c.1920 Oscar Schmidt Koa Ukulele

A nice uke! This one is unmarked but definitely an Oscar Schmidt build out of Jersey City, NJ. It would have originally had wood tuner pegs but I've replaced the missing ones with some new Grovers that look and work just fine. I've also repaired some cracks on the back, salvaged a bizarre bridge "repair" and set it up. Plays nice, sounds SUPER -- loud, bright, bell-like, cheerful... just like the old koa ukes on those 1920s/30s recordings. It sounds best at ADF#B where it pops tunes out like a hand cannon!

Though unmarked, it's identical to another OS uke I've restored and has the remains of the glue from the old label inside. It also has the square-style kerfing on the back of the soundboard that is typical of period OS-made instruments. The entire uke is made of Hawaiian koa wood which gives it super tone. This "figure-8" or almost peanut-style build is typical of older OS ukes. Later, in the mid-1920s and into the 1930s, they enlarged the design just a hair, reduced the quality of the finish, and started putting fretboards on most of their builds. This one, aside from the very mainland-style neck attachment, is in most other aspects pretty much like a vintage Hawaiian uke, especially in sound and feel.

The bridge was "built up" with another piece of wood glued on top for some crazy reason, but I removed it down to the original bridge size and installed a spare-parts vintage brass fret in the saddle slot that originally would have had a brass fret... so all's well that ends well. Plays nice with 1/8" action now.

Cool crown headstock. The bone nut is new as the old one was missing.

The neck and bridge were reglued by someone at some point and are quite sturdy.

Simple, two-ring inlaid rosette. I like.

Side.


Detail.


Back.


Headstock rear and new pegs.

Heel... with nice little heel cap.

The back has a few tiny cracks (from an impact?) in the center of the upper bout, which I've repaired and are sturdy. The rest of the uke is entirely crack-free.

...


...


Elegant!