Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Here's a tenor scale banjo uke I've just completed. It's inspired by mid-nineteenth century minstel banjos

Built from Western Red Cedar and Indian Rosewood.

Cool! How does it sound? My grandfather made a banjo mandolin in the 1920's, and I was fascinated by that when I was a kid.

GregL.

Nice job Liam What wood is the saddle made from? Also are those tacks holding the head on or are they headed pins that can be removed when changing the skin?
One last question How is it for volume? I imagine being open backed & nylon stringed that it's a fairly 'personal' style of instrument.

The sound is a little mellower than a regular banjo although you wouldn't mistake it for anything else. Certainly louder and plunkier than a regular ukulele.

Nick, those are upholstery tacks holding the head on. Tackhead banjos were common in the mid-nineteenth century but have been used by home instrument brewers ever since.

I had a brief stop by Liam's shed today and got to hear his rendition of the first few bars to Dueling Banjo's

It's a real beauty, and I love the sound. Very sharp attack but in an odd way mellow, and dare I say sweet....at least for a banjo. Maybe it's in part due to the nylon strings.

Nick wrote:Nice job Liam What wood is the saddle made from?

That bridge is super-high-tech pallet pine. Botanical name: Chepus Cratus. I've made one's from Queensland maple and Qld Kairi Pine too. From what I/ve read the bridge can make or break a banjo. Might be another myth, might not.................

G'day Liam,

Great, fun little instrument. I've seen an opened backed banjo once before when I was working in the Music Shop. It was a Tenor and had surprising volume.

Will see you at th Cairns Ukulele Fest next month.

Cheers

Alan

Very nice indeed!!

How did you make your "drum"?? If you don't mind me asking.

Here's some photos of my bending set up. It is a very early MkI design. So far I've bent WRC, Qld Maple and Silky Oak at 3.5mm.
The photo's show me bending some ebony for a tone ring. The position is shown on the completed rim in the last photo.
OK so the photo's seem to be in a reverse order.

I love this instrument Liam its the kinda thing I love to play. Can you tell me how you fixed the hide? is it real hide? Was it wet and than stretched on etc. I have a banjo uke that is very sensitive to the weather etc being goat skin I often sick it in front of a light / heater or in the sun before a gig to tighten up the skin. It's a real beast to keep in tune but well worth the old time string band sound I am after.
Thanks.

Thanks Luke. This detour into banjo ukes has really piqued my enthusiasm.

Goat hide from Elderly. Wet for 20mins in the laundry tub then tack on with a bit of hide glue between the skin and the pot before hammering in the tack. Given that I've got a grand total of one tackhead under my belt my comments should be taken with a grain of salt.