Almost as soon as I acquired my first ukulele, I wanted more of them. I poured over the Ebay auctions and quickly discovered that uke prices are rising almost daily. Therefore, if I wanted vintage ukes, I was going to have to settle for the less desirable examples and keep ever vigilant for those special finds that sometimes fall through the cracks. Fortunately, I get a kick out of "novelty" ukes from the '20's - ''50's and they are a little easier to afford. So, as time and money permit, I will bid on something that catches my eye. Here are several examples, plus my newest acquisition which is "novel" only in that I got it for an amazingly good price.
This is a plastic Flamingo uke from the "50's. Designed by Mario Maccaferri, the innovative luthier, and later, plastics tycoon, who designed the famous Selmer "Gypsy" guitars played by the great Django Riehnhart. It was endorsed by Arthur Godfrey on his very popular TV show in the '50's, and sold by the thousands. Because of the special plastic that Maccaferri invented and his skillful design, it sounds really good - bright, full and surprisingly loud.
There are a million plastic ukes around from this time period, but only a few brands were designed by Maccaferri: The Islander is the most famous, and they say "Designed by Maccaferri" on the peghead, some of the Flamingos (but not all), the "TV Pal" ukes, the "Ukette," the "Playtune" and some of the later "Carnival" ukes. There is, fortunately, an almost foolproof way to determine if your plastic uke was made by Maccaferri's company, Mastro Industries: all of them have a "zero fret," that is, a fret at the very top of the fingerboard, almost up against the nut. This is a common feature on European instruments but rare on American made models. The Mastro-made instruments are the only plastic ukes that sound good and they will be, by far, the most "collectable."
Though less historically significant than
the Maccaferri-made ukes, this little Harmony from the late 40's
or early 50's, with its stenciled palms and canoe, is a real treat
to the eye if not the ear. I love the green color and the creamy
plastic fretboard. Like almost all of the wooden novelty ukes,
it is made from thin plywood and lacks the tone and volume of
a solid wood model. It is, however, still fun and easy to play,
with good intonation and a low action. It is a little faded and
the paint is worn on the top, but I love it anyway.
Here is another Maccaferri-designed
plastic uke; the T.V. Pal. Also endorsed by Arthur Godfrey on
his TV show, it differs from the slightly fancier Flamingo above
in that it has plastic friction tuners instead of sturdier metal
ones and has a quirky bridge with individual bullet-shaped anchors
for the strings. Otherwise, it plays and sounds just like the
other Mastro ukes.
This is a Mizuno soprano uke from
Japan. like most ukes, it is hard to date, but the seller said
'30's or early '40's. Being an "off brand," I got it
for a ridiculously low price on EBay, and I was astounded when
it turned out to be a wonderful little instrument! 
It
has a solid wood top that is perfectly quarter sawn with very
straight, closely spaced grain - it could definitely be spruce,
but the stain and shading make identification difficult.The sides
may or may not be solid wood, but it is the arched back that is
most unique feature of this uke. It is, no doubt, a laminate shaped
by a press, but it is beautifully done, with a subtle "violin"
sunburst shading. All of the wood in the body of this uke is incredibly
thin, and it is very, very light. This was never a "fine"
instrument by Hawaiian or mainland standards, but it holds its
own very well both sonically and ergonomically alongside my Martin
Style "0." Having wooden tuning pegs, it is somewhat
difficult to tune, but when you get there, what a sound! loud
and balanced, without that tinny "cheap uke" sound.
This is the reason people get addicted to web auctions - you never
know when you're going to find a gem.
Speaking of gems; this is my jewel
- a Martin Style 0 soprano from the late '30's. I found it at
a vintage guitar shop on the one day out of the year when everything
in the store was on sale. I came and went, hemmed and hawed, blew
dust out of my wallet, mumbled about college funds and mortgages
- I pulled out all of my haggling tricks - and finally got them
down to a price that made it a no-brainer. Then I made my case
to my wife and son, and they decided that it would be fitting
to give it to me as a 50th birthday present, Am I a lucky guy
or what?
Despite a fair amount of "checking" in the finish coat, this baby has no cracks or dings in it at all - a real rarity in a Martin uke this old. The mahogany used on the top, back and sides is paper thin and is braced so lightly (two cross braces each on the top and back) that I can't believe it's still intact. Its amazingly loud and clear voice can only be attributed to the extreme lightness of the entire instrument and the quality of the wood.
What a gift!
