Circa 1928 Harmony Roy Smeck Vita Ukulele
Circa 1928 Harmony Roy Smeck Vita Ukulele. Roy Smeck was an instrumental super star in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The 1926 Warner Brothers Vita film, Wizard of the Strings, is one of the earliest music videos and is a great example of his musical genius. To capitalize on Roy Smeck’s film fame, the Harmony company manufactured a series of instruments using the Vita trademark along with Roy Smeck’s name. You could purchase your choice of a ukulele, 6-string guitar, tenor guitar, or plectrum guitar. But here today, at Smakula Fretted Instruments, the options are down to one ukulele. But what a uke it is! The neck is mahogany with the Roy Smeck Vita Uke decal on the peghead. The Brazilian rosewood fretboard has a 13-7/8” scale and four mother of pearl position dots. The back and sides of this instrument are made of curly mahogany and the top is spruce. Peeping inside the seal shape sound holes you can see the hot stamp saying Harmony Co. Chicago. There is also a label that says “Standard Approved by the National Association of Musical Instruments and Accessories MFRS U.S.A. Condition? Well, it’s really beat up. Plenty of scratches and hairline cracks on the body. The top has significant wear and is almost through the spruce where the two seal noses face each other. There is also an indication that there was a top protector glued to the top for a while. And a hole in the end block for a strap button. Sound? I have never owned a better sounding ukulele. Price is $600 and includes a modern Ohana UCV-XX hard case that is a little big for the instrument, but it is an excellent hard case.