Ukulele

Gibson

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Instrument

Ukulele ; Ukulele/Guitars/Strings/Musical Instrument

Instrument Family

Strings

Maker

Gibson

Place Made

North America ; United States of America ; Kalamazoo

Date Made

1926-1937

Description

Soprano ukulele made of mahogany throughout in a light amber finish. The headstock features ‘The Gibson’ silk-screened in gold ink and four patent tuning pegs with ivoroid buttons. The fingerboard is rosewood with 12 nickel silver frets and a bone nut. There are pearl position marks on the 5th, 7th and 10th frets. The fret placement is slightly irregular. The four (modern) strings are made from gut. The body of the ukulele has a black-white ivoroid binding around the top only. The soundhole is decorated with a simple border, made of tortoise-shell designed celluloid. The bridge is made from mahogany with a bone saddle. This instrument is a variation of the Gibson Uke-2 style but there are some differences in the design. The Uke-2 is described by Gibson as having white ivoroid binding on both the top and back whereas this ukulele only features this binding on the top. Also the decoration around the soundhole is considerably plainer than other examples of the Uke-2. The Uke-2 is described in a 1929 Gibson catalogue as having ‘patent pegs; Gibson special bridge, bone saddle; finest gut strings; solid mahogany throughout; top and back bound with white ivory; soundhole decorated with fancy marquetry; Rosewood fingerboard; pearl position marks; nickel silver frets; bone nut.’ Repairs: On the peghead there is a visible inlaid circular front repair (bushing) that does not go all the way through. Measurements: Length: 530mm String length: 350mm Body length: 234mm Depth: 54mm – 59mm Upper bout width: 120mm Lower bout width: 163mm Accessories: Modern ukulele case made by Stagg. It has a yellow and brown tweed covering and a black plush interior. Small internal compartment. Brown trim with bright yellow stitching. The fastenings are anodized steel latches with a gold finish. Cultural/Historical importance: This ukulele represents the American ukulele craze of the 1920s and 30s. The ukulele originated in Hawaii but became popular in America from around 1915 following the success of the Hawaiian pavilion at the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. A fad for ’Hawaiian themed’ music immediately followed, in which the ukulele would be the star. Around this time ukuleles also began to feature in pop culture and could be seen played by Roy Smeck in several short films of the 1920s. As a result, instruction manuals and ukulele sheet music began to be produced and consumed on a large scale. The ukulele provided a simple and less expensive alternative to the guitar, and yet was still associated with the jazz age. Due to this popularity with amateurs, by the late 1920s and early 1930s guitar manufactures such as Gibson and Martin were beginning to produce their own models of ukulele and banjolele. The popularity of the ukulele then saw a decline during the Great Depression, reflecting the public feeling of the time.

Collection

MIMEd

Accession Number

6655

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