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#1
08-01-2013, 10:38 AM
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Help with identification
So this came into my possession a little while back and has been sitting in my office. I recently realized I should actually do something with it so I'm recruiting you guys for help because I'm having some trouble figuring too much out about it. At first glace, it appears to be a Martin Baritone Ukulele. The challenge is that there is no discernible serial number. The quality of the instrument would appear to be pretty darn good, so if it's a fake, I would think it's a really good one. What do you guys think? Am I in possession of something special or is this a knockoff?
   
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Sleep...that's where I'm a Viking! http://www.facebook.com/tylerhansenmusic http://www.youtube.com/user/hansentj 
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#2
08-01-2013, 10:48 AM
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Is there anything on the neck block (inside)? Martin seems to stamp model information there most of the time I believe.
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'17 Waterloo Scissortail '17 David Newton 00 Rosewood '11 Homemade Strat Ibanez AS73 w/ Lollar P90s
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#3
08-01-2013, 10:55 AM
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Looks like a legitimate Martin uke to me. It has a passing resemblance to a 1945 Martin tenor guitar I used to have, although the tenor had the more customary Martin headstock shape. But I don't have enough knowledge of Martin ukuleles to say with any degree of confidence what era it may be from. Have you checked the neck block for a serial number? Martin made ukuleles starting at a pretty early date, of course, and they played an important role in the survival of the company at a time when mandolin sales were declining and guitars hadn't caught on in a big way yet. They've continued to make them since then, of course.
One nice thing about ukuleles is that they run low-tension strings made from a soft material. As a result, they can stay in great shape for a long time, not experiencing the geometric deformations or fret wear that steel string instruments often do over the same time period. Whatever its age, it looks to be a nice instrument and seems to be in good shape. Enjoy!
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Bob DeVellis
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#4
08-01-2013, 10:56 AM
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Not that I can see. From what (admittedly little) research I've done online, it appears Martin only made baritone ukes for a limited period of time but I don't really know when they stopped.
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Sleep...that's where I'm a Viking! http://www.facebook.com/tylerhansenmusic http://www.youtube.com/user/hansentj
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#5
08-01-2013, 11:06 AM
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There's a history of Martin Ukes here:
http://www.geocities.com/~ukulele/martin.html
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#6
08-01-2013, 11:09 AM
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#7
08-01-2013, 12:52 PM
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Martin did not put serial numbers in their ukuleles, so dating them is more art than science. Some features changed over the years, which will indicate a range of years a particular example was probably made. However, sometimes tuners get updated and other work is done that can make dating a uke even harder.
Since yours says Made in USA on the backstrip, it was made after 1962. And, no, this is not a knockoff. 
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Roger Several Martins, 2 Guilds, a couple of kits and a Tilton (ever heard of those?), some ukes and a 1920s Vega tenor banjo Neil deGrasse Tyson — 'The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.'
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#8
08-01-2013, 01:59 PM
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Quote:
So it's from after 1962. I know this is a silly question but does anyone have an idea how long Martin made these types of Ukes. Everything I'm seeing seems to indicate that it's probably from the '60's but I suppose, if Martin was making these things up into the 80's or 90's it could very easily be that as well. I guess I'm just a bit hesitant to get too excited that I could be in possession of some cool semi-rare Martin that is 50 years old.
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Sleep...that's where I'm a Viking! http://www.facebook.com/tylerhansenmusic http://www.youtube.com/user/hansentj
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#9
08-01-2013, 02:44 PM
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Mystery solved:
According to Mike Longworth's Martin Guitars: A History (3rd Ed.), you've got a Style 51 baritone uke. First cataloged in 1960, they remained in the regular Martin production line at least into the late '80s. While the "Made in USA" stamp dates it to 1962 or later the tortoise binding likely dates it as being made no later than mid-1966, at which time black binding was introduced on the Style 18 and 21 instruments; since peak total uke production for the period occurred in '63 and '64, odds are that yours was made during that time. Introduced at $75, the price increased to $79.50 by mid-1962, $125 by mid-1966, and a whopping $1116 by late '87 - about what it would be worth today: http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store...38-i2748745.gc http://www.vintagefret.com/pages/ukuleles.html http://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2595B/lots/43 http://www.sprucetreemusic.com/usedvint_uke.html With the current resurgence of interest in ukes, I'd say you've got a keeper here - use it well, enjoy it, and let your grandkids pass it along to their grandkids...
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#10
08-01-2013, 03:08 PM
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Wow Steve, thanks! I knew you guys would be able to help me out.
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Sleep...that's where I'm a Viking! http://www.facebook.com/tylerhansenmusic http://www.youtube.com/user/hansentj
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