1919 Martin Style 3K Soprano Ukulele – Used

Dating Martin ukes is often little more than an educated guess, but in this case we can be quite confident of the year for the following reasons: 1919 was the first year Martin offered the Style 3K with their own stamps (in 1917 & ’18 they were marked “Southern California Music Co.”). In 1920, the celluloid “kite” inlay on the headstock was dropped.

This example both plays and sounds great, partly because it was formerly owned by a serious uke player who installed a slightly wider saddle that allowed the compensation needed so it plays in tune. There has been crack repair to both the top and back, with a fair amount of French polish to the body. The thin finish on the neck appears to be original, with original bar stock frets and neck inlays. Friction pegs were replaced with Gotoh UPT geared tuners. The saddle is obviously not original, we can’t be sure about the nut but it’s in the proper style.

If you’ve played early Martin ukes in the past you’ll be surprised by this one, because you can easily tune it and it plays in tune, even up the neck. Imagine playing a harmonic chime at the 12th fret on an early uke and finding that the fretted note is the same pitch!