This is a Supertone Soprano Uke from the 1920s. Supertone was the house brand for the Sears and Roebuck mail order company. This uke comes with its original felt case and has a solid mahogany neck, back, sides, and top, original tuners, all in excellent condition. The top and the neck are both bound with black over white binding giving it a much nicer look than a basic Mahogany uke like a Martin Style O. I did notice that the bridge had lifted slightly and I removed, cleaned and re-glued it with hot hide glue as it had originally been. Other than that (and now that it's repaired) it is in perfect condition without a scratch anywhere and no loose seams or splits.  
 
The Harmony story begins with Wilhelm Schultz, a German immigrant who came to Chicago in 1882. Though he had been a builder of cabinets and staircases, he decided to follow his passion for music and got a job building stringed instruments. After acquiring lutherie skills working at Lyon & Healy, a large Chicago-based instrument maker, Schultz struck out on his own, creating the Harmony Company in 1892. Starting with just four employees, Schultz initially built violins and guitars, and then mandolins and banjos. Always mindful of the musical trends of the time, Schultz soon added ukuleles and Hawaiian-style guitars to the production. By 1915, Harmony had 125 employees and became the first large-scale ukulele manufacturer in the country.
 
One of Harmony’s largest customers was Sears & Roebuck, who sold thousands of Harmony-built ukuleles, guitars, etc. under the “Supertone” brand name through their mail-order catalogs. The Supertone line included both traditional Hawaiian-style ukes made from mahogany and koa, as well as inexpensive models featuring eye-catching decorations. In 1916, Sears decided to up its ante in the ever-growing ukulele market by buying the Harmony Company and thus securing the entire output of instruments. In addition to the Supertone ukes, Harmony built inexpensive ukes for the Sear’s Silvertone brand, including various models with simple stencil-painted decorations—water skiers, canoes, palm trees, and various tropical and fantasy motifs. Harmony also continued building ukes carrying its own brand name, though their headstock labels changed in design several times over the decades.
 
Harmony instruments, and particularly their mahogany ukes of this era, are solid players and they represent a great opportunity for folks wanting to explore playing an instrument at a reasonable price. At 100 years old, this mahogany has aged out beautifully and remains in excellent condition. It has a rich, lovely, aged mahogany sound that is much different than a modern mahogany uke. This instrument came from the Dee Kruzan estate whose instruments i have been selling for the last couple months. This is one of a group I purchased directly from the estate and am now offering privately. Dee had an excellent eye for vintage instruments and this one is no exception!
 
I'm offering this uke for the very reasonable price of $225.00.