c.1930 Favilla Teardrop Soprano Ukulele

Favilla ukes are prized for tone and feel... and this one is right up there with the rest of them. Big, sweet, mellow, but loud, poppy tone. Very nice player -- feels a lot like a Martin in terms of neck width and scale length (has a slightly longer-than-typical scale of 13 3/8" which feels nice).

This is one of their teardrop-shaped ukes, which are immediately identifiable from a stage, and have a tone similar to a pineapple Kamaka uke but sweeter and somewhat deeper. It's entirely made from solid birch, with brass frets (replacement vintage 12th fret), rosewood saddle and nut... and has light and well-sculpted braces similar to high-grade Lyon & Healy ukes.

All equipment is original and it's crack free, though the finish shows some use-wear here and there and some discoloration on the back. My work on this uke included a neck reset/reglue, cleaning, and setup. I also added some extra washers to the tuners for smoother operation.

Gold Favilla logo.

Dots are like a tortoise-y celluloid material and are brown.

Nice inlaid rosette -- simple but a lot nicer looking than the painted details on later and less-expensive teardrop Favillas.

I love natural finish on birch... seriously, with this uke and the last post (the Slingerland banjo uke) it feels like an ad for "go blonde for Spring!" -- but natural-stained birch really highlights the better qualities of the wood (slight figure and three-dimensional grain lines).

Some discoloration on the back.

Well-thought-out bridge, securely glued, and nice rosewood saddle! Resists wear and improves tone.

Bakelite buttons are in good shape.


"End pin" area.