Circa 1927 Roy Smeck Vita Uke Soprano Ukulele – Used

This Harmony Roy Smeck Vita-Uke was built in Chicago in 1927, give or take a year. It’s in fine structural condition and very good cosmetic condition. The lacquer finish is lightly crazed and there are a handful of minor nicks, scuffs and dings. At one point, someone set this up with a tailpiece and you can see the small screw holes down by the tailblock. But overall, this is a great looking instrument that is very near a century old. The back and sides are curly mahogany, the top is spruce top, with seal-shaped soundholes, and the neck is mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard.

Harmony offered an entire line of Roy Smeck endorsed “Vita” line which included a six-string guitar, a tenor guitar, a plectrum guitar, a mandolin, and, of course, a ukulele. The Vita instruments were named for Vitaphone, the studio that released Smeck’s short film, His Pastimes, in 1926. The 7-minute film was one of the first sound movies and featured Smeck playing Hawaiian guitar, ukulele and tenor banjo.