This cutie ain’t no vintage uke, but it’s cool nonetheless and definitely falls into the “modern classic” category.
It’s a Hamano H100 soprano ukulele. These are great ukes… well, some suffer minor setup flaws (buzzing frets etc.) but overall they’re as good as a modern uke can be. This particular one has a perfect fret job, right-on intonation and just plays great.
They’re all solid mahogany (the striped kind, which is very pretty, although not quite vintage correct as it’s not honduran mahogany, but most likely african mahogany) and very lightly built and braced, much like a vintage Martin Style 0.
As a result, they sound very warm and resonant. This uke was selected among a couple of its brothers for its great playability and tone. Compared to a Kiwaya KTS-4 (the other Martin inspired modern uke), the Hamano is warmer, bassier and more open sounding. The Kiwaya is tighter, punchier, with more pronounced treble. In a nutshell, this Hamano is one of the finer example of its breed.
And for this very reason, it’s had a special cosmetic treatment…
The ugly Hamano headstock logo was removed and buffed out to leave a blank headstock, like a pre-1932 Martin.
Yes, just a plain-jane headstock, 1920′ style.
Then, the rectangular bridge and saddle were recut and sanded smooth to give them some curves.
The rounder the better.
Stock, these ukes have a ugly satin finish. It’s been polished and glossed up using lotsa elbow grease. Now, it has a low gloss finish, reminiscent of a high quality lacquer applied on higher end instruments.
Not super glossy like a brand new finish, but just shiny enough to look classy.
The binding on those ukes is a nice subtle touch.
The Gotoh tuners have been slightly reliced so they look a bit older than they actually are. But they work great and hold tune remarkably well. I don’t even remember the last time I had to retune this guy.
And finally, the original interior label was removed. I have made out some replicas of an old Ditson label. These repro labels are reliced (dipped overnight into a mix of tea and coffee) to make them look old. You can have one.
Just like if it was born on a Chicago production line 80 years ago!
Raaaah, I love the fingerboard extension on those.
And finally, a short clip comparing a Hamano H100 to an early 1950′ Martin Style 0. They do sound kinda similar don’t they?
The Vintage Guitar Blog 
Sorry, I know this is a very old post Victor – but are you able to recall the sanding /polishing materials you used to cut the satin back to that gloss? It’s great work!
Hello, Meguiar’s automotive polish or similar product + cotton cloth + elbow grease + a couple hours of free time will certainly work (no sanding please!). Best of luck.
Hello. What did you use to get the glossy finish? I have an Hamano H-100 Concert uke and I’d like to remove the ugly satin gloss finish.
Hello, I used Meguiar’s automobile polish (any equivalent would work too). A cotton rag and most importantly, elbow grease 😉