"The Bouncing Flea"
Most Likely the Finest Martin Style 0 Soprano Ukulele on the Planet…
 

1961 Martin Soprano Mahogany Ukulele Style 0

This absolutely mint Martin Style 0 Ukulele weighs just four-fifths of a pound. The length of the body is 9 1/4 inches, the width is 6 3/8 inches and the depth is 2 3/8 inches. The top, back and sides are Mahogany. The 1 7/8 inch diameter sound-hole has a five-ply ring of white and black ivory celluloid. One-piece mahogany neck with a scale length of 13 3/4 inches, a nut width of just over 1 7/16 inches and a medium neck profile. Mahogany peghead with "Martin & Co./Est. 1833" in gold with black trim. Four individual Waverly 'Hex-Nut' tuners with oval white plastic tuning buttons. Brazilian rosewood fretboard with ebony nut and twelve original thin frets with small white dot position markers. Fixed mahogany tailpiece with ebony bridge saddle. Inside the soundhole is "C.F. Martin & Co./Nazareth, PA/Made in USA". This 'Uke' is in absolutely mint (9.50) condition. Housed in it's original Martin 'Violin' style two-latch shaped brown soft-sided case with brown felt lining (9.50).

We purchased this from the original owner who bought it in Hawaii in 1961. The 'Uke' and the case are in 100% original and absolutely mint condition… I would certainly call this an 'under the bed for fifty-seven years' - actually it is too small to go under the bed -  the original owner told me that he bought it on a trip to Hawaii in 1961 - just because he thought it was cute… it has never been played or touched. The original case (also mint) has a small sicker on the top with "Hawaii" in red letters.

We do know that Martin introduced the Waverly 'Hex-Nut' tuners in 1956 and that the words "Made in USA" were added in 1960 - so it was new when the original owner bought it in 1961.

"The word Ukulele means "bouncing flea" in Hawaiian, and this is the type of tone that is expected. It has to be "bouncy" under the strumming of the right hand." (Mike Longworth. Martin Guitars A History, p. 93). In 1916, recordings of Hawaiian music outsold all other styles, and Martin, with their usual high standards of quality, began to manufacture ukuleles. By the 1920s and '30s, sales of their ukuleles rivaled that of their guitars, and helped Martin weather the Depression. Their basic model, Style 0, which was introduced in 1922 was a simple, plain ukulele - but still with the Martin quality build…