1895 Jose do Espirito Santo Ukulele
An extremely rare 1895 Jose do Espirito Santo ukulele is a world class collectible over 100 years in age. The instrument was handcrafted by one of three Portuguese cabinet makers (Jose do Espirito Santo, Augusto Dias, and Manuel Nunes) who first came to Hawaii from the island of Madeira, Portugal in the late 1800s to work in the plantation fields. Once their contract ended, all three moved to Oahu and were credited with the invention of the ukulele.
A very serious collectible piece which many museums have never seen. The back, sides, and neck of the instrument was entirely handcrafted of Hawaiian koa wood and the face of the instrument was handcrafted of spruce. It’s very light and there have been some restoration work needed to be done to return this historical piece to playable order.
The ukulele has a very warm and well-balanced shallow-body tone with remarkable projection for such a small instrument.
Price: SOLD