Review: Martin Centennial Concert Uke Offers Timeless Looks and Sound

BY EDDIE SCHER | FROM THE SUMMER 2025 ISSUE OF UKULELE MAGAZINE

Martin’s Centennial Concert Ukulele lineup is a celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the company’s introduction in 1925 of its concert-sized uke models, and will be produced in 2025 only. There are two options in the Centennial lineup, one made in Pennsylvania (with a production of just 91 instruments) and the one covered in this review, which is built in Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico.

I must confess, I have a pretty deep and abiding love for vintage Martin concert ukuleles. My first ukes were sopranos, but the singer in my band was unconvinced until I picked up an old, well-worn Martin concert. That instrument remains my number one ukulele. At some point I even bought a second World War II-era Martin concert as a backup.

At first strum, this seems to be an affordable, all-solid mahogany ukulele with the straightforward appointments of a pre-war Martin, but also the build quality, performance, and sound that you’d expect from any Martin. But I was interested to see how this Centennial model would compare with the original design I am so familiar with.

Looks

The Centennial Concert looks just right. Its body is made from solid, highly figured mahogany in a satin finish. The styling is exactly the same as my two 70-plus-year-old Martin Style 1 concerts, with a very thin, dark- and light-striped rosette around the soundhole, and binding around the body. It’s elegant, just a little more bling than plain, and suits these instruments perfectly. 

The neck also looks like mahogany to me, though Martin says that it is “select hardwood.” The appearance of the grain on the neck and headstock is slightly different from the body. Interestingly, the difference between the neck and body woods is almost exactly the same on my old Martin concerts.

The fretboard is unbound rosewood. One difference between this uke and its predecessors is the thickness of the fretboard. On my old ukes the fretboard is barely thicker than the depth of the frets, and the Centennial’s fretboard is significantly thicker. The neck is slightly thicker than the necks on my older versions of this uke, too. 

The 12th and final fret sits right at the body and the neck continues down slightly where it ends in the classic Martin book scroll. Overall, the neck felt great, especially with the hand-applied finish that really let me feel the wood in my hands.

Sound and Playability

To me, a concert is the perfect size. While I love how a soprano, especially when tuned A D F# B, gives you that clear, bright, vaudevillian tone, the concert still gives you a classic ukulele tone but with more low-end depth and a lot more real estate on the fingerboard.

The sound was exactly what I expected from this type of all-solid mahogany uke—that is to say, marvelous. It was bright and warm with a prominent midrange when strummed. But the uke also projected the highs and lows, especially when I slowed down to pick. 

The Centennial Concert is noticeably lightweight, which speaks to a more lively future. Right now, brand new, this uke will need some time for the sound to fully open up. My old Style 1 ukes are louder and brighter, but this is an unfair comparison until the new uke has time to settle in, which I expect will happen with time and playing. It makes me wonder how the U.S.-made sinker mahogany version of this instrument, made with wood that was felled long ago, would compare.

The geared Graph Tech tuners preserve the look of vintage pegs while giving a modern level of accuracy and reliability. My World War II–era uke has wooden friction tuners, and with patience they work surprisingly well. But these lightweight geared tuners are certainly an improvement. 

Finally, kudos to Martin for leaving the Martin logo off the front of the headstock and instead doing an embossed logo on the back of the headstock. This is a nod to the original 1925 ukuleles, and reflects an earlier time before Martin had much competition.

BODY Solid mahogany top, back, and sides; satin finish

NECK Select hardwood; rosewood fingerboard; 15″ scale length; 12 frets; 1-13/32″ nut width; Tusq saddle; rosewood bridge; Graph Tech Ratio tuners

OTHER Softshell case; Martin Polygut strings

MADE IN Mexico

PRICE $599 street

martinguitar.com

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