c.1920 Malolo Koa Soprano Ukulele

This is the 6th of 8 ukes I've been working on for a customer. This one is a "Malolo" brand uke which appears to have originated from the Hawaiian Mahogany Co. (originally timber suppliers and then uke makers). It reminds me a lot of early Kumalaes as well in terms of the super-peanut shape and "raised" soundhole nearer the upper bout.

Work included the usual: new brace on the lower bout, fret level/dress, various crack repairs and cleats/top stiffening, bridge glue, setup, and whatnot. This uke has that classic koa sound: sparkly and bright and alive. It also has a wider nut and thin, flat neck which gives it that classic Hawaiian feel as well.

I've always liked the look of these simple, uncomplicated rosettes.

Beautiful flamey stuff on the sides! This one has that nice, deep orange coloration all over.

The back, like the front, has some longer hairlines as well.

The wood pegs are replacements but fit quite well. They just needed a tiny bit of violin peg dope and some string-mounting holes drilled to get the most out of them.