This is a Martin Custom Shop Ukulele. There was a set made of 6. 2 Soprano, 2 Concert, 2 Tenor. So you will be purchasing a true, unique, 2 of a kind collector's piece since there was only 2 of each size made.
I call it the "Modern Vintage" model, because it is made like the ukes of old, but with some of the modern "comforts" that today's players will love!
It is 2020, so I brought back the Bowtie Inlay of the 1920s. The 7th fret boasts a dapper maple bowtie. Very Tin Pan Alley, very Roaring 20s. It is like a tuxedo for your uke. So 100 years later, me and Dan Brown at Martin had to dig deep into the archives and bring back the Bowtie. But the modern twist is that we made sure the markers were on the modern 5, 7, and 10the fret, as opposed to the vintage 5, 7, 9.
Then I went with the Style 3, because if you are harkening back to the Martins of the 1920s era, you got to go all out with the beautiful Style 3 and Kite headstock!
The mahogany is truly unique. It is a sinker mahogany. It was initially harvested in Belize between 1880 and 1920. This is the same type of wood used in the Pre-WW2 era Martin Builds... but... when this wood was cut, it was floated down stream to sawmills. Most made it there, but some did not want to be destined for wall-paneling, tables, or columns. They sank and rested underwater for at least 100 years. Because they wanted to be found by Martin Guitar Co. and eventually be turned into ukuleles. So although these ukuleles were made in 2020, the wood has sat underwater since before 1920 waiting to become your new ukulele.
It may not be obvious, and it was hard to get a good picture of this detailing, but there is no Ivoroid on this ukulele. At all. It cost a little more as a result, but if you are buying a Martin Custom Shop Ukulele, you want something over-the-top-special. So here it is! I made sure it was something special all the way around. So the bindings, the kite, the purfling, everything.... is maple. The rosette is not Black/White/Black/White/Black/White/Black, it is Black/Maple/Black/Maple/Black/Maple/Black. I know, it is a little thing. But I feel like what makes this ukulele special is the details. By the way, it is not just maple, it is flamed maple. And I have no idea how to get a good picture of it, but there is a subtle flaming to all your bindings, and inlay!
The tuners are planetary nickel tuners. So they tune with a 4:1 ratio, they are smooth, hold their tune well, and the nickel has that wonderful vintage look! These tuners are something I stuck my neck out for, and I am glad I did. They complete the modern vintage look. Vintage style on the front, modern functionality on the back!
Tone wise they are punchy, full, resonant, with a crisp attack, woody, hard hitting, and have the warm mahogany tone. And with time and play, they will continue to open up! You get a really nice case and all the Martin Custom Shop Paperwork. Let me know if you have any questions!
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