukes. Anyway, I paid $555 with shipping and I'm asking $500 flat all inclusive to CONUS. The uke is LOUD and I promise I'm not just saying that. I have a Laughlin 3K repro that isn't anywhere close to this thing. I'm not really a soprano guy so I need to raise money to pay off my newest bone-headed blunder. It's got nicks and dings and an overall vintage facade that I think comes with the territory; which I'm familiar with now that I've owned a number of these.

Here's the original listing:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/371049242304

And here's a video sound sample on a crappy pos iPhone 5 :rolleyes: :

 

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Classical Martin sound.. beautiful mahogany. good luck for the sale!
 
Gonna drop the price on this. It's got the ole potato chip deformation between bridge and soundhole. It'll probably require attention at some point, if not now. That said, intonation seems good to me all the way down the board; I've had Martin ukes with inferior sound in that regard. I should've inspected it better upon receipt, but I haven't played it much since acquiring it about a year ago. I'm just not a vintage uke guy. I don't like the fuss involved- but that's just me. It's a great uke in any event. It's got the standard scuffs and scrapes. Frets are in awesome shape and the neck is great, it's got the lean taper to the nut. Finish feels great, too. Asking $350 shipped/insured to CONUS only, comes with (purportedly) original gig bag with vintage felt pick. Ha! I'll update with newer photos later if I don't pass out drunk first :D

 
What is a potato chip deformation?
 
What is a potato chip deformation?

There's a dip behind the bridge and the bridge is pulling up. There are no cracks as far as I can tell. I've read various luthier posts saying it's not a desirable situation. Seems stable, but like I said, it would probably be good to have it looked over. Intonation is great, as noted, so it's fine for now. I'll post pics later this evening. -- Matt
 
deformation between bridge and soundhole

I think that is very common on vintage Martin ukuleles and not really a big deal. The tops are thin and lightly braced, so string tension will deform them a bit. As long as the braces and bridge are glued down solidly and the deformation is not excessive, I don't see it as a big deal. A little sinkage can actually keep the action low and give a lively sound, some of the best ones I've played have been like that.
 
Wow Matt, this seems like a great deal thats hard to pass up. Luckily I do not play a soprano and have one that collects dust already.

It has that classic bright Martin sound, good luck with this one, it shouldn't last long at that price. The thiness of the soundboard helps
the resonance and sustain.
 
Thanks, guys. Uke has just sold to a lovely lady who lives right on down the street from me. How nice to for once not have to ship a uke halfway across the world :D Thanks, M.!
 
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