Bought a hot mess baritone

Stacey

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So I'm new to the ukulele world and as I pluck along on my Kala Ziricote tenor, I saw this on Ebay. Yes...if anyone was watching it...I'm the silly one that purchased it. I knew I would want a baritone sometime down the road. This one is a mess, and probably won't sound the greatest but I felt it needed a home and some refurbishing.

So... a few questions. Can anyone determine the make? Perhaps a Harmony. Not sure of the year either. Solid wood?

Lastly, I'm going to strip it, spruce it up some and give it new strings. I don't plan on putting much money into it. I'm curious about the bridge. It looks to be wood. Any suggestion as to a replacement or should I leave the bridge as is?

Thanks for any feedback!

Stacey
 

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Looks like it’s had a lot of play time. If it were me, I would throw a new set of strings, and see how it sounds before spending on the referb. It’s a conversation starter as is. Any idea what the make is?
 
I'm curious about the bridge. It looks to be wood. Any suggestion as to a replacement or should I leave the bridge as is? Stacey

Stacey, the bridge looks fine to me. Did you mean the saddle? If so, yes you could replace with a bone saddle. Will require some work, but it is doable with a file and some patience.
 
I plan on doing the referb myself. Only plan on sanding, staining etc. New strings and perhaps a new saddle. I have no idea about the make. The seller isn't sure.
 
Not a mess Stacey but rather character. Those old strings look like Black Diamond if they're steel. We called Black Diamond Strings cheese cutters back in the day. There's a great bluegrass song called Black Diamond Strings worth looking up.
 
I also would not touch the finish. Its hard won character. In the world of electric guitars people pay extra money to have people "relic" their brand new guitars.
Leave the finish alone.
How does it play is the real question.
Fit a new set of strings and play it. Is the neck straight? Do the strings buzz anywhere? Is the intonation good?
If it plays well then it plays well. If its just buzzing a little in places and the neck is reasonably straight then I would pay to have some fretwork done on it yet I wouldn't touch the finish.
 
Looks pretty OK to me. The finish has failed...but it looks interesting. Maybe some fretboard oil and a good clean up would be enough
 
Thanks everyone for your responses. It seems everyone likes the way it looks as is. I'm looking forward to receiving it soon. I went ahead and purchased Living Waters strings for it. We shall see!
 
Looks like my 1950's Vega baritone.
 

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I think Living Waters strings would sound very nice on your new/old baritone. I keep a replacement stock of LWs on hand .
Worth the price.
 
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