C. F. Martin Baritone Ukulele (1960s), made in Nazareth, PA, dark mahogany finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, black soft shell case.
This Martin style 51 is a good player's example of this late-arriving member of the ukulele family, a creation of the late '50s folk era. A baritone ukulele is the spot where the uke and the tenor guitar meet, a Nylon-strung 4-string with a 20" scale tuned like a guitar, but lacking bass strings. It is a fun strumming instrument easily accessible to both guitar and uke players, and was popular as a student and sing-along accompaniment instrument in the 1960s.
Martin introduced this Style 51 in 1960, and it is still generally considered the best instrument of this type ever made. Fashioned from mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard, the Style 51 offers plenty of long, slim neck for an advanced uke player to work out on while being superbly easy to play for the most basic beginner. This one is not the cleanest we have had but remains a fine player with a rich sound.
Overall length is 30 9/16 in. (77.6 cm.), 10 in. (25.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 20 in. (508 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/8 in. (35 mm.).
This Martin had an unfortunate accident long ago resulting in a long split in the upper side of the body running from just above the heel almost to the tailblock. This was sealed solidly but not as neatly as it might have been and is still plainly visible. There were several other smaller side cracks sealed up as well that are better hidden. The entire instrument was given a clear overspray when this repair was done; this added finish has some noticeable checking and is a bit uneven in some areas with a couple of small flaked spots. Beyond this the uke shows mostly minor wear including one noticeable dink under the later top finish. Despite these demerits this is still a delightful strummer with a punchy tone, a bit of an ugly duckling but a strong player ready to go in a modern gig bag. Overall Very Good Condition.
