experimentjon
Well-known member
This new-to-me Martin 5K soprano is finally here! The first ukulele I ever learned on, back in the Aldrine-Guerrero-IAmHawaii.com days (right around when UU was first founded) was a Tangi soprano. Like many on the journey, I ended up favoring the tenor size and staying there. But the right opportunity came to finally own a 5K came, and I couldn’t resist the allure of a soprano again.
The Martin 5K is truly a “flagship” or “brand halo” instrument. With its $5k MSRP (as of 2023) to match its 5K name, it is an ukulele that seems to make little sense as a practical choice when a comparable Hawaiian K-brand can be had for a fraction of the price…or a fleet of K-brands for the same price depending on the flavor of your UAS. But even in the early 1900s when Martin began making ukuleles, the 5K was their top-of-the-line model—the equivalent of their Style 45 guitar, replete with abalone inlays and flamed woods…something that I could only aspire to. I remember staring at a 5K in an NYC-based dealer a few years ago—it was protected like a gem of an instrument, behind glass—and I thought, man, that must be one heck of an instrument.
As soon as I picked up the Martin 5K, I noticed that the instrument is noticeably heavier than expected. If you’ve tried a Collings (very lightweight) and a modern Kamaka, the 5K definitely leans closer to the Kamaka. Perhaps it’s just the density of the neck because I cannot judge whether it is actually “overbuilt”…but the instrument is still well-balanced with a fulcrum right around the 10th fret (even with the geared tuners).
And yes, the tuners were replaced by the previous owner from the standard friction tuners to Waverly open-back geared tuners. At first I was a bit torn on the look (reminds me of a Makala Dolphin and loses the iconic 5K headstock look). But when trying to tune a Martin 0XK with its stock friction tuners—which would not have been too dissimilar from what came with the earlier 5K reissues—I completely acknowledge that the Waverleys are far superior. And at least they are lightweight open back Waverleys, which are premium tuners, rather than heavy closed-back Grovers. Geared pegheads (lighter) or Gotoh UPTs (heavier) would probably have been the choice today for aesthetics, but back in the early 2010s those were not yet options. And now, with holes already tapped [slightly misaligned…but that’s part of the charm now], the highly-precise Waverley units are staying on.
The next thing I admired was the curl and the bling. It’s certainly very highly decorated with no corners cut. Starting with the abalone flowerpot inlay on a flamed headplate, moving down to the snowflake inlays on the fully bound ebony fingerboard, and of course, the abalone rosette and purflings on both the top and back—it’s a thing of beauty! I gave the gloss finish a light cleaning with some Martin Polish & Cleaner (gentle and very effective) and the one-piece curly Koa top and back, as well as the nicely flamed sides all absolutely popped in the light.
Time to play it! After the Aquila nylgut strings stretched and settled in, it comes with the “bark” that many describe Martin sopranos as having. It doesn’t have the full, sweet tone of a tenor or the nice balance of a concert, but that’s not what I’d want or expect out of the soprano body. It sounds good…exactly like you’d imagine from the YouTube videos. The notes are surprisingly well articulated for a soprano, and the projection enough to fill a small room. Admittedly, its tone is not something where I was blown away. It didn’t redefine what I thought the instrument could be, like the first time I played a KoAloha concert or a Kanilea Tenor with TRU bracing. But the Martin has the attitude and feel that you’d expect from an instrument with its looks. And I’m excited to have it age and sound even better over time. This is a 2010 model, 13 years old at this point, and suspect in the next 13, it’ll sound even more open and full.
As for criticisms, people online say the unfinished or blocky bridge is ugly. Yes, lacks the gloss finish of the body, but to be honest, I don’t mind it. I’d assume the lack of finish was for acoustic reasons, and its size and shape don’t look out of place. But then, the only other complaint is the price…
The Martin 5K is truly a “flagship” or “brand halo” instrument. With its $5k MSRP (as of 2023) to match its 5K name, it is an ukulele that seems to make little sense as a practical choice when a comparable Hawaiian K-brand can be had for a fraction of the price…or a fleet of K-brands for the same price depending on the flavor of your UAS. But even in the early 1900s when Martin began making ukuleles, the 5K was their top-of-the-line model—the equivalent of their Style 45 guitar, replete with abalone inlays and flamed woods…something that I could only aspire to. I remember staring at a 5K in an NYC-based dealer a few years ago—it was protected like a gem of an instrument, behind glass—and I thought, man, that must be one heck of an instrument.
As soon as I picked up the Martin 5K, I noticed that the instrument is noticeably heavier than expected. If you’ve tried a Collings (very lightweight) and a modern Kamaka, the 5K definitely leans closer to the Kamaka. Perhaps it’s just the density of the neck because I cannot judge whether it is actually “overbuilt”…but the instrument is still well-balanced with a fulcrum right around the 10th fret (even with the geared tuners).
And yes, the tuners were replaced by the previous owner from the standard friction tuners to Waverly open-back geared tuners. At first I was a bit torn on the look (reminds me of a Makala Dolphin and loses the iconic 5K headstock look). But when trying to tune a Martin 0XK with its stock friction tuners—which would not have been too dissimilar from what came with the earlier 5K reissues—I completely acknowledge that the Waverleys are far superior. And at least they are lightweight open back Waverleys, which are premium tuners, rather than heavy closed-back Grovers. Geared pegheads (lighter) or Gotoh UPTs (heavier) would probably have been the choice today for aesthetics, but back in the early 2010s those were not yet options. And now, with holes already tapped [slightly misaligned…but that’s part of the charm now], the highly-precise Waverley units are staying on.
The next thing I admired was the curl and the bling. It’s certainly very highly decorated with no corners cut. Starting with the abalone flowerpot inlay on a flamed headplate, moving down to the snowflake inlays on the fully bound ebony fingerboard, and of course, the abalone rosette and purflings on both the top and back—it’s a thing of beauty! I gave the gloss finish a light cleaning with some Martin Polish & Cleaner (gentle and very effective) and the one-piece curly Koa top and back, as well as the nicely flamed sides all absolutely popped in the light.
Time to play it! After the Aquila nylgut strings stretched and settled in, it comes with the “bark” that many describe Martin sopranos as having. It doesn’t have the full, sweet tone of a tenor or the nice balance of a concert, but that’s not what I’d want or expect out of the soprano body. It sounds good…exactly like you’d imagine from the YouTube videos. The notes are surprisingly well articulated for a soprano, and the projection enough to fill a small room. Admittedly, its tone is not something where I was blown away. It didn’t redefine what I thought the instrument could be, like the first time I played a KoAloha concert or a Kanilea Tenor with TRU bracing. But the Martin has the attitude and feel that you’d expect from an instrument with its looks. And I’m excited to have it age and sound even better over time. This is a 2010 model, 13 years old at this point, and suspect in the next 13, it’ll sound even more open and full.
As for criticisms, people online say the unfinished or blocky bridge is ugly. Yes, lacks the gloss finish of the body, but to be honest, I don’t mind it. I’d assume the lack of finish was for acoustic reasons, and its size and shape don’t look out of place. But then, the only other complaint is the price…
