1920s Gretsch-made 8" Rim Soprano Banjo Ukulele

I've finally been snagging a few more "random repair instrument" photos rather than basically just consignment photos. It's been a busy summer!

This cute little banjo-uke is unmarked but was made by Gretsch in the mid-late 1920s. It has heavier-duty hardware than normal and extra inlay as well in addition to the above-average rim size (for the time), so that suggests to me it sat a little higher in their catalog. It also has a hole drilled in the dowel on the rear which says it probably had some sort of pie-plate-style resonator on the back at one point.

In any case, this was just in for a setup and that's just what I gave it. It now plays fast an accurately and has a sweet, plucky, projecting, sort-of voice. It's all-original save the bridge which is from my parts-bins.

The "volute" at the back of the headstock and the (simple and practical and well-thought-out) three-bolt neck brace are the features that right-away tell you this is a Gretsch build.