That same year the company started to stamp all of its ukuleles Made in U.S.A. Martin guitar sales grew greatly in the 1960s and, when the company moved to its new modern factory in 1964, it was able to increase production to meet the demand. The neck appears to be maple and is very solidly attached. $13.50, $18.00 A real vintage ukulele almost 100 years old and made in Hawaii by one of the first popular uke makers. Ukulele sales in the U.S. really picked up in the early 1950s, certainly helped by entertainer Arthur Godfrey, who played and promoted the instrument on his various radio and television shows. In 1922, Martin made almost 5,000 ukuleles, making it obvious that the ukulele fad was far from over. The plastic tuning knob have screw in the top and the label inside is pretty much gone except for the letters "NL" and a number 10821 stamped on the throat and the inside of the instrument. Can you tell me more about this instrument ? When ukulele sales dropped off a little in 1921, many in the music business believed that the ukulele fad had run its course. And many of those kids carried a ukulele with them. In October of that year, the company shipped its first two ukuleles out on a special order to a music teacher in Trenton, New Jersey. (10% off). It became an icon of the islands, despite its Portuguese roots. Another big change that occurred in the early 1920s was when sheet music publishers started adding ukulele chords to their sheet music. I am trying to help a friend identify the maker and year of manufature of this instrument. Can you help me to research this? Many thanks. Dear Ukulele Hall Of Fame Museum, Here is an all koa wood soprano ukulele made for the mainland department store, Rhodes Brothers (in Tacoma, Washington, established in 1892). Thank you so much. It was with me in the Korean War. 103 means? Learn more. It says manufactured by Luna Music Company Ltd, Tokyo, Japan, No. New to the world of uke's, I'm a guitar player. Life was hard, money was scarce, and materials were hard to find. In 1907, James W. Bergstrom of the Bergstrom Music Co. of Honolulu, spent time making business connections on the East Coast of the U.S. 887,952, 1,325,301 Soon Martin was sending large numbers of ukuleles to two New York retailers, Ditson and William J. Smith. The binding is also used for the bridge. Perhaps due to their shared love of jazz, Kobayashi cites Ohta-san as having most influenced his playing: He has his own sound. Move your mouse over image or click to enlarge. Those partners may have their own information theyve collected about you. Here's a good clean vintage Aria, I'm guessing from 1960's. More exposure came from a Broadway show called The Bird of Paradise, which featured native Hawaiian musicians, and which toured the country for years after its Broadway run in 1912. By clicking Subscribe, I agree to receive exclusive offers & promotions, news & reviews, and personalized tips for buying and selling on Reverb. Japanese emigration to Hawaii began in 1885, and by 1924 about 200,000 Japanese had moved to Hawaii to work in the sugarcane fields. 539,618, 674,522 (33% off), Sale Price 843,133 Hi. He was in Hawaii in the 40's. The cost of this permit is $93.00 USD. By 1919, Martin was enlarging the factory to help keep up with the demand for ukuleles, as well as expanding guitar sales. By clicking Subscribe, I agree to receive exclusive offers & promotions, news & reviews, and personalized tips for buying and selling on Reverb. In August, they began selling taropatches and also started to make a special line of ukuleles for the Ditson store. By 1833, when guitar maker Christian Frederick Martin and his family left Germany to start a new life in America, a number of tourists to the Portuguese island of Madeira had already returned home and spread reports of a small four-string guitar that was the characteristic instrument of the island. (25% off), Sale Price $166.60 I have never heard of the maker. Tokyos Ochanomizu district is home to tens of music stores, is easy to get to, and offers a very enjoyable way to spend a few hours. Traveling to Japan is the most reliable way to find this music and certainly the most fun! Kiwaya has kept the ukulele flame burning strong in Japan ever since and is now its oldest and most respected ukulele manufacturer. The finish is beginning to crack. I would be interested to know when this ukulele was made. The Style 1 and Style 3 Centennial ukuleles commemorate Martins vintage ukulele models, and each is limited to a run of just 100 instruments. Take full advantage of our site features by enabling JavaScript. Hailing from Okinawa, Ryo Natoyama first traveled with his family to Hawaii as a sixth grader and returned home with a ukulele. Save on select gear from Fender, Moog, and more. Amazon wont allow users to download music purchases without a Japanese issued bankcard and the Japanese version of iTunes is unavailable to those outside the country. Most books are arranged in tab, so they are easy to understand even for non-Japanese speakers, and most come with CDs so you can more easily understand a difficult passage when you listen to the track. Still, the ukulele craze had allowed the company to both expand and build up a financial surplus that helped get them through these hard times. By late in the year, Martin was already starting to move away from the new costumer models. Any idea of age and actual maker? Thanks in advance for any info you can provide. CDJapan.co.jp carries many titles and you can occasionally you can find some titles on eBay, but they can be pricey. Regards. Up to 50% off select gear this weekend Save on select gear from Fender, Moog, and moreShop now, View similar gear from other sellers on Reverb. Ludwig made very high quality banjo ukuleles in the late 1920s through around 1930. Then came the enormously popular 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. By the time he was 14, he was opening for Bruce Shimabukuro, Jody Kamisato, and other top Hawaiian players. If you do not wish to have a signature requirement you will need to notify us, either by leaving a note in the special instructions when adding the item(s) to your shopping cart or by emailing our shipping department directly. By the late 60s and 70s Japans music scene, like the rest of the worlds, was a hodgepodge of musical styles and experimentation. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Martins 100 years of ukulele production has been a roller-coaster ride featuring peaks where the company was overwhelmed with demand and valleys where production completely ceased. The Style 5K was dropped in 1941 and replaced with the short-lived Style 5 model made from curly mahogany. One of our setup technicians will work overtime outside of normal business hours to complete the setup within 2-3 days of the order being placed and immediately hand it over to the shipping department for packing and shipment. The seller might still be able to personalize your item. Vintage Ukulele All Auction Buy It Now 492 Results Brand Top Material Experience Level Finish Condition Price Buying Format All Filters Vintage FAVILLA UKULELE $199.99 $33.85 shipping Vintage Kamaka White Label Soprano Ukulele $250.00 1 bid Free shipping 5d 8h Vintage 1919 Wurlitzer Soprano Ukulele W Coffin Case $355.00 $14.80 shipping 17 watching As soon as the shipping label is created you will be automatically notified via email with tracking information. Absolutely! Since I have two nearly identical, this is refrenced as \"Y\' KE KE\" as it contains that name on the Headstock. By the end of 1926, after just 11 years in the ukulele business, Martin had produced nearly twice as many ukuleles as it had made guitars in the companys entire 93-year history. Thank you. of 1915, where his ukulele design won a Gold Award. By this time, Martins ukulele line had been greatly streamlined. Thanks. 23.32, 38.87 Pickup & Installation Options Starting At, Ko'olau Aho Fluorocarbon Strings (5 Options), https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/international.html. Elsewhere in Tokyo, Ukulele Mania in Ikebukuro is another worthy stop and is not far from Junkudo, a large well-stocked bookstore with a great collection of ukulele books. The tuning keys are a more modern Grover 2b so they are not original. Musicians from Hawaii played at worlds fairs, expositions, and in vaudeville, exposing large numbers of mainlanders to the unique sounds of the ukulele and Hawaiian guitar. This year, Martin is celebrating its 100th anniversary of publicly offering ukuleles, with a beautiful new display in its museum in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, as well as with two new Centennial ukulele models. After more than 50 years in charge, an aging F.H. Note that our area of expertise is American and Hawaiian made ukuleles from the 1950s or earlier. Ukulele Brands All you need to know | by Sheldon Mauldin - Medium Please check the fields highlighted in red. Any idea age or make? You've already signed up for some newsletters, but you haven't confirmed your address. I am trying to find out more info on a Ukulele I have. Would you happen to have any more information about them or any other New York companies. There is no brand name on it anywhere that I can find. C $20.09 shipping. Shipping policies vary, but many of our sellers offer free shipping when you purchase from them. Vintage Ukulele for sale | eBay The construction characteristics may give up some clues: it has a one piece koa wood rib and an arched back. Rock n roll was the undisputed king and American and British bands set the pace. (40% off), Sale Price 48.47 It's a simple teardrop model (with case) in great shape as near as I can tell and has "patent applied for" on the headstock. SHIPPING COSTwill vary depending on the size dimensions and weight of the package as well as the destination. Our Haleiwa store-front is open from Wednesday - Saturday from 11am - 6pm and on Sundays from 11am - 5pm. Try using a different browser or disabling ad blockers. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this. | Free shipping on many items! A combination of price increases and dwindling interest in the instrument brought Martins ukulele production to a near halt by the end of the decade. Some of the technologies we use are necessary for critical functions like security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and to make the site work correctly for browsing and transactions. As interest in ukuleles continued to grow, Martin decided the time was right to begin building ukuleles in Nazareth again. Hi there. Quality craftsmanship, lots of tone. Hi, I bought an old uke years back. Original Price 650,602 These customer models allowed Martin to move into new territories and greatly expand sales. Etsy uses cookies and similar technologies to give you a better experience, enabling things like: Detailed information can be found in Etsys Cookies & Similar Technologies Policy and our Privacy Policy. Color options available. Learn more. As it is here in the U.S., Jake Shimabukuro is the most cited influence for many of todays rising Japanese ukulele stars. I am unable to find photos of ones similar. While the taropatch had been offered with four strings since its introduction, the new concert model was different in that it had a narrower neck and a standard soprano-size bridge. They invest a lot of time, money, and effort into their hobbies and they become really good at them. It plays wonderfully: it has a really rich sound. In 1926, Martin actually temporarily halted production of its most popular ukulele modelthe Style 0to help them catch up with demand. You can use the left and right arrow keys or the N (next) and P (previous) keys on your keyboard, or simply click on the left (previous) or . We then smooth and polish the frets and condition the fingerboard to bring them back to new condition. Could you please identify the pictured ukulele and tell me about it. Find out more in our Cookies & Similar Technologies Policy. The groups vocals are especially good. In 1985, Kobayashi joined the Tokyo Hot Club Band and in 1988 he became the first Japanese to perform at the Django Reinhardt festival in France. Several models have become sought after and popular in the vintage market like the mid to late '60s Harmony H22 Bass, Harmony Rocket, Harmony H78 (Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys), 1967/68 Sovereign acoustic, Silvetone 1446 (Chris Isaak), Harmony H72 Meteor and Harmony Strattone H44 for examples.