1950s Harmony Soprano Ukulele

November 02, 2019

1950s Harmony Soprano Ukulele

This is the Harmony soprano uke most folks think of when they think of old Harmony ukes. It's all-solid birch, has no braces inside (the wood's just thicker), and it has a screwed-down plastic fretboard. The company built this style from the early '50s and onward. It's a "cute" uke in that the sound is mellow and suits strumming, but it's not loud and not very dynamic. Its fun is mostly in that it's funky, old, charming, and full of long-lost childhood memories.

Also -- once fixed-up -- they play just dandy.

There's a lot of use/handling wear on this guy but it's all-original save for the new strings.

Repairs included: an internal bolt reinforcement of the neck joint (the necks on these are just doweled so they need this to stay stable), bridge reglue, seam repairs, cleaning, and setup.

Setup notes: action is spot-on at 1/16" at the 12th fret, the neck is straight, and it plays quick and easy. Strings are D'Addario fluorocarbon.

Scale length: 13"

Nut width: 1 3/8"

String spacing at nut: 1 1/8"

String spacing at bridge: 1 11/16"

Body length: 9 1/4"

Lower bout width: 6 1/2"

Waist width: 4"

Upper bout width: 5 1/8"

Side depth at endpin: 2 1/4"

Top wood: solid birch

Back/sides wood: solid birch

Neck wood: poplar

Bracing type: none, just a thicker top

Fretboard: plastic, molded frets

Bridge: poplar

Neck feel: medium C-shape, flat board

Condition notes: plenty of minor use/handling wear throughout as seen on the finish. Uke is all original. There's a tiny filled hole at the back of the heel from where I predrilled to install the internal neck bolt.