IT'S ALIVVVVVE!!! 98 yr old Rolando banjo uke refurb

weeshan

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IT'S ALIVE!!! 98 yr old Rolando banjo uke *sound clip*

I picked up this 98 year old Rolando banjo uke for $35 thinking it was worth taking a chance on. The pot was cracked in multiple places, it had parts that were either missing or broken and it was very grimy. I have never repaired a non-functioning instrument before.

I completed the following in order to get it singing again:

*Repair cracks in pot with wood strips and wood glue and then clamp with hose clamps
*Clean with Virtuoso cleaner and polish (suitable for antique instruments with finish checking/crazing).
*Repaint metal head ring
*Replace missing nut and bolt on the back of the pot
* Install a set of 50’s Harmony tuners I already had
*New Grover bridge (not a vintage 2 footed one but a taller one so I can still do clawhammer)
*New tailpiece from a member on the Banjo Hangout forum (Originally this instrument had holes drilled in the pot that you ran the strings through but I was worried about damaging the brittle wood so chose a tailpiece instead).
*New skin head (my first time installing one, pretty simple to do)
*Install new set of Aquila Red strings

The first is a before pic and the rest are after:

uke1.jpgGrace2.jpgGrace3.jpgGrace5.jpgGrace4.jpg

I cant even explain how happy this project has made me. To take something that is almost 100 years old and bring it back to a playable condition feels like bringing a little being back to life LOL. A huge thanks to my amazing boyfriend for helping me. We were both grinning from ear to ear last night when it was finished.

How does it sound, you ask? It has a nice bright, sweet little voice with a definite bright twang from the head. I thought as small as the pot was, the head wouldn’t contribute much to the sound but it really does. It sounds just like I thought a little 20's banjo uke would sound...a little plinky, a little bark. I love it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA2kX0Ro8Kk

The original owner’s name is carved into the back of the pot, Grace Neely, ’20…so of course her name is Grace.

Thanks for looking!

Shannon
 
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Wow, looks great!

I'd love to see a video to know how it sounds.
 
Ok........you are offically my banjo-uke hero. Congratulations on having the guts to tackle such a project, it looks wonderful. My only vintage instrument is a Regal resonator tenor guitar from the 1930s. But I understand the intimate connection you can make from something from the past.

Play it well, play it often and play it for a very long time.
 
Ok........you are offically my banjo-uke hero. Congratulations on having the guts to tackle such a project, it looks wonderful. My only vintage instrument is a Regal resonator tenor guitar from the 1930s. But I understand the intimate connection you can make from something from the past.

Play it well, play it often and play it for a very long time.

Thank you so much! Best comment ever...and it was a labor of love for sure. I dont see how a person could bring something back to life and not really bond with it but thats just me. I plan to do just that (play it often) and I hope it lasts another 98 years.
 
Great job....glad you got so much enjoyment doing it. I plan to do these things, I just don't seem to actually do them.
 
What a cool old piece of history, and how crafty you are!

I have a feeling Grace Neely would be very happy to hear her old instrument sing again.
 
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