Stromberg-Voisinet's Budget Uke?

Hello and Happy New Year.

I hope that everyone who reads this had a great holiday and got what they wanted from Santa in the uke department. And I hope that wherever you are, the weather isn't AWFULLY COLD, like it is here.

Back in my last post, I promised an entry on a Stromberg-Voisinet model that I'm calling the Style 2. So far, we've covered the Style 1 "Black Beauty" and its variants, the Style 1 "Crocodile Skin" and the various versions of the Style 1 "Deluxe"; as well as the "Rose". Since then, there have been several Roses up for sale, and an update on those may well be in order. I've also got a LOT of Stroberg-Voisinet tenor banjos to share with you, as well as a fantastic little Martin 2 I bought, which I'll post on next week.

But, in the meantime - here's a look at the Style 2. As you can see in the above photo of George Formby Society member James Bassett (age 7 at time of the photo) - who can really play, and these below photos here, this is a unique model for Stromberg-Voisinet. It appears to have only been offered in one color and wood option, and it's hardware is more basic than that offered on every other style of S-V uke. Key features are: deep-lipped non-flanged resonator with black binding on both resonator edges, blond maple pot, neck and resonator, ebony fretboard and headstock facing, and hex-shaped tension hook shoes. As for adornment, only the four MOP fret markers – no headstock diamond - and in this example only, a double pinstripe around the bottom of the pot.

As this model sadly illustrates, these instruments are seldom in good shape, which also contributes to my thinking that they may have been the cheapest models offered, as less expensive things tend not to be taken care of.

This particular example has been nicely customized on the resonator back by a previous owner with the name “Max Boyd”. Who was the artiste Max Boyd? Well, clearly *not* the smooth jazz practitioner who leads the Max Boyd Group, but someone who made their living in vaudeville.

All features of the Style 2 are here, pointing to one of the most design-consistent SV offerings. Offered on EBay, this did not sell, unsurprisingly – as it had a $59US starting bid and not a few issues…




Another Style 2 with somewhat creepy player art of a flapper on the vellum. As noted, identical in all aspects to the dozen or so I've seen. This one, missing some hardware, moved on Ebay in August of 2011, moving for $82.

And finally, a few shots of a Style 2 that moved for about $100. Pricing seems fairly consistently low for this uke, with others I've noted going for $110 and $89 for two examples in good condition. As you can see in the very bottom photo - this example shows the only other variation I've seen on a Style 2: a birdseye maple resonator back. This makes the uke look less bargain basement.

There's not a lot to add, except that - based on surviving examples - this model appears to have been very common, though not quite as common as the black Style 1. It's come up for sale as a wall hanger several times, often missing all hardware. A shame, but that was and is the story with most of the low end vintage ukes out there. If you do find one that's playable or in restorable shape - or better yet, in good nick - then jump. It may not be worth a lot, but it's a great piece of history.

Next time, I'll tell you all about Prince Wong's uke.

Until then, keep strumming, and keep warm, for goodness sake.

Deluxe is always better than regular...

When you go into a diner in NYC, you have a choice on the burger. You can get it plain, or deluxe, which means it comes with fries, a tiny eye-cup-full of coleslaw, a pickle, and lettuce, tomato and onion. Despite there not being enough coleslaw, ALWAYS get the deluxe.

In the case of Stromberg Voisinets, the same may be true. If you have a chance at picking up a regular Style One "Black Beauty" or one of these Style One "Deluxe" models, you may want to get the Deluxe. They go for upwards of a $100 more than a regular Style One these days, but you get a lot for that.

Features are fairly consistent on Style One Deluxe models. Instead of just stained maple, they appear to be made of maple, mahogany and walnut in various combinations, with each instrument slightly different. When they were made 1920-1930 or so, it's not clear if the choice of wood was the craftsman's or the buyer's.





The fretboard has ivroid binding, the headstock has a slightly more elaborate MOP inlay instead of the S-V diamond logo, and the wood is not stained, but rather clear lacquered so the natural grain and color comes through.





The pot and resonator are purfled as on the regular Style One, but the center of the resonator is always inlaid with a contrasting wood, usually birds-eye maple. On this particular example, you see a mahogany neck and pot, walnut resonator, and maple inlay. It's a great-looking variant of the usual "Black Beauty".


Here's a great example of a Style One Deluxe, which sold on eBay in January 2011 for an amazing $514.00. You can see the five-piece laminated neck that's also common to all in this model line.










This uke, posted by Rhinooooo – one of this blog’s readers, really caught my attention. It’s basically a Fancy Style 1 like above, but there are interesting variations. It's all walnut, and which also has a completely atypical purfling design on the pot and resonator back.













Also note that instead of the usual S-V diamond inlay logo, or even the deluxe version, this uke has an MOP star inlaid, and only has three MOP fretboard markers. So far, it's one-of-a-kind.









Here's another, darker variation, which appears to be mahogany, with a mahogany-stained maple resonator. This particular example went for $100 on Ukulele Underground in April of 2011.
















Finally, here's a light maple Style One Deluxe, with a dark-stained resonator. This shows the fretboard binding and MOP markers as they appear typically. You'll notice that the fretboard in the top photo of this blog appears to show elaborate MOP markers - nope, it's those pernicious stickers again. Those should be outlawed. Play with your eyes shut if you really want to learn the neck. :)












That's all for now - I've got dozens of photos of these Deluxe Style Ones, but you get the idea. Nicer, better decorated, mostly well-taken care of by their original owners, they represent an upgraded version of the basic Style One.

Next time, I'll show you the Style Two, which is fairly different from what you've seen so far. In some ways, it may be the budget model S-V, but then, who can say? If you've seen anything on my little OCD blog, its that nothing's definite. :) Until then, if you get the burger deluxe, ask for extra coleslaw. And Happy Thanksgiving.

Stromberg Voisinet Style 1

Where to start? Number 1 seems like a good place. I've dubbed this type of Stromberg Voisinet the Style 1.

It appears to be the most commonly made, certainly the most commonly surviving, of the SV banjo ukes. I've logged more then 10 of these over the last year and more, and the features are as follows:

Wood is maple stained black (ebonized)
Type 1 purfled resonator.
8” purfled pot.
Four MOP fretboard markers
Slotted diamond MOP headstock marker

The particular example pictured above is mine, which I purchased from Elderly Instruments, 9/12/10. It has no tone ring, though some Style 1s DO have them. I've modified the dowel and pot so that the neck could be lowered to allow Formby-style playing.









Here is another Style 1, similar to mine; the only difference is the yellow birdseye maple inlaid circle on the inside of the purfling ring on resonator back.


Clearly, the birdseye maple back was a popular option, as I've cataloged several examples that have the feature:

Here's one with the original canvas case -














Another, though the picture of the back would not reproduce -






















Finally - here's an odd one - This Stromberg Voisinet was up for sale on eBay 12/19/10. Badly discolored, it is notable in that it is only one of two Stromberg Voisinet ukes I've seen out of 40 or so that has six MOP fretboard inlays instead of the usual four:






As you can see, the back of the resonator has no birdseye maple inlay.














Next time - I'll have several more Style 1 ukes to share with you, as well as a photo sequence of a restoration in progress.

See you next week.