Identify Your Vintage Martin – Caveat Emptor
I’ve been learning about vintage ukuleles made by the C.F. Martin Company for years, ever since I heard Brian Hefferan and Dave Passant playing their vintage Martins at various events. The sound of these instruments is distinctively different than any other. So I’ve been keeping my eyes open for a deal, checking out online auctions, For Sale listings and yard sales for several years. And educating myself on identifying the different styles and how to determine the time frame during which it was made. My primary source is the definitive reference, The Martin Ukulele: The Little Instrument That Helped Create a Guitar Giant by John King and Tom Walsh. The archives of the C.F. Martin Company were used by the authors to create this volume. This book has the history of the instrument within the Martin Company as well as pages of information about the differences between the Styles and…