c.1940 Harmony Mahogany Soprano Ukulele




These little guys sure do hang in there! I think some of the best bargains in vintage mahogany ukes are the 30s-50s Harmony-made products that sort of ape Martin aesthetics (like this one). Once they're spruced up they sound full and pretty big, too, for their size.

This one got a neck reset plus bolt-reinforcement, a bridge reglue, fret level/dress, some hairline crack repairs/cleats, a cleaning and a setup. New friction pegs were added, too, as the original bakelite pegs were in pretty rough shape. It plays just how you'd want it to with good intonation and plenty of room on the fretboard.




I like the cute "gold foil" Harmony decal. The nut and board are rosewood.


The dots are celluloid.



Aside from the tuners, the rest is original gear (including this bridge).






New friction pegs -- these are the new Saga/Golden Gate types -- and they're nice.


See the abalone dot in the heel? It's covering a bolt-head which is adjusted-up at the inside of the neck block. I reglued the heel at the same time but I've been adding bolts or screws to some of these Harmony ukes lately when I find that the dowel used for the dowel joint is just too far up the heel or too small for practicality's sake.


Here's the first hairline/crush crack. It's cleated on the inside and filled/stable.



Here's the other puncture/"banged around" crack -- it's small and on the treble side near the endblock. It's also stable and has an old glued-up repair.

Comments