merlin6666
Senior Member
I really like ukuleles and recently had the opportunity to play some very old (around 1920 and 30s) plain Martin ukuleles, which were produced in very large numbers around that time. They consistently sounded great, much better than any high end modern uke that would sell at four or five times the price of these old Martins. I don't really know why they have such a superior sound, but wonder if it might be because they used Swietenia mahagoni (Cuban mahogany). I think that after WWII this was less commonly used and gradually replaced by Swietenia macrophylla (Honduran mahogany) which does not have those tonal properties. Does anyone know if there were ever any acoustic Guilds produced that had Swietenia mahagoni bodies or tops?