Myself and a couple others on the forum have been discussing in detail banjos, and the feasibility of converting a tenor banjo into a banjo Uke. I wanted to create a separate thread about this because I have restored many banjos, and a actual vintage banjo (soprano sized) uke over the past few years. I have been wanting to take one of my tenor banjos, and string, and tune it as a banjo uke for some time, and have been inspired to go ahead and do it. I will keep you posted here about how it turns out.
The biggest concern is finding a ukulele string set long enough. My Gretsch tenor banjo is the one I am going to convert. It's scale, nut to tail piece is around 27". I will need strings around 33" or longer. 33" is going to be very close. I chose 33", because I have learned that Aquila baritone nylgut strings are 33" out of the package. I'm not sure they are quite long enough. It is going to be close. After they stretch, I think they will be fine, but getting them tied up is gonna be the challenge. Jasper Happy of the UK said that he will make me a set of strings, but is concerned about the volume due to the gauge of his strings. We will see how his work. I am also going to try some Worth fluorocarbon because per Corey at Elderly, they are 63" long. Worth does this to give you two sets in a pack, but in this project's case, will work as one set with quite a bit left over. So, strings are pretty much taken care of.
That said. The next challenge is going to be the tail piece of the banjo. They are designed for steel strings, and the way they terminate is not very nylon string friendly. They will be cut when put under tension I can almost guarentee it. I have an idea to remedy that, and will cover that in more detail with pictures as I do it. I think a full sized tenor banjo, will make a cool, mellow sounding Ukulele. Can't wait to play it. I will update as I go..
The biggest concern is finding a ukulele string set long enough. My Gretsch tenor banjo is the one I am going to convert. It's scale, nut to tail piece is around 27". I will need strings around 33" or longer. 33" is going to be very close. I chose 33", because I have learned that Aquila baritone nylgut strings are 33" out of the package. I'm not sure they are quite long enough. It is going to be close. After they stretch, I think they will be fine, but getting them tied up is gonna be the challenge. Jasper Happy of the UK said that he will make me a set of strings, but is concerned about the volume due to the gauge of his strings. We will see how his work. I am also going to try some Worth fluorocarbon because per Corey at Elderly, they are 63" long. Worth does this to give you two sets in a pack, but in this project's case, will work as one set with quite a bit left over. So, strings are pretty much taken care of.
That said. The next challenge is going to be the tail piece of the banjo. They are designed for steel strings, and the way they terminate is not very nylon string friendly. They will be cut when put under tension I can almost guarentee it. I have an idea to remedy that, and will cover that in more detail with pictures as I do it. I think a full sized tenor banjo, will make a cool, mellow sounding Ukulele. Can't wait to play it. I will update as I go..