1927 Martin T-15 Tiple

Mr. Mike Brown found this tiple in a really sad state and managed to clean it up a heck of a lot before it wound-up here at the shop. Still, it had some unrepaired cracks and was not playable by a long shot, though the "bones were good."

It needed the usual stuff and got it -- a fret seating and level/dress, side dots for its new lefty configuration, said crack repairs/fill jobs, and a mod of the bridge. That mod was to remove its original fret saddle (zero compensation), recut the saddle slot, and make a new bone saddle with full compensation for each string. To my ears this is absolutely necessary to enjoy these weird, steel-string, octave-strung, super-ukulele instruments. Without a compensated saddle they're an out-of-tune mess of tone.

With the work done (and now leftified), it plays spot-on and has a sweet, chimey tone. These earlier Martin tiples have fan bracing which gives them a little more jangle and sing-song compared to the later, x-braced ones which tend to be a bit mellower and woody.

This guy's all-original save wear and tear to the finish and the saddle.