I’m so sorry, but this sale is for USA buyers only. / You must have at least 5 Positive responses to offer.
A Buy-It-Now Price is not available. / Rest assured, I will not end this sale early. / Shipping will be via USPS Priority Mail with a signature required. / Thanks and good luck. Vintage 1920s Gibson UB-3 Ukulele-Banjo w/Original Case - Antique Banjo-Uke
DISCLAIMER: Please read the description carefully, and study the photos closely because they are both important parts of my description. Thanks. Mojo
OVERVIEW: Here is a Gibson UB-3 (sometimes called a UB-2 Deluxe) ukulele-banjo. It was recently found and is still exactly as I got it. The string height is little high and it could use a bit of cleaning. There are some cracks in the rim that should be glued up. Included is the very hard-to-find original red-line case.
MODEL DESIGNATIONS: The basic UB-1 has a smaller 6\" rim and simple dots on the fingerboard. The UB-2 has the larger 8\" rim, but still has simple dots on the fingerboard and with plain brown finish. The first UB-3 models (like this one) had the 8\" rim, fancier pearl fingerboard markers, a nice sunburst finish, and a raised resonator cover on the back. But later on Gibson made another model with a larger resonator that they also named the UB-3, so sometimes this earlier model is referred to as a UB-2 Deluxe to distinguish it from the newer design.
AGE: This ukulele-banjo, as with most of Gibson\'s ukulele-banjos, does not have a serial number. The first ukulele-banjos that Gibson produced starting in 1924 had a \"trap-door\" flap on the back. About two years later they started making the style uke like the one shown here. The 1928 and 1934 catalogs listed all of the UB models, but the 1937 catalog only listed the most basic model. So that would mean that this instrument must have been made sometime between 1926 and 1936.
MEASUREMENTS: It has an 8\" rim and has an overall length of 21.5\".
PLAYABILITY: The uke is solid and the cracks have no affect on playability. The string height is a little high measuring 4/32\" at the 12th fret, BUT the bridge measures 5/8\" tall and could certainly come down in height making everything just right. The bridge does have a chip in the A-string slot, so it would probably make sense to lower the bridge from the top and cut new string slots.
THE FINISH: This model has the nice sunburst finish. The neck has an area of finish wear to the bare wood. The resonator shows some finish checking lines which for the most part all run in the same direction. The resonator also shows some small areas of dullness to the finish around the 4 screws area and a few other places as well.
CRACKS / DAMAGE / CONDITION: Overall the uke is in good condition, but it does show wear, tear, scratches, nicks, dirt, and dust. The rim has 3 areas that show damage. There are cracks at the edge of the rim that can be seen when the resonator is removed which should be glued and clamped. This damage has caused the resonator screw in that area to not tighten, so I dropped in a sliver of wood in the hole which is doing the trick. There are two cracks on the edge of the rim: one on the side is quite noticeable but appears to be on the surface only, and the other one near tailpiece is quite tight. The dyed maple fingerboard shows play wear giving the illusion that there are divots, but in actuality there are no fingerboard divots. The first 3 frets show some wear most notably under the A-string. The neck is nice and straight.
ORIGINALITY: Everything seems original except the fiber-skin? head and possibly the bridge.
CASE: Wow, how about that original red-line case! The case does show wear, but all latches and hinges are intact and work well. The fabric on the interior of the case is quite worn in a few places. As with other old Gibson red-line cases I have seen, the actual red line appears to be quickly hand-painted and is a bit on the sloppy side. Oddly, there is a plate with a serial number attached to the exterior of the case which appears to be original.
SHIPPING DETAILS:
▪ USPS Priority Mail shipping will be the actual amount with no extra charges. You will pay the EXACT amount that the shipping calculator says.
▪ Your item will ship the very next business day after Paypal payment is made.
▪ This item is already very carefully packed in a corrugated box measuring 26” X 12” X 11”. The shipping weight for this item is 6 pounds and 15 ounces.
▪ Shipping will be the exact amount that the USPS charges, so please don’t blame me if you think the shipping cost is too much, blame good old Uncle Sam. INFO FOR buyers:
▪ Paypal is ’s preferred method of payment.
▪ buyers must have at least 5 positive responses in order to offer or your offer will be cancelled.
▪ This sale is for U.S.A. buyers only. In fairness to all I simply can’t make exceptions.
▪ I\'m sorry, but I will absolutely not end this sale early.
▪ policy states, \"you\'re expected to pay as soon as possible and no later than 4 days after you win or buy an item.\"
▪ I do not issue partial refunds, so please do not ask for a discount after receiving your item.
HOW THE SHIPPING COST IS DETERMINED:
When creating an sale listing, provides a “template” that deals strictly with the shipping cost. The seller (me) simply enters the package dimensions, weight, and carrier into the template, and then the Shipping Calculator automatically figures out how much the shipping cost will be for the buyer (you) depending on your zip code. Every potential buyer will see a different shipping cost depending on how close or how far they are located from Massachusetts. Because this shipping amount is automatically generated, I have absolutely no control over what cost is shown to you. In fact, I don\'t even know what the cost is that you are seeing. I NEVER make a profit on shipping, and only charge the ACTUAL COST to the buyer. I will even send you a shipping refund if the “actual” shipping turns out to be less than what you were charged.
