Martin tenor uke, Style 1T mahogany, circa late '40s

They just don't get much cleaner and more original than this one! The case is officially "chipboard" without any cushy lining, but it's a light brown Geib case from the good ol' days and so is much stronger than the so-called hardshell cases from China that come with new Kamaka ukes. Dating these Martin ukes isn't an exact science, and it could be either somewhat earlier or later than the late 1940s. The color of the binding and the finish, plus the tuners, suggests the early post-WWII years, which was also when Martin ukes were very popular and many were sold.