I have two ukes. The older one is a Dixie banjo ukulele, commonly called a banjolele. A patent was applied for in 1950 by J. Thompson for what is almost certainly the Dixie, and the patent was apparently approved in 1954. (Click here for a look at the patent details). Thompson worked with the Grossman Music Company in Cleveland, and they sold the Dixie (along with numerous other novelty instruments such as flutophones, plastic trumpets and kazoos). Mine was around our home as long as I can remember. It belonged to my father. I don't know where or when he got it, but I assume it was in the 1950's. On the back of the headstock, barely readable, it says "Patent Pending" and "Made in USA", which would lead me to believe it was made between '51 and '54.

The Dixie has a completely metal body - opinions differ on whether it's zinc or aluminum - that is completely chrome-plated. You can see in the pictures that mine is not in good shape esthetically, with the chrome significantly chipping. I also seem to have lost the bridge, although that can probably be replaced. Other than that, I'm sure the uke is still playable.

In the picture of the back notice the four screws. The two big ones bolt the neck to the body. The two to the side allow increasing or decreasing the neck tension which allows for adjusting the height of the strings above the neck.

One of the pics is an ad which apparently came from a Grossman catalog and which shows the Dixie for sale for $13.50.

The other uke is an Aria U-100 which we bought for my Father around 1994 or 1995. You can see from the label that it was made in Japan, and there is no serial number. The uke is all wood, and it came with a cheap cardboard case. That's pretty much all I know about it. I take it out and strum it every once in a while.


My ukuleles