Sold FS: Martin Style 2 - Circa 1919 — Price Drop $800 shipped

[brimmer]

Very nice Style 2 for sale. This uke has a loud, clear, sweet sound, very open & transparent - really lovely vintage Martin mahogany tone. The wooden tuning pegs work very well - I think they are more reliable than some of the early mechanical tuners Martin used before the war. Accurate tuning with the wooden pegs is a skill that is easily acquired (2-hand operation: use one hand on the headstock, the other on the peg, move the peg in or out while turning). The bar frets were lightly dressed to remove the sharp ends. Playing on bar frets is a joy.

No cracks. There's a small scuff or finish flaw on the lower bout and some kind of minor finish roughness on the top. Both pictured. I bought this Style 2 from Bernunzio in 2006 for $1220. I am selling it for $800 delivered to CONUS. Questions to wbickart[at]gmail.

Comes with a choice of cases: a hard tweed case (the middle latch is busted but the other 2 work) or an "original" pasteboard case pictured...very nice, with an arched top. The uke belongs in the old case but the newer one has a soft interior and holds it snugly. I imagine the old case has value on its own...I don't know much about cases.

 

[rhiggie]

That's a great looking uke for 105 years old! I have a style 0 that is 2 years older and the tuners still work great! I am surprised that the binding is still intact. That cellulose seemed to shrink over time. Great uke, I'm tempted...

 

[EDW]

Very good looking instrument and a nice deal!

 

[Rkrout]

Very cool - just out of interest, how can you date it to 1919? I don’t know much about Martin ukes from that time period. Thanks anyone for info.

 

[sbcrikey]

I have the same model and vintage as this Martin. My luthier had the Martin catalog and when you factor in that it's a style 2, ivoroid binding, stamp on the back of the headstock and inside the instrument, it was clearly one of the first of that model dating from 1918-1920-ish. Hard to get an exact date.

 

[EDW]

Very cool - just out of interest, how can you date it to 1919? I don’t know much about Martin ukes from that time period. Thanks anyone for info.

There are certain details, but the most obvious are the fret markers at 5-7-9. They were changed to 5-7-10 after that time

 

[Rkrout]

Thanks for that great info everyone! So much to know about vintage ukes.

 

[sbcrikey]

There are certain details, but the most obvious are the fret markers at 5-7-9. They were changed to 5-7-10 after that time

good to know EDW. thanks for that! my style 2 has markers at 5-7-9 too, confirming my guy got it right

 

[brimmer]

I got the build date from Bernunzo they seem to know all about vintage instruments. Later I bought the book on vintage Martin ukes, by John King and Tom Walsh. They go into all the design details as the changed over time. The fret markers, as Ed points out, went to 5-7-9 from 1918-20 on style 2’s. The 5-7-10 configuration started in 1921. I have no reason to date it to 1919, as opposed to 1918 or 1920.

 

[Farkvam]

Oh my, what a beaut. I played a 1919-ish Martin 2K recently and it was droolworthy, as I’m sure this is as well. Good luck!

 

[Chickenstein]

That cat making you sell it?

 

[brimmer]

Ha! The cat prefers the uke to the banjo.

That cat making you sell it?

 

[EDW]

Ha! The cat prefers the uke to the banjo.

Who wouldn’t???

 

[brimmer]

Price Drop… $1000

 

[brimmer]

It has been a while, I thought this uke deserves a bump. If anyone has questions, wants more pictures, sound samples, let me know. I can't go down much more on the price... $950 shipped to CONUS.

To keep the shipping cost down, I decided to let the buyer choose the case they want, rather than offering both. I recommend the vintage one.

 

[kerneltime]

Amazing deal! If I was in my selling phase I would lap this one up!

 

[brimmer]

Hello, I just dropped the price, now $800 shipped.