FOR SALE - BANJO UKES
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PRE-WAR ABBOTT ‘MONARCH’ Banjo Uke (c.1927). (Deep Spinning). This is pre-war Abbott ‘Monarch’, and once again it’s all-original and in absolutely MINT condition. Serial No.4477. Original Grover ‘Simplex No.71’ tuning pegs. ‘Monarch’ and ‘4477’ are stamped onto the back of the peghead, and ‘J. G. Abbott & Co. London’, is stamped onto the side of the heel. Ivoroid nut. Straight neck. No wear to the frets and barely a trace of wear on the tapered ebony fingerboard. Fingerboard inlaid with three mother-of-pearl position dots. Spliced neck with an ebony heel cap. Integral pot and flange, with the flange pierced with ‘sailor’s hat’ shaped cut-outs. Original bezel, hooks, shoes, domed nuts, and Grover tailpiece. Original chrome plating in superb condition. The resonator has ebonised sides, a convex back, cream coloured ivoroid binding around the inside edge, and a cream coloured ivoroid button in the middle. The calfskin vellum on this instrument is drawn down to about it’s maximum so the top of the bezel is quite a bit lower than the top of the pot. However, with such a terrific quality (and tight) vellum plus the fact that it produces such a fantastic sound, I would advise any owner to leave everything exactly as it is for as long as possible, which looks likely to be for many years yet. Light to hold, easy to play, and with a parabolic neck profile that makes playing the instrument a dream, it’s no wonder that these vintage Abbott’s were the choice of many professional players; in fact according to Pat Howson (to whom George Formby was engaged when he died), it was George Formby’s favourite instrument - with his ‘Baby’ Gibson UB-3 coming a close second. This instrument comes complete with an original Geib & Schaeffer ‘KantKrack’ black lockable hard shaped case with turquoise padded lining and an internal pocket with lid. If it wasn’t for the fact that I’ve got incredible memories of my own Abbott ‘Monarch’ being played by George Harrison (and I’ve got photographs to prove it) I would have sold mine and bought this one! £6,000.
PRE-WAR ABBOTT ‘MONARCH’ Banjo Uke (c.1927). Almost identical to the Abbott pictured above, this is another fine all-original example of the desirable ‘deep spinning’ version of these fantastic vintage banjo ukes. Despite me (for the first time in 40 years!) being able to offering two of them for sale at the same time, these Banjo Ukes are now very hard to find. They are light, easy to play, and produce a great sound, and they were the choice of some of the finest professional players. Original Grover ‘Simplex No.71’ tuning pegs. ‘Monarch’ stamped onto the back of the peghead, and ‘Hawkes & Son, London’ is stamped onto the side of the heel. Ivoroid nut. Straight neck. No wear to the frets no wear on the tapered ebony fingerboard. Fingerboard inlaid with three mother-of-pearl position dots. Spliced neck with an ebony heel cap. Integral pot and flange, with the flange pierced with ‘sailor’s hat’ shaped cut-outs. Original bezel, hooks, shoes, domed nuts, and Grover tailpiece. Original chrome plating in superb condition. The resonator has ebonised sides, a convex back, cream coloured ivoroid binding around the inside edge, and a cream coloured ivoroid button in the middle. Like the one advertised above, the calfskin vellum on this instrument is drawn down to about it’s maximum so the top of the bezel is quite a bit lower than the top of the pot. However, with such a terrific quality (and tight) vellum plus the fact that it produces such a fantastic sound, I would advise any owner to leave everything exactly as it is for as long as possible, which looks likely to be for many years yet. Light to hold, easy to play, and with a parabolic neck profile that makes playing the instrument a dream, it’s no wonder that these vintage Abbott’s were the choice of many professional players. This instrument comes complete with an original Abbott black hard shaped case with a blue padded lining and an internal pocket with lid that contains spare bridges, a felt plectrum, and an original Abbott tensioning spanner. This Abbott produces a fabulous sound, this time almost identical to that produced by George Formby’s Abbott ‘Monarch’. £5,500.
ABBOTT ‘MONARCH’ DE-LUXE Banjo Uke (c.1971). £3,950. SOLD
ABBOTT ‘MONARCH’ DE-LUXE Banjo Uke (January 1976). Hold your breath, here is a second wonderful ‘Abbott’ restoration by Alan Yates, this time on an early top-tension version of the Abbott ‘Monarch’ De-Luxe banjo uke made by Jack Abbott Jnr. By about 1974, all of Jack’s remaining pre-war parts had been used up, so he designed a new top-tension system which (with the exception of a small number of later bottom-tension versions) he continued to use from then on. Once again, an arrow straight spliced neck with no wear to the fingerboard or the frets. This instrument comes with it’s original ‘Shellard’ black hard shaped lockable case which has a red padded lining and fits the instrument perfectly. Once again, together with its wonderful plating, this all makes for another absolutely fabulous instrument. £3,250.
ABBOTT ‘MONARCH’ DE-LUXE Banjo Uke (c.1974). This is an early example of one of Jack Abbott Jnr’s. banjo ukes, and it’s in really beautiful condition. Straight neck and no wear to the frets or the fingerboard, this de-luxe Abbott has all of its original parts with no wear to the fingerboard or the frets. The multiple mother-of-pearl inlays, the spliced neck, and the spliced back to the resonator with central inlaid motif, all make this banjo uke very attractive. Fourteen top-tension bolts, scalloped bezel, and original adjustable tailpiece. This instrument comes with a very nice ‘Roger Bamford’ lockable hard shaped black fibreglass case, and it fits the instrument perfectly. £1,850.
CARTWRIGHT ‘LUDWIG STYLE’ Banjo Uke (c.2020). Another really lovely Banjo uke by Phil Cartwright. Straight neck and no wear to the frets or the fingerboard. Cartwright ‘Wendell Hall style’ label on the peghead. Nickel-plated 4-to-1 ratio geared tuning pegs with pearloid thumbgrips. American Walnut spliced neck and resonator. Bound fifteen-fret ebonised fingerboard decorated with multiple patterned mother-of-pearl inlays. Sixteen nickel-plated top-tension bolts. Nickel-plated scalloped bezel. Nickel-plated integral pot and flange, with ‘crown’ shaped cut-outs in the flange. Nickel-plated and engraved adjustable tailpiece. Bound resonator with patterned inlaid strip around the side, and with a circular ‘Ludwig style’ wooden inlay pattern on the back. Cartwright black hard shaped case with internal padded blue plush lining with an internal pocket with lid, containing the tension key. Brand new calfskin vellum now fitted, so scalloped bezel is now set at exactly the right height. £750.
DALLAS ‘D’ MODEL Banjo Uke (c.1945). £675. SOLD
DALLAS ‘E’ MODEL Banjo Uke (1938). A fine and very early example of the top instrument in the ‘Dallas’ ‘George Formby’ range of popular and well made banjo ukes. No fret or fingerboard wear. Made of walnut. It has the serial number of 1024, which is now very hard to read because of the (magnificent) restoration work done on this banjo uke by Eddie Uttley. The original gold-plating was so tired that it had to be re-plated, but because of the high price of gold it was decided to have it done in chrome - and it has been done magnificently. Nevertheless, the frets remain gold-plated, as does all the internal metalwork. The original geared tuning pegs have been replaced with original period Dallas tuners, which is unsurprising because the internal gear mechanism of the original tuners was made of poor quality brass which had a tendency to fracture and break over time. The rest of this instrument is all-original, with the ‘George Formby’ inlaid mother-of-pearl scroll in the peghead, the lovely fingerboard inlays, and the attractive scalloped bezel. Some of these peghead scroll inlays were made in two pieces (like this one), but why, we do not know. Lovely ‘slunk’ vellum - always the pick of the crop for semi-professional and professional players. Comes with a modern hard shaped case with plush grey padded lining and an internal pocket and lid. Another lovely vintage banjo uke. £1,350.
DAVIDSON ‘GIBSON’ UB2/3 STYLE Banjo Uke (2013). A de-luxe example of another banjo uke in stunning ‘As New’ condition. Phil Davidson is based in Cinderford and he has a long-standing reputation for making superb musical instruments, including terrific banjo ukes and ukuleles, and this beautiful banjo uke is a fine testament to his work. Made of stunning flame maple. Straight neck and no wear to the frets or the fingerboard. Original tuning pegs. Bound peghead with Phil’s trademark mother-of-pearl ‘pd’ inlaid into the top. Straight neck with no wear to the frets or to the ebony fingerboard. Binding (with position dots) along both sides of the fingerboard. Multiple mother-of-pearl position dots inlaid into the fingerboard. Twelve hooks, shoes and nuts, with the hooks recessed into the bezel. Original ‘No Knot’ tailpiece. Metal parts beautifully plated in nickel. Really beautiful flame maple pot which is bound around the edge. Flat disc resonator bound around the outside and with an inner inlaid ring. This banjo uke comes complete with a modern black lockable hard shaped case with an internal pocket (with key) and shaped grey padded plush lining. Wonderful, wonderful sound. As Craig Revel Horwood (he of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ fame) would say… FAB-U-LOUS! £1,450. ON HOLD
GIBSON UB-3 Banjo Uke (1927). A gorgeous de-luxe vintage Gibson banjo uke in fabulous condition. This uke comes complete with its original (very rare) Gibson made-to-measure black hard shaped case, with red plush velvet lining and an internal pocket with lid. It has a straight neck and no wear to the frets or the fingerboard. It has all of its original parts and the original nickel plating is in excellent condition. Once again, the original ‘sunburst’ finish serves to make this lovely uke even more eye-catching. Another great example of a great instrument. £1,850. ON HOLD
GIBSON UB-3 Banjo Uke (1927). Just Arrived. Another wonderful example of these lovely vintage Gibson banjo ukes (just like the one pictured above), and it has all its original parts and is in unrestored original condition. Virtually unplayed since new, with pristine frets and fingerboard, and a lovely old English case in fabulous condition. More Details and Photos to follow. (* Broken calfskin vellum will be replaced by this coming weekend). £1,750.
LUDWIG ‘DISPLAY MODEL’ Banjo Uke (1927). Ludwig ‘Crown’ models are viewed by most people as the ‘Holy Grail’ of banjo ukes, and apart from those having the optional enhanced inlays, the ‘Display Model’ was the top of the tree. This example is in wonderful condition. Straight neck and no wear to the frets or the fingerboard. It has a silver-plated and engraved flange, and it comes with its original Geib & Schaeffer ‘KantKrack’ hard shaped case with padded green plush velvet lining, internal pocket with lid, and still with its original Ludwig badge and tension key. The banjo uke is all-original and an added bonus is that it has a lovely flame walnut back of the resonator, which is only found on the very earliest Ludwig banjo ukes - and rarely on a ‘Wendell Hall’. £7,000.
LUDWIG ‘WENDELL HALL’ Banjo Uke (c.1927). Fabulously restored gold-plated and enhanced example of these great vintage banjo ukes. The deep, rich, gold-plating is exceptional, and it’s of the same quality as originally used by Ludwig. Made of walnut throughout. Four replacement friction tuning pegs (gold-plated). Peghead lightly varnished so as to retain the original ‘Wendell Hall transfer. Straight neck with no wear to the frets or to the sixteen-fret fingerboard. Fingerboard bound with cream-coloured ivoroid, with four position dots down one side. Ebony fingerboard inlaid with diamond-shaped mother-of-pearl motifs. Sixteen top-tension bolts, original tailpiece, and original adjustable armrest. Ebony heel cap. Absolutely gorgeous flame walnut side to the resonator, with very attractive patterned strip inlaid around the middle. Resonator bound in black ivoroid around the bottom, and there’s a beautiful patterned marquetry inlay in the centre of the back. The original ‘Ludwig & Ludwig’ sticker is still on the inside base of the resonator. This lovely instrument comes complete with a Savage and Hoy black hard shaped case with an internal pocket and deep maroon coloured padded plush velvet lining. Great looking and great sounding. £2,500.
LUDWIG ‘WENDELL HALL’ Banjo Uke (1927). In beautiful original condition, this lovely example is fitted with Ludwig’s 4-to-1 ratio Planet geared tuning pegs (which were an optional extra on a ‘Wendell Hall’), and it comes with its original Geib & Schaeffer ‘KantKrack’ hard shaped case with green plush velvet lining (rarely found with a ‘Wendell Hall’) and its original Ludwig badge. Just for information, a set of vintage Ludwig banjo uke ‘Planet’ pegs and the plush velvet lined case are currently worth around £300 each. The original nickel plating is in superb condition and the original transfer decoration around the side of the resonator is unblemished. The original Ludwig paper label is still attached to the inside of the resonator. £1,950.
LUDWIG ‘WENDELL HALL’ Banjo Uke (c.1927). This is an immaculate example of a vintage banjo uke made by the ‘Ludwig’ company of Chicago, who many believe produced the best banjo ukes that were ever made. Made of American Walnut throughout. Straight neck and no wear to the frets or the fingerboard. Replacement tuning pegs. ‘Wendell Hall’ transfer on the top of the peghead. Four mother-of-pearl position dots inlaid into the fingerboard. Sixteen top-tension bolts (with tensioning key), original tailpiece and original detachable armrest. Original nickel plating in fantastic condition. The decorative transfer around the side of the resonator is unbroken. Original black ivoroid binding around the bottom edge of the resonator. Ebony-tipped heel. The complete original oval ‘Ludwig’ label remains on the inside of the resonator. Original black Geib & Schaefer ‘KantKrack’ hard shaped case has to be seen to be believed. Lined in green cord, with it’s original ‘Ludwig’ badge on the inside of the case lid. Internal pocket with lid. Original leather handle. This case alone in this condition is easily worth £300 to £400 on its own. Fabulous instrument, fabulous case, and fabulous sound. £1,850.
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