1920s Stromberg-Voisinet (Kay) Aero Uke Soprano Ukulele

I've seen these in pictures now and then but hadn't had the chance to hold one of these until this lovely thing crossed my doorstep. It's an "Aero Uke" made by Stromberg-Voisinet (later Kay) in Chicago and it captures that '20s and '30s love of aviation in its form factor.

It even has an engine cowl and propellor carved into the front of it, a "tail" for a headstock, and curvy-bottomed, rectangular wings. An aviator's "wings" are on a gold decal on the top, too. Aviation is deep in our family in various ways and so something like this ticks a lot of boxes for me. It's also adorable and that doesn't hurt, too!

Plenty of reference books call this a "concert" uke but it's actually a soprano with a ~14" scale length and the "concert" appearance is due to the fact that it has such a long neck. That's because the neck itself is a take on SV/Kay's banjo-uke style necks which, of course, terminate with more frets free of the body. I mean -- there's a banjo-style "dowel" running through the center of the body, even. How about that?

Work was relatively minor but it turned the instrument from a high-action wall ornament into a fully-functional player's instrument. Some might frown on the replacement tuners but I think -- yes, please! -- as I only really play the ukes around the house that have geared pegs in them. Any that have old friction pegs just don't get used because they're fussy.

Repairs included: neck angle adjustment, fret level/dress, side dots, tuners install, cleaning, crack repairs, setup.

Weight: 1 lb 7 oz

Scale length: 14 1/8"

Nut width: 1 1/4"

Neck shape: medium V

Board radius: flat

Body width: 14 1/2"

Body depth: 2 1/2"

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: solid mahogany

Bracing type: flattened tonebar/ladder hybrid

Bridge: mahogany

Fretboard: integral to neck

Neck wood: mahogany

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16” overall (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: D'Addario EJ99T fluorocarbon

Truss rod: none

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: small/narrow

Condition notes: it's all-original save for Gotoh tuners at the headstock. The originals are safely stashed along with an original brass downpressure bar that fits to the bridge. It has average usewear and some of the decals are getting faded and crackled but otherwise it's in good order and pretty clean for its age. There are a couple of repaired hairline cracks on the top.