Want a Vintage Martin soprano...need help.

My guess might be because it has had a few repaired cracks. If they are done well it should not be any issue. With the age and the very thin wood that you find on these it is not uncommon. I see many instruments that seem to have very inflated priced. This seems very reasonable. I have seen many in lousy condition going for much more.

Astein2006 said:

Very tempting....why the low price. All the O’s I’ve seen of this vintage are much more expensive. What should I be concerned about?

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It looks a bit chewed up at the back/ side joints on both sides of the lower bout. Also, the tuners are not original. Also, as mentioned, repaired cracks. In my limited experience, I'd say it's fairly priced. Not a steal.

Vintageukes said:

......Places like Elderly and Grphyon are excellent and you will pay a premium but you will likely get an excellent instrument. However, keep your eyes open out there. I see completed auctions on eBay all the time that I think were steals for the buyer. Of course, everyone is onto Martin so you don't see that often with Martin ukes but you do see it with others that are as good or IMHO even better. Good luck!

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I'd love to hear you opinion of what those "others that are as good or IMHO even better" are. I bet Favilla is one of them, but am curious about others.

I don't know much about vintage Martin ukes, I've never played any of them other then the one I own (see the road worn uke thread) which I think is from the 50's. I paid $125 with case in 1987 which would be ~$270 in 2017 (last year I could find with a quick search). Have the prices really gone up that much or are more 'modern' vintage Martins still selling for about the equivalent of what I paid? I suppose the next question would be, even if cheaper would a Martin from the 50's instead of the 20-30's be as good?

John

Vintage martins really do seem to be consistently lovely in sound.I have purchased 3 players: a 1918, 1948ish, 1960 ish. on this forum and all were good. My daily driver is a 2015 Timms, but there is really no reason the 1918 could not be the daily player, and it sounds better. Spongeuke on this forum is a wealth of information and very good to deal with, several forum members have vintage Martins and perhaps you will get a email from someone who wants to rehome one. In addition to Eldery and Gryphon, I notice vintage sopranos at LA guitars sales. I have never purchased one via eBay or Reverb, but I am often tempted, then I remind myself that I really don't need anymore!

I've never played a vintage uke - such as a Martin from the '20s. I have a 2017 Martin 1K Concert, which I love compared to my previous 3 or 4 new ukes I had previous to investing in the Martin.

So, can anyone describe generally "how a vintage Martin sound would differ from modern?" I think I do understand the idea of "aged wood"- but in a ukulele, in the hands of an amateur musician, is this quality audible?

MD1948 said:

I've never played a vintage uke - such as a Martin from the '20s. I have a 2017 Martin 1K Concert, which I love compared to my previous 3 or 4 new ukes I had previous to investing in the Martin.

So, can anyone describe generally "how a vintage Martin sound would differ from modern?" I think I do understand the idea of "aged wood"- but in a ukulele, in the hands of an amateur musician, is this quality audible?

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I've seen online postings of old verses new comparisons that don't capture the presence of the old Martins probably a microphone/recording effect. This also can't let you experience the vibration you feel when playing. If you run across one, ask if you could have a few strums on it, then you will know.
The "aged wood" thing could be a subjective perception or just the person getting used to playing. My take on the New and Vintage is that they were made different after WWII and even more so with the recent offerings. Martin also had easier access to quality mahogany back then.

Astein2006 said:

Very tempting....why the low price. All the O’s I’ve seen of this vintage are much more expensive. What should I be concerned about?

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That is a nice player, it's priced about right for the condition. Wouldn't worry about buying from Gryphon...

Started looking into vintage Martins as well...are the differences between Style 1,2,3,5 mainly cosmetic and length of fretboard? Are there any differences in construction?

Andy

Styles 0,1 and 2 pretty much the same, except for body binding and fingerboard dots. The 3 and 5 have more bling, and possibly a higher grade of wood, but same construction except for longer fingerboards, and in many cases, the same sound as lower models.

As a longtime guitarist, I knew the magic of vintage Martins--I own a vintage 00-18 mahogany, and it is a pure joy. The only "reasonably" priced new guitars approaching this sound were those from Bill Collings, so I acquired one, and it too is a dream. So when I took up the ukulele a few months ago, I decided to get my first "nice" ukulele and wound up with a Collings. The wider, radiused fretboard is perfect for my fingerpicking, and the attention to detail and sound are otherworldly.

But my mind kept going back to the vintage Martins and the sound of my old guitar.

So I took a big chance and bought a 40's--50's Martin mahogany tenor on ebay, and I got lucky.(It's the one I talked about in my previous post about seeing images in the wood grain--the infamous Dragon/Moose thread!) It is totally crack-free and I've finally got it cleaned up, and humidified, and playing, and let me just say--there's something DIFFERENT about these old Martins. I'm not smart enough to know about the mahogany of the era, or the construction techniques, or the phases of the moon during the build, but I Hear it and I Feel it. That's all I know to say. I'm going to post some before/after pics, and maybe a short video (when I finally get the accursed friction pegs rebuilt!), but I know it won't convey the sounds and resonances this little wooden box puts out.

If you do buy one without getting to test it, talk to the seller, ask about cracks and repairs, ask about action measurements, get more pics, talk to the seller some more, get some more detailed pics, ask again about cracks and repairs, and then cross your fingers.

If mine had turned out to be a dog, it's so pretty that I would have just hung it on the wall and admired it for the way the thing looks.

Something to consider is that today's Mexican Martin S1 may become tomorrows, highly sought after, vintage Martin soprano.

kkimura said:

Something to consider is that today's Mexican Martin S1 may become tomorrows, highly sought after, vintage Martin soprano.

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When there is no choice but Mexican-made, those ukes will become "vintage," but will the prices be as high as for the PA ukes?

Jerryc41 said:

When there is no choice but Mexican-made, those ukes will become "vintage," but will the prices be as high as for the PA ukes?

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Yes, it's hard to compete head to head with a Pennsylvania built Martin ukulele. But, Mexican Martins may carve out their own niche in the world of collectable ukuleles. Hanging on to my S1 just in case.

kkimura said:

Yes, it's hard to compete head to head with a Pennsylvania built Martin ukulele. But, Mexican Martins may carve out their own niche in the world of collectable ukuleles. Hanging on to my S1 just in case.

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Let’s revive this thread 75 years from now and see where things stand on tone and collectibility

andy2353 said:

Let’s revive this thread 75 years from now and see where things stand on tone and collectibility

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I probably won't make it but my great grand kids may weigh in.

Don't rush in getting one and you'll find one for half the price, I found a late thirties style 2
For 200..00 put in for repairs and gloss refinish at 400.00

andy2353 said:

Let’s revive this thread 75 years from now...

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2094: "Ukulele? What's a ukulele?"