Aloha!
For sale is a C.F. Martin & Co. soprano ukulele, Style 1, made between 1917 and 1920.The body is solid mahogany, the top triple-bound with rosewood on the outside and inner strips of dark and light. The back is unbound and there is a 5-ply circle of inlay around the sound hole, banded in dark and light. The fingerboard is rosewood with 12 old-style bar frets and small dot inlays at the 5th, 7th and 9th. The nut is a replacement of koa — it would have been made of maple originally — and the bridge is original, of mahogany with a maple saddle. The wooden tuning pegs are old, Martin-shaped and well-matched; could be original. Plays smoothly with nice action (around 3/32\" at the 12th fret) and new Worth CL fluorocarbon strings. The total length is 20-1/2”, the body length 9-3/8”, the scale length 13-3/4”, and the width at the lower bout 6-1/4”. No case with this one but it will be packed well for shipping.
About the sound: Martin made similar-looking ukes decade after decade but their sound varies quite a bit, even among those of the same style and era. This early one has all of the usual virtues -- bright and clear with a warm midrange and great sustain — but there’s also a lovely, bell-like quality that sets it apart.
A note on the date: Style 1 was first produced in 1915, without fretboard position markers. These were added in 1917-18, at frets 5, 7 and 9. In 1920-21 the marker locations were changed to frets 5, 7 and 10. See Walsh & King, The Martin Ukulele (Hal Leonard, 2013), p. 134. Since this instrument has markers at frets 5, 7 and 9, I estimate that it was made between 1917 and 1920.
CONDITION: Solid after repairs. There are two repaired cracks on the top to the left of the bridge; both have been cleated and glued. (See photos 1, 2.) Also several repaired hairline cracks on the back, also cleated and glued. (See photos 5, 6). The center back brace was replaced and the lower back brace reglued. A portion of the seam between the back and body was reglued, and the lower left corner of the bridge reset. The finish is original with nicks and dings as shown in the photos, and the back has been lightly oversprayed with nitrocellulose guitar lacquer to seal repairs.
NEWBIES: If you have a zero response score, no problem -- offer away -- but please contact me by e-mail first, or I will have to cancel your offer.
SHIPPING: I ship only to the U.S. mainland, Hawaii, Alaska and U.S. Protectorates. No P.O. boxes, please, and no international sales due to the rosewood, which is restricted under the CITES treaty. Domestic shipping is usually via UPS Ground ($18.00), with an extra $25.00 for shipment to Hawaii, Alaska or U.S. Protectorates.
Mahalo for looking.
