1920s Antique Vintage Koa Ukulele Unmarked C.Bruno & Sons Includes Case & Books

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1920s Antique Vintage Koa Ukulele Unmarked C.Bruno & Sons Includes Case & Books:
$390.00

Up for sale is a rare and unique turn of the centuryukulele, likely made in 1920\'s, unmarked but sourced to esteemed New Yorkinstrument house, C. Bruno & Sons. Thepiece is from the estate of an avid collector and is truly a finelycrafted gem that will make an excellent addition to anyone’s collection. From the intricate inlay to the unique, hand carved headstock, ukuleles this rare and of such superb qualitydo not come available often.

A few unique features of this piece set it apart from otherukuleles of the era:

The entire instrumentis handmade, and the headstock is hand carved in a rare eye-catching shape,following the original Hawaiian models of the late 1800’s.

Solid Koa construction, you can feel the quality as soon as you pick the instrument up and hear the warm yet crisp tones when you strum

The flush fretboard was another commonfeature in the very first Hawaiian ukuleles, but less common in the turn of the centurymainland models, and this one also features the same roping inlay seen on thebody and around the soundhole, which many crafters did not spend the time to do

Finally, the instrument still hasintact the original hand carved friction pegs, a highly sought after and very difficult to find componentof vintage ukuleles.

These featuresalong with the fine craftsmanship really establish the instrument as a rare andhigh end piece. Few ukulele enthusiasts or collectors have anything this unique and so finely detailed - this will surely stand out among other vintage models.

There are a few antique C. Bruno & Sons guitarsavailable on but their ukuleles are very hard to come by, especially onesas unique and well-made as this one.

As can be seen in the pictures, there is a crack in thesoundboard in addition to a smaller one in the side. A smaller crack on the back with a smallsplit in the binding as well. None ofthese affect the playability or overall quality of the instrument. There are very faint initials scratched intothe headstock (initials R.D.R, possibly the maker’s initials) the rest of thepiece is in great condition considering its age.

Included with the sale is the original “Suicide Case”,although it has a broken handle it is difficult to find one like this. Also included aretwo ukulele books from the early 1900’s which were among the collector’sitems. One dated 1917, the other 1924,both are in better condition than one would expect for 100 year old books, andreally add to the overall antiquity of the instrument. Both are stored in plastic coverings topreserve their quality.

For fun and for historical reference, click here to view aC. Bruno & Sons’ catalogue from 1881!

Finally and perhaps most importantly, the instrument soundsamazing, much richer tones than today’s modern ukuleles. Buyer can determine whether to play or justenjoy the beauty of this piece.

Thanks for looking, please let me know if you have anyquestions

On Nov-24-17 at 18:53:28 PST, seller added the following information:

Some interesting history on this ukulele from a kind \'er who wanted to share with all the uke enthusiasts: \"I wanted to add some information to your list that might help some uke collectors know what they are looking at. C. Bruno made that same Uke for Wurlitzer in the late teens before the Uke boom of the twenties forced them to purchase from Martin thereafter. The ones Wurlitzer purchased didn\'t always have the stripe down the fret board, but the rest is the same, from the unique headstock to the vintage Koa, which wasn\'t very curly on all the models I\'ve seen. Of the Wurlizters I\'ve seen, they all had one more characteristic. They never bothered to remove the manufacturers label (which was yellow). They merely stuck theirs on top (white). Sometimes, if both labels are gone, its difficult to tell for sure who sold it. Bruno made it. You\'re is probably Bruno given the little extra trimmings.\"Thank you to everyone who has messaged with questions and other interesting history!