c.1930 Gibson Style 1 Soprano Ukulele

The back-story on this Gibson style 1 (all solid mahogany, no binding) soprano uke is that I got a bit burned on it on fleaBay. Like most old ukes, I figured it'd need at least a bridge reglue, fret level and dress, and maybe a crack repair to get it going, but it turned out that despite the premium I paid for it the condition was certainly not anywhere near "as described" which was "good except for one crack." Yup -- this happens to me, too!

I'm happy with how it turned out post-repair, though. I've been wanting one of these Gibsons since I sold the last SS Stewart-branded one I had and this has the same "functional voice" I liked on that one: creamy, sweet, perfectly useful for strumming or fingerpicking, and understated (not a lot of bell overtones or ring). The neck is also wider like on a Martin but has more of a medium C shape which I like.

Work included a bridge reglue and slight shave, cleating and gluing-up of 3 hairline cracks on the front, some application of a sealer coat of finish to protect some bare areas, a light fret level/dress, cleaning, a new bone nut, and setup.

Gold-decal "The Gibson" script.

The fretboard appears to be dyed maple rather than rosewood. I like the micro dots, though.

Cute and simple "reverse rope" rosette.

Like the Martin bridges, the Gibson ones have ebony saddles.

You can see a bit more of the funky finish muck-ups (sandpaper marks, areas where the finish was rubbed down -- and since re-applied by me) and cracks in the glare.

Who doesn't like those spring-loaded Waverly tuners? These are some of the nicest old friction pegs you can get on a uke -- lightweight and effective.

Believe it or not, 3/4 of the back was pretty much bare of real finish. I applied a couple coats to the bare areas and then rubbed it down to get it looking more "right."

The other ugly bit was all inside: 1/2 the kerfing is replaced with hack-repair (sturdy but hideous) "home-made" kerfing and I had to remove a couple of posts that someone had installed from the back to the top (possibly to reinforce the cracked areas on the top?) which were weird.