c.1935 Harmony-made Mahogany Ukulele

No markings -- what to go on? Well -- body shape, marquetry-purfling type and style, fretboard style, and neck profile as well as nut width and scale length -- that's what. And in this case, this is a Harmony-made uke with a distinctively non-Harmony-typical headstock shape (though everything else is a typical '30s Harmony all-mahogany uke). This headstock is more reminiscent of late '30s Regals, however, with it's routed-out edges.

My work on this instrument turned out to be minimal -- light cleaning, new (bone) saddle to get the action to where it needed to be, a fret dress, and a setup and new (Aquila) strings. It's a nice player with easy "up the neck" chording, a sweet mellow and woody tone with good volume... and nice, simple looks.

Nice wider, more "Hawaiian" nut makes chord shapes very comfortable.

Plastic dots.

The (now-faded) marquetry purfling and soundhole rosette is a nice touch. This uke is crack free and proud of it!

Harmony-style bridge -- no need for a reglue, nice and tight to the top. Note my added bone saddle: it's just glued right to the top of the bridge where the old raised wooden one used to be.

There are three small knots in the top wood of this instrument that give a nice, interesting look to the piece.

Nice, good-quality, plain-wrap mahogany.

Bakelite-buttoned pegs work just fine.

This instrument (evidently) had a neck reset in its past. I know this because the neck is, for one, very solid to the body, and for another -- has light finish chipping juuuuuust along the edge of the heel/body seam.

"End pin" area.