ABBOTT ‘Monarch’ Banjo Uke c.1927). Another nice example of a pre-war Abbott ‘Monarch’ banjo uke, similar to the one that was played by the late George Formby. Replacement tuning pegs. Original black nut. Worn ‘Monarch’ stamp highlighted on the back of the peghead. Spliced sycamore neck. Straight neck and no wear to frets or to fingerboard. Maker’s name stamped into the side of the heel. Ebony fingerboard with three mother-of-pearl position dots. Original tailpiece. Re-plated bezel, but all plating in excellent condition. Convex resonator with central button and recessed ivoroid binding strips around the edge. This example began life as a ‘shallow spinning’ model but it has had a small ‘tone ring’ secured to the top of the rim and work done on the heel, all of which has resulted in the same amount of room for the bezel to be lowered as on a deep spinning model. It is a tremendous sounding Abbott ‘Monarch’ and it comes with a booklet containing photographs and details about Abbott ukuleles and ukulele banjos. Complete with a superb made-to-measure red plush velvet-lined hard shaped case. HSC (EXC-) £3,500. SOLD
ABBOTT ‘Monarch’ Banjo Uke (c.1931). This is the type played by the late, great Billy ‘Uke’ Scott, who had two of them; one to play and another to keep in reserve. They are one of the great vintage British banjo ukes, but they are hard to find and rarely come up for sale. This lovely example comes with later ‘Five Star Planet’ geared tuning pegs and replacement vintage ‘Nashville’ tailpiece. Straight wide neck with no wear to frets and genuinely miniscule wear on the first two positions of the fingerboard. ‘Monarch’ stamped into back of peghead. Ebony fingerboard with three mother-of-pearl dot inlays. Attractive spliced flamey sycamore neck. Fourteen original ‘Abbott’ tension hooks, shoes and ‘domed’ nuts. Extended resonator with crown-shaped cut-outs in the flange. Convex resonator with central cream ivoroid button and recessed binding around the edge. Plating in excellent original condition with virtually no sign of any tarnishing. Really well made and glorious sounding. Complete with hard shaped case. HSC (EXC++) £4,500. ON HOLD
BACON No. 1 Banjo Uke (1926). Very early example (serial number 19215) from one of the premier vintage manufacturers in the USA. Mahogany body, resonator and neck. Straight neck and no wear to frets or to fingerboard. Neck lowered to allow ‘Formby’ style playing. Good wide neck for a Bacon so no issues in that department. Harder to find extended resonator version. All metal parts nickel-plated. This banjo uke plays beautifully and makes a superb sound. NC (EXC) £850. ON HOLD
GIBSON UB-3 Banjo Uke (c.1928). This is another lovely banjo uke. ‘The Gibson’ on the peghead with central inlaid mother-of-pearl ‘diamond and snowflake’ motifs. Original tuning pegs and nut. Straight neck and no wear to frets or to fingerboard. Made of dark stained maple with a bound rosewood fingerboard inlaid with mother-of-pearl ‘snowflake & diamond’ position motifs. Laminated pot. Fourteen tension hooks and nuts. ‘No Knot’ tailpiece. Excellent finish, and plating pretty good for its age. Raised flat resonator plate (with original spacers) bound around the edge in ivoroid. Resonator back inlaid with a w/b/w circle. This is a superb sounding and easy to play Gibson banjo uke, and it comes complete with its original hard shaped case. OHSC (EXC) £1,350. ON HOLD
GIBSON UB-3 Banjo Uke (c.1929). This is a hard to find ‘Big Resonator’ Gibson UB-3. ‘The Gibson’ on the peghead. Original tuning pegs and nut. Straight neck and no wear to frets or to fingerboard. Made of maple, with a bound rosewood fingerboard inlaid with multiple mother-of-pearl position dots. Laminated pot in superb condition. Sixteen tension hooks and nuts. Original hinged-top Grover ‘Presto Ideal’ tailpiece. Extended resonator with four-point thumbscrew mounting and diamond-shaped cut-outs in the flange. Resonator bound around the bottom edge in ivoroid. This instrument is in excellent original condition (apart from the strings and the vellum) and the original nickel plating is superb for its age. It is another great sounding Gibson banjo uke and it comes complete with its original hard shaped case. OHSC (EXC) £2,750.
GIBSON UB-5 Banjo Uke (1927). This is an absolutely stunning looking top-of-the-line vintage Gibson banjo uke which has been professionally and beautifully restored back to its prime. Made of American Walnut. ‘The Gibson’ inlaid into the peghead together with abalone motif. Straight neck and genuinely very very minor wear to first fret and first two positions on the fingerboard. Original Grover tuning pegs. Triple bound (w/b/w) rosewood fingerboard with multiple abalone inlays. Original Grover ‘Presto Ideal’ tailpiece with hinged top. Sixteen tension hooks, nuts and shoes. Laminated pot with tone-ring on top. Extended resonator (triple bound around the bottom edge and the back edge) with fabulous figured walnut back. Diamond-shaped cut-outs in the flange and four point hexagonal bolt mounting. Very rare banjo uke ‘Hot Dog’ armrest. Metal parts beautifully plated internally and externally in a stunning deep gold. Complete with contemporary hard shaped case. HSC (EXC+) £2,750. ON HOLD
LUDWIG Banjo Uke (1929). Made entirely of American walnut, this is a superb top-of-the-line vintage instrument. It is a ‘Pyralin’ peghead version with ‘Ludwig’ and two motifs printed on the peghead. Inlaid and bound ebony fingerboard with position dots along one side. Straight neck & no wear to frets or to fingerboard. Original ‘Planet’ 4-to-1 geared pegs. Scalloped bezel. Flange has original hand engraving plus ‘Crown’ shaped cut-outs. Original parquetry inlay around the side of the resonator. Original (but very rare) circular inlay around the back, with parquetry design in the middle with a central mother-of-pearl dot (as found on some Ludwig banjos). Silver-plated metalwork. Looks gorgeous and sounds terrific. Complete with its original hard shaped case. The original Ludwig case badge is inside the case pocket. OHSC (EXC++) £4,350. SOLD
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