MARTIN TIPLE T-45 model

Michael Simmons gave us an enigmatic historical fact in his brilliant 2002 tiple article from "The Ukulele Occasional" :

Interesting complement, Renée Adorée later strummed the uke with Ramon Navaro in the successful 1929 silent hit : "Pagan".



If Jimmy Chu the Renée "protégé", chauffeur and tiple maestro, died in a silly motor crash the luxuous T45 tiple wasn't in the car.
In fact the Martin productions reports a unique T45 fabrication in 1922 but the incredible fancy instrument is alive, for sale here for 17500,00 $ !

If Renée ordered this instrument for the hawaiian master, it's strange that the fancy mother of pearl and turtle decorated tiple made a huge travel via New York to join the west coat and Hollywood....the  T45 was built for the William J. Smith Co. of New York.

The Ukulele Occasional #1

You can find in this 2002 first issue of the magnificant ukulele devoted magazine a very complete article about the tiple, Michael Simmons wrote  it, former staffer at Gryphon Stringed Instruments he contributed to Acoustic Guitar magazine, Fretboard Journal and others specialised publications.
He goes deep in the instrument history back in the 1500's in South America and scrolls along the complicated familiy tree on the continent and west indies to the north american 20's Martin rebirth with the "my dog has fleas" similar tuning.
Complete information can be found about the company models and fabrication boards, and of course the Regal, Lyon & Healy and other brands models.

A wide chronologic panorama of tiple players is presented with of course the swing era groups but also a lot of players from the 20's to 90's decades, obscure or not.
Here are some of the name droped that could be focused on in future pages...






20's-40's :
Dr Humphrey Bate and the Possum Hunters
Nortfolk Jazz Quartet "novelty singing with Tiple" Decca rec label
Wendell Hall
Dempsey and Phil Jones (the Golden Melody Boys)
Jimmy Chu
The Lewis Bronzeville five

60's-90's :
Osborne Brothers (bluegrass tiple)
Highwaymen  
Andrew Hardin Tom Russell
Grady Nutt
Tonny Cuff
Ry Cooder
Phil Manzanera
Mark Orton Tin Hat Trio
Nick Didkovsky
Eugene Chadbourne

Ukulele Occasional #1  for sale at Elderly

present & future quotes of the article
Courtesy of "Michael Simmons"