I did what research I could and found out this type of uke was mass produced during the 30's & 40's and it would originally have been strung with steel strings.
It was strung with nylon strings, the skin was flapping like an un-guyed tent and the tuning pegs had long given up the ghost.
I hung it on the wall and let it gather some dust.
Fast forward to me starting to pay more attention to uke playing and thinking "I could renovate that banjolele".
So, I tried fitting a set of steel stings.
Because the tuning pegs were unreliable my findings were inconclusive.
I took the banjolele to a local music shop to ask the advice of Ian (an instrument repairer).
My plan was to source some alternative tuning pegs or machine-heads then fit them myself.
Ian me asked to leave it with him so he could have a root about for something that would do the job.
I left the shop and forgot about it.
Couple of weeks ago I remembered the uke again and went back to the shop.
"I finished it" announced Ian as I walked trough the door.
He'd fitted a set of banjo tuning pegs:
The only down-side being that I'm strapped for cash at the moment and the £42 quid the work cost was a bit of a stinger.
Still, worth the expense to have that usable instrument, right?
This b%&£^*d is impossible to tune.
I carefully tune each string till the tuner indicates the note is spot on.
I re-check the tuning.
I play a chord.
What!!??
I check the tuning again, I measure the scale length to make sure the bridge is in the right place, I check the tuning again.
I may as well try to platt fog.
It appears that I have yet another unique sounding instrument.
I'm going to restring it with nylon strings (a proper uke set) and hope that does the trick.
In the mean-time I'm having great fun recording with it even though playing it is a little like flaying my fingers with an egg-slicer.
And for fans of labels, here's a blurred picture of the headstock:
7 comments:
Action too high?
I had a 5 string like that many years ago and it did the same thing. I lowered the nut and the bridge but then because the neck was a little bowed it had a tendency to buzz. It was a five dollar banjo. It never did sound right and I gave it to someone who didn't know the difference.
I told him but he contended a banjo never sounded in tune at it's best.
There's every possibility the action is on the high side.
I'm going to some hefty nylon uke strings before I start hacking it about.
Truth to tell, I sort of like the noise it makes in combination with my less than accurate slide bass playing on the biscuit tin and broom pole.
I'm a of fan of the 'broken band' sound that the likes of Tom Waits or the Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir achieve but, oddly enough, it takes quite a bit of skill to get it right, or, wrong if you like, and it's a very fine line between death or glory.
There's some fantastic tunes George Martin made with the Goons (Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers in particular).
Try and get a listen to the Q5 Piano Song.
Now that's what I'm talking about!
In the meantime I'm practicing playing my slide bass along with the Balfa Brothers.
high action? there is a little bit of play where the neck meets the hoop. insert a thin shim and it pulls the neck back a bit.
Thanks for that tip!
That would work a treat.
With the nylon strings the action's not a problem but when I replace them with steel I think I may have to make adjustments.
Also, I've only just noticed, sighting along it, the neck's twisted.
Which explains quite a bit.
I am the Proud owner of No.5 Whirle Banjolele !
I have gone to nylon strings BUT I need to know the precise distance from the "Nut" to the Bridge position.
Anyone help
Maca
macajohn2002@yahoo.com
The bridge should be 6" 5/8ths of an inch. from the 12th fret. (octive fret)
In other words the 12th fret should be half way between The Nut & The Bridge.
The distance from the nut to the 12th fret should be the same as from the 12th fret to the bridge.
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