1950s Harmony Concert Ukulele

October 15, 2019

1950s Harmony Concert Ukulele

I've had a number of this same model through the shop and they're one of my first suggestions for folks looking for a vintage concert ukulele. Because of their lightweight bracing and thinly cut top, they sound a lot like a vintage Favilla and come close to the sweetness/expression of an old Martin concert but are a little bit more on the plain side as far as voicing goes. There's a nice, woody, simplicity to the sound that's engaging because it's also loud and clean.

A customer sent this in for work and after getting it done, it's turned into a nice little player. These ukes feel much more upscale than they let-on at first glance and their bodies and neck are solid mahogany throughout.

Work included: a neck reset, fret level/dress, install of Gotoh geared UPT pegs, and a setup.

Setup notes: it plays spot-on with 1/16" action at the 12th fret and it's strung with Aquila Nylgut. I think fluorocarbon strings would give it some more sparkle and sweetness, but these Aquilas do sound good.

Scale length: 14 3/4"

Nut width: 1 7/16"

String spacing at nut: 1 1/8"

String spacing at bridge: 1 3/4"

Body length: 10 7/8"

Lower bout width: 7 3/4"

Waist width: 4 7/8"

Upper bout width: 5 7/8"

Side depth at endpin: 2 5/8"

Top wood: solid mahogany

Back/sides wood: solid mahogany

Neck wood: mahogany

Bracing type: ladder

Fretboard: rosewood, brass frets

Bridge: mahogany

Neck feel: slim-to-medium c/d shape, flat board

Condition notes: there's a little finish fill at the sides of the heel/body joint and there's a filled dot at the back of the heel (that's from adding bolt-reinforcement for the neck joint as these have a stock dowel joint which is not the best). Otherwise, it's in good order and has zero cracks and only the most minor wear and tear to the finish.