c.1920 Martin "Ditson" Dreadnought Soprano Ukulele

Here's a nice uke owned by Mr. Craig Chesler out of NY, NY. This is a "tiny dreadnought" shaped soprano, made by Martin in the 1920s for the Oliver Ditson Company. The slightly wider waist is peculiar to these ukes made for Ditson and off the top of my head I'm not sure where this places them in the lineup for dates. I think the bridge is a replacement as it's not very "Martin" or, for that matter, Martin-made-for-Ditson. It's also maple, not mahogany.

Specs are like a style 1 with nice discrete purfling around the top edge and soundhole, with rosewood fretboard with tiny dots, bar frets, and all-solid mahogany for the rest. Ebony nut. I'm not entirely sure those bakelite pegs are original, but they are period.

Bar frets always feel nice. Typical elegant tiny-dot inlay -- and also some side dots to see by, too.

And look at that playwear! Not bad. Go figure, too... this uke sounds excellent. It's a bit fuller, like a pineapple uke, than a typical soprano.

The coloring of this uke is actually quite a bit darker and browner than the photos suggest.

Here's that bridge with the thin saddle.

Side.


Detail.


Pegs.


Back.


Ditson stamp on the back of the headstock.


Good heel join.





...and the original case! Not bad!


...with an "Olympic Hotel" luggage label.