c.1930 Favilla Teardrop Soprano Ukulele
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYr_J2C-hWUu2n9GsOhrvhab88y899XWQedCDfkZOGJ2Ke3gSHHnp9S8WYNNFrZyYffOg9HMO5DCTJA2QIBDxpoRaizoz71xJFVqGdxHJ4mYcpQtZxP1PFlrmKBzvMIWHk-ha1eVzbGyU/s400/favilla0001.jpg)
Favilla ukes are prized for tone and feel... and this one is right up there with the rest of them. Big, sweet, mellow, but loud, poppy tone. Very nice player -- feels a lot like a Martin in terms of neck width and scale length (has a slightly longer-than-typical scale of 13 3/8" which feels nice).
This is one of their teardrop-shaped ukes, which are immediately identifiable from a stage, and have a tone similar to a pineapple Kamaka uke but sweeter and somewhat deeper. It's entirely made from solid birch, with brass frets (replacement vintage 12th fret), rosewood saddle and nut... and has light and well-sculpted braces similar to high-grade Lyon & Healy ukes.
All equipment is original and it's crack free, though the finish shows some use-wear here and there and some discoloration on the back. My work on this uke included a neck reset/reglue, cleaning, and setup. I also added some extra washers to the tuners for smoother operation.
This is one of their teardrop-shaped ukes, which are immediately identifiable from a stage, and have a tone similar to a pineapple Kamaka uke but sweeter and somewhat deeper. It's entirely made from solid birch, with brass frets (replacement vintage 12th fret), rosewood saddle and nut... and has light and well-sculpted braces similar to high-grade Lyon & Healy ukes.
All equipment is original and it's crack free, though the finish shows some use-wear here and there and some discoloration on the back. My work on this uke included a neck reset/reglue, cleaning, and setup. I also added some extra washers to the tuners for smoother operation.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgeg8DlpMMdZwdtv8_N-EQYrmC46BxefP0DIlTln0MOqww4fpsJDyodaC-PEFEjwqtNxeJqAlFL4hddm3d-7CLn6T7rXw8DW3PzSINrU0S_cDy_hqYnKGLhn0QBVGu-2Ae96dg9-2cd0/s400/favilla0003.jpg)
Gold Favilla logo.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2lxE6iDT5hYOcuhN39mSaA-xsvYKD8ZbDDV-zcumcdYrPV-yRIJQVpYw8pVO_C_AmdHZqusI1048w7jrbmkaOrcMBQV5wTEkI_xMNB8NhOT-gg9l33GqaDvyS_jDceI_wGDoEDDlIuc/s400/favilla0004.jpg)
Dots are like a tortoise-y celluloid material and are brown.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuaegCDACEcFM6Kih_PTdstmeFGCCwcHNt4Rdn8Q3ePOcOv8ECVzElcYdgmzPH5XV6k9ZprGsdszltYsnb9-uVzCMVYb9wwPtVfJYmJX8Rjaoi6QLJ1lMxrhcpgmHFy4CinS4aCaWCUEo/s400/favilla0005.jpg)
Nice inlaid rosette -- simple but a lot nicer looking than the painted details on later and less-expensive teardrop Favillas.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7tZ_6wzyX-0R86VTzZuLwiR93GCFExV0OSfWc0Z0VmPU6svSsuq_DaIY6XFx9YZYBnIf8KVokv6EXYtvnDneCNWdz7oKvrAgupQfGh9JFtDlr5Ea6usERX5ukkxPM9c_fHQrn-RT1-w/s400/favilla0002.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwx8-RvT8YlFASdDe-X3-Ym7k995UwTF2bpxR4goePk81z7KuYPdKrZg2nuUpe7LJB1uDy7g-p1w_l101oJS3GsRsf0zrKwf_1KROfMJiBGVbIpg1JwfXIwINjAxA5DsZqloU8tfzzibk/s400/favilla0007.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_qK4s9QRM3tNl9Ds_ANLk6QgIzslIrJ7HFvW44n-JlNF2aXUEJUU8u23wOHT26QRzfCln47MmYXsD32BWcQeQUqLLeiMbqhxaO0DdlZKVXoEBxePfYe3jkk3xQnf_xGtjtnwzeXk3A4/s400/favilla0008.jpg)
I love natural finish on birch... seriously, with this uke and the last post (the Slingerland banjo uke) it feels like an ad for "go blonde for Spring!" -- but natural-stained birch really highlights the better qualities of the wood (slight figure and three-dimensional grain lines).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD92f4F_paa9AYKj1gfqjCxK59CyseDTS-N-9DocPCkXhlEdMJi_-wefyWzkTIgZswHI1DSdudZH64j995_pqrdWXJbYyX9EOWImxEZDBU_sISkFkOr5HpzipsqyRsCDdPDhdN69DRcok/s400/favilla0010.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbABUSCtmyvi07s_bY3Rs1py6g3sCHwKRKcwtMKA6gnHW-g-Uzb__KSku1o1Ml0FzXKyW4M1XZDZyU351lacHq-yO5c_jcgaXBpvAAXTx4YGMhbo9OevY7wI8dwYPnLWnyZVYkCtR6Ug/s400/favilla0011.jpg)
Some discoloration on the back.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxo5kGRuUdJkAiq37nBXdkzRAhyHF1fzca-6sVzeijA1Zi-YYnc_Hb-IaXXiMfmN3ufSSo5ByRQDDg80xS1hyphenhyphenwgAK-VRHy4vn95lNgtbzBLLlnmLfzMbuEqP7RAVqn8t_SUPmzKm098Y/s400/favilla0006.jpg)
Well-thought-out bridge, securely glued, and nice rosewood saddle! Resists wear and improves tone.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrwdgq9STl7xXv48dI_9ybyP_p1rGAMbqn86LgbR0GmQE72Ce59GjLOKjiy0pWntAPxA-_VXRtjryWDGj6QShujFqDT6K7OasHhsILNEspl9KCrS2W1Bi7zl1W9VqBdHWwO1BTO08GKM/s400/favilla0013.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdZwPCHTU6lzvWabUc6qlxXFKLsdtrtu3GX990cR3P-5pN4IFb4OycU87E1nHCdqOfDIHFrfYQb66xSEAZihvuVbDLnVn0NYRshZO7Hl7IhXW4j671Z11f3Jtm-Esxy__UFiUr43FmL0/s400/favilla0014.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_30GrJBp_02hgNh3ku3_p_Uzroov9fg9tTpIHo9CKZHRRyaqwbDD3yhMAqXUd0Wex-2fxu9ue18P21UkDSUylT7Btd4Ap3eDsnF50an0oxsiWQ28nGDfhkeqrk3NbXc8BfGQlk3efIhQ/s400/favilla0015.jpg)
Bakelite buttons are in good shape.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifobiMqKKcWA7lu7MdKxZPMtsDnuNgcEXNLH6DyIxN1pmb3LgrUnjGZ6MXQun7tMnCf2V4poZCofVcyHOuevQPRY-Sqbewo0yindIu4AjDGFG7JMAVf8wTU5_5xOT7DIsEhhcFRr9uleI/s400/favilla0016.jpg)
"End pin" area.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_3sZkOG9-oGCVebBJO8OTnFe35O5rSPyAta11zhMAgvseKNlSYaY6puoNGI-da02ebKnZ6ri-gv5X6qDlJz9dslBPtskhmArH3ksD_v-FmnezbWfXBHDqeNGNdd2KyZ6jJpqRNpujoU/s400/favilla0012.jpg)
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