C. F. Martin Style 3K Soprano Ukulele , c. 1925
LOADING IMAGES
This item is currently on hold.
Item # 12091
Prices subject to change without notice.
C. F. Martin Style 3K Model Soprano Ukulele, c. 1925, made in Nazareth, PA, natural finish, Koa body, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, black hard shell case.
This is a beautiful played-in but very fine sounding Martin Style 3K ukulele from the later 1920's, with dramatic flame-grained koa on the top, sides and back. This Style 3K was the original top of the line Martin ukulele until the advent of the pearl-trimmed Model 5-K in 1923. This koa wood Style 3-K was still a very fancy and expensive ukulele when it was built in the later 1920's, and one of the finest ever made to this day. This uke listed at $30.00 in the mid/late 1920's which was quite expensive for a uke; a pretty good guitar could be had for less than that price!
Martin's Style 3 ukuleles have some unique decorative features including a celluloid ornament at the base of the body and a multi-ply celluloid center stripe down the center of the fingerboard, with small pearl diamonds for position inlays. The body is 7-ply bound front and 3-ply back with a multi-ply celluloid soundhole ring; the nut is 3-ply celluloid and the saddle is bone. It is finished in the thin 1920s style ambered varnish and has metal shaft banjo-style friction pegs that are period but not original. The model sold in much smaller quantities than the less expensive Style 0's and 1's and is far rarer today. This is a lovely if not cosmetically perfect example and a wonderful players instrument by any standard.
Overall length is 20 3/4 in. (52.7 cm.), 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 13 3/4 in. (349 mm.). Width of nut is 1 7/16 in. (36 mm.).
This 90 year old uke appears to have been a serious player's instrument long ago. It shows typical play wear overall, but little in the way of repair. The original very thin varnish finish has dings, scrapes and dents over most of the instrument and a decent sized area of varnish strummed off down to the wood below the fingerboard extension. The headstock face appears to have been polished out (probably when the tuners were changed) and exhibits a shinier patina than the rest of the uke, but shows wear indicating this was done long ago.
The uke is remarkably crack free; the bridge has been neatly reglued but no other repairs are visible. The tuners are straight-shaft banjo pegs from the era (or possibly earlier) that were substituted for the original friction pegs long ago, probably when the uke was fairly new. The holes in the headstock were lined out slightly during the switch, and as noted the headstock finish was polished.
The original bar frets remain in excellent condition; strung with NylGut strings this uke plays and sounds excellent with the truly superb Martin tone, rich and incisive at the same time. This lovely Koa gem remains a superb player's instrument a century or so on, residing in a modern HSC. We were sent a digital image that shows the original owner playing this uke in a fantastic looking 1920s combo that has a Spanish Gaucho-meets-vaudeville style, one of the coolest provenance pictures we have ever seen! Very Good + Condition.
This is a beautiful played-in but very fine sounding Martin Style 3K ukulele from the later 1920's, with dramatic flame-grained koa on the top, sides and back. This Style 3K was the original top of the line Martin ukulele until the advent of the pearl-trimmed Model 5-K in 1923. This koa wood Style 3-K was still a very fancy and expensive ukulele when it was built in the later 1920's, and one of the finest ever made to this day. This uke listed at $30.00 in the mid/late 1920's which was quite expensive for a uke; a pretty good guitar could be had for less than that price!
Martin's Style 3 ukuleles have some unique decorative features including a celluloid ornament at the base of the body and a multi-ply celluloid center stripe down the center of the fingerboard, with small pearl diamonds for position inlays. The body is 7-ply bound front and 3-ply back with a multi-ply celluloid soundhole ring; the nut is 3-ply celluloid and the saddle is bone. It is finished in the thin 1920s style ambered varnish and has metal shaft banjo-style friction pegs that are period but not original. The model sold in much smaller quantities than the less expensive Style 0's and 1's and is far rarer today. This is a lovely if not cosmetically perfect example and a wonderful players instrument by any standard.
Overall length is 20 3/4 in. (52.7 cm.), 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 13 3/4 in. (349 mm.). Width of nut is 1 7/16 in. (36 mm.).
This 90 year old uke appears to have been a serious player's instrument long ago. It shows typical play wear overall, but little in the way of repair. The original very thin varnish finish has dings, scrapes and dents over most of the instrument and a decent sized area of varnish strummed off down to the wood below the fingerboard extension. The headstock face appears to have been polished out (probably when the tuners were changed) and exhibits a shinier patina than the rest of the uke, but shows wear indicating this was done long ago.
The uke is remarkably crack free; the bridge has been neatly reglued but no other repairs are visible. The tuners are straight-shaft banjo pegs from the era (or possibly earlier) that were substituted for the original friction pegs long ago, probably when the uke was fairly new. The holes in the headstock were lined out slightly during the switch, and as noted the headstock finish was polished.
The original bar frets remain in excellent condition; strung with NylGut strings this uke plays and sounds excellent with the truly superb Martin tone, rich and incisive at the same time. This lovely Koa gem remains a superb player's instrument a century or so on, residing in a modern HSC. We were sent a digital image that shows the original owner playing this uke in a fantastic looking 1920s combo that has a Spanish Gaucho-meets-vaudeville style, one of the coolest provenance pictures we have ever seen! Very Good + Condition.