Martin started producing ukuleles in 1916 and were the largest producer of ukes. Having made their first ukuleles in the 1920s, martins current crop includes soprano, tenor, and concert size ukes made of gorgeous solid hawaiian koa, genuine mahogany, and dazzling fsc certified cherry with attractive appointments and crafted with mahogany blocksapplied dovetail neck joints. There are many avid collectors of martin ukuleles around and people who refuse to play anything but martins. Songs range from classic rock and pop to jazz standards and christmas music. I have never been impressed with a new martin ukulele. There are a number of different styles from style 0 to style 5 but theres no 4. Martin halted ukulele production in 1994, and it wasnt until 2005 that it was revived. Konter martin uke historic vintage instrument rare ukulele. The little instrument that helped create a guitar giant by tom walsh and john king published by hal leonard books. The trend on youtube seems to be for long, boring ukulele tutorials. I was recently given a martin ukulele by a friend i believe it to be a after 1935 style 1 it has dots on the 5th,double on the 7th and on the10th it is 12 frets from nut to body. I own a martin dc16gte guitar that i love for sale for the right price since ukuleles have taken over my life. Rare black favilla soprano ukelele 1930s damaged see photos and description.
Martin 1t iz tenor ukulele tenor ukulele with solid quilted mahogany top, back, and sides, east indian rosewood fingerboard and headplate with customized design in. The little instrument that helped create a guitar giant. Also it is martin, they are huge and sell some of the finest instruments in the world. He was also the author of a couple of very popular books, dicks ukulele method and dicks improved ukulele method. Hunt, manager of the new york branch, recognized the growing ukulele trend in his travels and buying trips.
The book is both a narrative about martins ukulele manufacturing history and a reference work detailing the numbers of each style of ukulele ever made by the company. The ukulele is commonly associated with music from hawaii where the name roughly translates as jumping flea, perhaps because of the movement of the players fingers. For those wishing more of a challenge, there was the martin taropatch, an eightstring uke, and the tiple, with ten steel strings. America the band the beatles the bee gees jackson browne jimmy. Martin celebrates 100 years of ukuleles with ukulele martin celebrates 100 years of ukuleles with greg olwelljanuary 11, 2017 by greg olwell though it began to make ukuleles prior to 1917, c. They also found that hawaiian koa was a natural marketing toolit was the ukulele, a hawaiian instrument, made out of a local hawaiian wood.
Konter, who was infamous for smuggling an ukulele a martin. There are several sources for this page, including the martin guitar web site. Book traces history of martin ukulele that went to north. I researched this material for the rodale press book martin guitarsan illustrated. But the ukulele also had an important place in martins history. Ukuleles were in highest production from 1916 to the 1930s, though still manufactured in quantity until 1965. The book is nicely laid out with easy to read tabs and black and white photos of vintage ukuleles for some eye.
Konter was known as ukulele dick and wrote two ukulele method books in the. Book traces history of martin ukulele that went to north pole. Vintage 1940s martin style 0 soprano ukulele musical instrument. I also created a special introductory section with tips and tricks based on the popular ukulele workshops i. According to correspondence from tom walsh, coauthor of the fabulous and most authoritative book on the subject the martin ukulele, the. Martin ukes are considered to be the best for craftsmenship and sound. Martin workers are allowed to build a guitar for their own use after they have been with the company a stipulated period. The ukulele is now available and details the construction of soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone sized ukuleles. Martins ukulelemaking led the small, respected builder of fine guitars and mandolins into an era of. The t1k is a couple of steps up from the entry level models in the martin ukulele range the oxk models and is part of their one series. A historic martin ukulele visits the arctic and is signed by edison. Unlike gibson, martin began as a uke company, riding the wave of popularity in the 1920s. Welcome to the happy ukulele songbook this songbook contains 52 of my favorite songs for the uke, from beginner to intermediate level, gathered over the past couple years since learning to play this magical instrument. Time to change that with a look at their s1 soprano ukulele.
Production quantities during some periods were as great as martin guitars. Martin ukuleles have been the worlds finest since 1916, and they have long been prized for their fullbodied voice and great volume. The martin x series 0xkuke is crafted with sitka spruce bracing, mahogany endblocks, cedar ribbons, a morado fingerboard and bridge, bone nut and saddle, grover tuning machines and a dovetail joint similar to that used in traditional martin ukulele construction. To satisfy demand, ditson stocked ukuleles from several makers, including a range specially made for them by c. Legend attributes it to the nickname of the englishman edward william purvis, one of king kalakaua s officers, because of his small size, fidgety manner, and playing expertise. Beginner chords rhythm and strumming technique classicaljazz ukulele playing whilst singing songs and pieces fingerpicking ukulele masterclasses are perfect for students of all levels, send an email with. Martin ukulele for sale in uk 24 used martin ukuleles. A new book traces the story of a martin guitar ukulele that went on the first expedition to the north pole with admiral bird and ended up back at. It presents the history and models of the martin ukulele. It is an exploration from martins first attempt at. The 2k concert uke features characteristics of the style 2 ukulele 2k uke, but in a concertsize model crafted with solid hawaiian koa top, back and sides, a wood native to hawaii and a favorite of island players. Martin x series 0xkuke soprano ukulele musicians friend. Martin company experimented with a number of woods, but they found that mahogany had a very bright sound. The book traces the introduction of the ukulele into hawaii with nunes and other portuguese builders, and goes on to explainstep by stephow martins came to prominence with an instrument that is known for hawaii and, yet, martin is in nazareth, pa.
And, because of the nature of a book of this sort, a book that is as much a reference as it is an entertainment, the story is told in great detail. The martin ukulele is a detailed look at the ukuleles built by the c. Martins ukulelemaking led the small, respected builder of fine guitars and mandolins into an era of unprecedented growth in the 1920s and helped it become one of. Martin ukulele for sale martin smith learn to play ukulele starter kit with chord book and gig bag. Oh, and the instruction book that came with it was dicks improved ukulele method, published in 1924. Martin also built mandolins introduced in 1895, ukuleles introduced in 1915, taropatches an 8stringed ukulele, tiples a 10stringed ukulele, hawaiian guitars, and tenor banjos in 1923 plus a few custom instruments. Click any of the links above to learn more about the book and its authors, purchase an autographed copy, read about or report errors or inconsistencies in the book, or to view some extra martin related images that didnt make it into the book. This was likely because it took more time and trouble to tune the twice as many strings, and it cost about 25 percent more than a regular uke. Martin had first tried building ukuleles in 1907, but with little success. A visual history, and the 1934 martin guitar retail catalogue. We have free scores and uke tabs, 121 online classes via skype, cds and ebooks for sale and online ukulele masterclasses covering topics such as.
The tutorial bits in the book and the dvd are short and to the point. Click any of the links above to learn more about the book and its authors, purchase an autographed copy, read about or report errors or inconsistencies in the book, or to view some extra martinrelated images that didnt make it into the book. If youre serious about playing professionally, a martin ukulele is a stellar instrument to have at your side. Come together, met je uke, je vrienden en dit fantastische boekje. A new book traces the story of a martin guitar ukulele that went on the first expedition to the north pole with admiral bird and ended up back at the martin museum. The little instrument that helped create a guitar giant is a thoroughly engrossing story of how a struggling company through good leadership, some risktaking, experimentation, and just plain old luck, successfully rode a wave of popular music to create a company with lasting value. Martins ukulelemaking led the small, respected builder of fine guitars and mandolins into an era of unprecedented growth in the 1920s and helped it become. Even though martin continued to promote and produce taropatches throughout the uke crazed 1920s, it remained the least popular of their ukulele line. Many love the really old martins from the 20s, they are awesome. Martin ukuleles are some of the most sought after ukuleles around. Martin had an important role in the ukulele history. Extensive additional imagery chronicles the history of the popularity of the ukulele itself. The martin ukulele the little instrument that helped. The martin x series 0xkuke is fashioned from hpl high pressure wood laminate in a koalike finish with a matching onepiece top.