Quick Guide to Martin Ukulele Styles
February 22, 2008
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Martin ukuleles are probably the most sought after brand of ukulele around. It’s many ukers’ dream to come across a vintage Martin ukulele at a car boot sale for a tenner. You’ll often see the ukenoscenti throw around the names of different styles of ukulele, so I thought I’d knock together a quick and easy newbie’s guide to telling different styles of Martin apart so you can tell what’s what.
I’m certainly no expert on the subject. The values are just VERY vague guesses and meant as a loose guideline only. If you want full specs and a detailed history this site is a must read. I’d also recommend you take a look at the above video of ukulelezaza playing four different styles of Martin (0, 1, 2, 3).
The style 0 Martin is the simplest ukulele they made. The only bit of decoration is the simple ring around the sound hole. The 0 was made in mahogany only. A Style 0 ukulele in top condition might be worth around $800.
Style 1’s are very similar to style 0. The quickest way to tell them apart is to look at the fretboard. A Style 1 ukulele will have a double dot at the seventh fret, while a Style 0 will have only one. Also, Style 1 Martins were produced in koa known as (Style 1K) as well as in mahogany (sometimes called 1M but usually just referred to as 1). Koa wood is much lighter than mahogany.
A mahogany style 1 will be worth a little more than the style 0, but a 1k could be worth more than $1,000 in good condition. musicguymic has one for sale at the moment for $1,200.
The Style 2 is a little more fancy. You can recognise it immediately by the thick white binding around the body of the uke.
The Style 2 was available in mahogany and also in koa. A mahogany version will take you into four figures, and a 2K should see you well over $2,000 and closer to three if it’s in top notch condition.
Style 3 Martins were originally made for professional ukulele players and are, therefore, really fancy-schmancy. There are plenty of distinguishing features: a thick white binding around the soundhole, the distinctive design behind the bridge, the fretboard reaching up to the soundhole with a line down the middle. Value roughly $2,000 for the mahogany and $3,000 or over for an early 3K in top condition.
Martin Style 4
There is, apparently, no such thing. I have no idea why.
If you find one of these in a junk shop, count yourself very lucky. They are the Mac-Daddy and, indeed, the Daddy-Mac of ukuleles. They have the fancy filigree on the headstock and no line down the centre of the fretboard to immediately distinguish them from the style 3. You can see a 5K in action in a number of Brian Hefferan’s videos.
The 5k is very sought after and valuable. There was one on eBay with the quite staggering asking price of $50,000. That strikes me as over-valued. If you find one, you’ll probably get five figures for it. The Antiques Roadshow recently valued one at $10,000 to $12,000. And who could disagree with David Bonsey?
Martin did briefly make a mahogany version of the Style 5. But they’re very rare.
Martin have recently started making Style 5’s again and you can find them for sale on Elderly. They have also made (in Mexico) other modern ukuleles such as the S-O and the HS-O. These tend to be not so highly regarded.
Happy hunting.
I actually accidentally stumbled across this awhile ago…thought it was a bit odd.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Martin-5K-Ukulele-513305-i1170511.gc
Oh forgot to ask, sorry for double posting, does anyone know if Cordoba makes a good uke?
Yeah, that’s one of the new 5Ks. They’ve been getting a pretty good reviews. You can read a couple of people’s take here and here.
Don’t know anything about Cordoba, I’m afraid.
I have an old Martin Uke. I have no idea of age. Can you tell me how to age it? Can I find out an approximate value?
I have an old Martin Ukulele. Can you tell me how to age it and how I can find out an approximate value. I would like to sell it.
There are some nice pics of a vintage Martin 5K ukulele here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uketeecee/sets/72157605853651316/
Pascal: Thanks for the link. Sweet!
I have an Martin ukulele I would like to know the value of it. It belonged to my father in law. It has 18 bars and one white dot then further up twp , then one. Thank you
I just discovered I have a Martin 3 probably bought in Hawaii in 1930-31 in excellent condition. In original case with blue felt lining. Where do I start to get this appraised/sold? Live in the Chicagoland area.
I have a Martin ukulele with a double dot on the seventh fret w/the original case How do i go about finding the value of the ukulele the markings states Martin & Co, est 1833
I have a type 0 thats probably from the forties. but the mahogany back has been replaced. does this make it pretty much worthless?
I’ve a Martin Ukulele in near new condition, believe an type O, I’d like to sell, any ideas?
Thank you,
Patrick: Your best bet is eBay. But it’s not the best time to sell – a lot of people seem to be off-loading bits of their collection at the moment.
Do you remember The late Johnny “Ukulele” Ka’aihue who died November 1971
at the age of 70. He was the Father of the grate Mary Kaye, I am the youngest son
of Mary.
For Sale! to the highest bidder:
I have my Grand fathers Martin & Co Ukulele # 4 EST 1833
he used from 1916 to till he past in 1971.
So far bids are in, 23 in all, is at ?? was
the last highest bidder.
A cash buy it now price is set at : $??
will include Family photos of Johnny Ukulele
and Mary Kaye.
Will need to special deliver and insure before
shipping will take place of the Ukulele. or will
need to be hand deliver by Johnny Ka’aihue’s grand
son Jeff Pursley.
I am selling it for a highest bidder price that hasn’t been determined
yet, the Martin & Co Ukulele # EST 1833 is already a grand collectors
item and that’s without being owned and Played by the late great
Johnny “Ukulele” Ka’aihue since 1916, it is true collectors dream.
It has my Grandfathers trademark were & tear from hard playing
in performances all over the planet. If you know the history of my
grandfather you knew he was the Best friend of Olympic swimmer
and Surfer “The Duke”. It is a private bid and all moneys will go
to doctors bill in support of a family member that has fallen sick and
is directly related to Johnny Ka’aihue.
>From Exotica cult favorite:
Johnny Ukulele was born John Ka’aihue in Kalani, Hawaii on November 8, 1901 — the son of Prince Koeheo Ka’aihue,
at 15 he signed on a band assembled to back surfing pioneer Duke Kahanamoku during his surfing demonstrations across
the mainland U.S. When Kahanamoku returned to Hawaii, Ka’aihue remained stateside, touring the Midwest vaudeville
circuit — he was a particular favorite of Chicago’s organized crime families, and according to the website http://www.spaceagepop.com,
he stayed for free in hotels owned by Al Capone’s brother Ralph. Ka’aihue also regularly appeared in competitive swimming
meets against the likes of Buster Crabbe and Johnny Weissmuller before settling in St. Louis to begin a family he became the
Hawian swimming Champion gaining the respect from pro swimmers all over the planet including olimpic champion “The Duke”,
he then went on to play local clubs and operating an instructional school teaching Hawaiian music. Shortly after World War
II ended he joined up with bandleader Harry Owens, remaining with his Royal Hawaiian Orchestra for 15 years, including
a nine-year stint on CBS television’s The Harry Owens Show — during this time, Ka’aihue also adopted the stage name
Johnny Ukulele. In addition to playing on a series of Owens’ LPs, in 1958 he issued a solo effort, the Capitol label proto-lounge
classic Favorite Selections by Johnny Ukulele — three years later, he returned to Hawaii for the first time in nearly half a century,
headlining a triumphant homecoming gig. When his children Mary and Norman became mainstays on the Las Vegas Strip with
their Mary Kaye Trio, Ukulele migrated to Sin City himself, playing casino nightclubs throughout the 1960s — at one point, his
backing group included budding country-pop superstar Bobbie Gentry. He died in Hollywood on 1971.
I only have old LP’s that my sister has, I will transfer them to MP3, and am also looking on line, He was also known as the
fastest UKE player ever, in fact if you look at all his Uke’s they all have serious pick where in the motion areas and was a
trade mark of his playing, his Uke would be smoken after a jam, he had a few uke and I had the one that he played the most
Martin & Co Ukulele #4 EST 1833 the others would be for show and the one I have was the one he loved the most, in fact
my mom also used played it after my Grandpa past, the reason im selling it is that it will yield the most and I will keep all the
rest in show case.
If you are interested or know someone who would be then please feel free to contact me, The uke is one of a kind and only
one owned by Johnny Ukulele will ever be made available, only a few will ever know it was for sale and all hand selected by
me, only people that would appreciate the history of the Ukulele will be given the golden opportunity to own it, I am sure allot
would have loved to own it at any cost.
You can contact me at 818-390-7349 my name is Jeff Pursley
and I am the Grand son of Johnny Ka’aihue and yungest son of
The late Mary Kaye from the Mary Kaye Treo.
I would like to send you photos!!!
More on Johnny “Ukulele” Ka’aihue
http://www.spaceagepop.com/ukulele.htm
I have a Uke that belonged to my dad, not a style 1 or 2 the fret board extends to the sound hole. 2 thin white bindings around sound hole, single thin white binding around body also with a martin installed pick up. Like new, with a case that came with the special ordered unit in late 60’s as a present to my dad by one of my brothers. I have been offered $3000.00 for it. A musician friend said he thinks it is one of a kind. ??? What do you think it is worth. Robert