{"product_id":"leonardo-nunes-6-string-soprano-ukulele-1920-9973","title":"Leonardo Nunes 6 string Soprano Ukulele (1920)","description":"Leonardo Nunes 6 string Soprano Ukulele, c. 1920, made in Los Angeles, natural varnish finish, koa wood body and neck, black tolex hard shell case. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLeonardo Nunes was one of the better native ukulele builders of the first period of the instrument's popularity lasting from the early 1910s to just before the Depression. He was the son of Manuel Nunes, the Portuguese\/Hawaiian maker who billed himself as \"Inventor of the Ukulele\" in the 1910s. Apparently tiring of working for his father, Leonardo left the Manuel Nunes firm and Hawaii in the mid-1910's to settle in Los Angeles, quickly setting up to build Ukuleles there. He produced instruments sold through a number of mostly west coast jobbers and music dealers branded Ukulele O Hawaii, although strictly speaking they were made on the mainland! Despite this territorial anomaly, his ukes retain a totally Hawaiian character, built in the original Iberian-influenced style and using native Hawaiian koa wood.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNunes designed and built several interesting uke variants but this instrument is the most unusual: a 6 string soprano with four courses, the middle two strings doubled and the outer courses singles. The 8-string Taropatch was being promoted at the time, but that instrument generally used a larger body and longer scale. This uke is sort of a hybrid, easier to play (and tune!) than a full Taropatch but offering some of its lovely multi-coursed sound. Decades later Sam Kamaka Jr. designed a 6-string ukulele he dubbed the Liliu, a similar idea but with a larger body and slightly different string layout. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis uke is one of these very rare Leonardo Nunes creations, likely dating to the early\/mid 1920's. Like nearly all period Hawaiian style ukes the workmanship is relatively crude by continental (read: Martin) standards but the instrument has a wonderful feel and sound. The body and neck are made of dark Hawaiian koa with some variable grain patterns. The back is made of two bookmatched pieces pressed into a noticeable arch while the top has an almost diagonal grain pattern in places. The soundhole is ornamented with some wood marquetry. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe one-piece neck is narrow at the nut but much deeper and rounder than the usual Hawaiian style, and very comfortable to play. The back of the headstock is carved into an arch and the fingerboard dots are green abalone, both L. Nunes trademarks. The distinctive Leonardo Nunes decal is on the headstock, which is equipped with six molded friction pegs, four of beautiful amber celluloid and two of whiter composite. We can't tell if this mismatch is factory or a later substitution, but all the pegs are of the identical mold pattern from the same early 1920's period. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis unusual uke is a wonderful piece of playable folk art, with an easy action and a lively, haunting sound. The doubled strings make it seemingly more suitable for the dreamier authentic Hawaiian mode than fast vaudeville strumming, but it performs well in either case. Leonardo Nunes ukuleles were popular with Hollywood entertainers in the 1920's, buy are fairly uncommon today. This is one of the rarest of all his creations, a superb original idea that never caught on and a wonderful relic of the changing musical and cultural milieu of 100 years ago.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOverall length is 21 1\/2 in. (54.6 cm.), 6 1\/8 in. (15.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 3\/8 in. (6 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 13 1\/8 in. (333 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3\/16 in. (30 mm.). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis uke survives in excellent playable condition, with some older repairs but nothing that detracts from its original character. There are several repaired top cracks (almost unavoidable on the roughly cured native koa wood ukes of this period) to the diagonal grain behind the bridge that are well sealed and mostly hidden under some artful touch-up. The top appears to have been French polished over this but the rest of the finish appears original except for one touch-up over an old repair at the turn of the upper side near the neck block. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe bridge appears original but has two patched holes in the top, the likely result of some ill-advised attempt to screw it down long ago. These have been filled the bridge stained darker and overfinished to help conceal the result. These very lightly built instruments rarely have lasted 100 or so years without these sort of repair. This uke is strung with a fantastic set of very old genuine gut strings, of a type that has been unobtainable for decades. The sound is lovely, about as genuine vintage as it is possible to get an instant trip back to the swaying palms of Honolulu, or Los Angeles, or as close as your Victrola could get you! Overall Very Good + Condition.","brand":"Leonardo Nunes","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46853386797196,"sku":"9973","price":1750.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/8702\/3756\/files\/01_6e1110b9-da9f-4741-a165-f56ceb9c7ae3.jpg?v=1774336941","url":"https:\/\/retrofret.com\/products\/leonardo-nunes-6-string-soprano-ukulele-1920-9973","provider":"RetroFret","version":"1.0","type":"link"}