1930's Gibson (Dusi) Tenor Ukulele
This was made by Gibson, likely in the 1930's, and may be the only instrument ever to come out of the Kalamazoo factory made of Hawaiian koa! It conforms to all the standard Gibson tenor ukulele specs but for the unique choice of wood.
The top & back are both essentially one piece, but with small wings of matching wood an the very edges of the lower bout (seen in the photos). There is a chance this wood could be mahagony, but the color and grain point more to koa. The fact that they did not have pieces big enough to cover the entire width of the lower bout reinforces this since they would have had ample supply of large pieces of mahogany.
The decal on the headstock is from the 'Dusi Music Shoppe' in Youngstown, Ohio which is likely the shop that either ordered this custom instrument or that ended up with it somehow soon thereafter.
This ukulele plays & sounds fantastic and is in perfect working order. It has not had any repairs done to it and none are needed at this time. Below are the specs:
Solid Koa Top, Back & Sides
Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard & Bridge
1 13/32" Nut Width
16 7/8" Scale Length
Includes Non-Original Hard Case