Case or Gig Bag for Soprano Banjo Uke?

J_Tay81

J_Tay81

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Well, I haven't done it yet, but plan to soon. I have a couple of the balistic fabric covered hard shell cases you see commonly sold these days. I like them, because they are very light, and provide very good protection. They have a zipper, which I like better than latches (I've had latches come unlatched in the past dumping very expensive guitars on the ground, eek). Anyway. The padding inside is set up for a traditional shaped uke, and the Banjo uke would fit in otherwise. So, what I plan to do is take the foam insert out around the body and replace it with reshaped foam to fit the banjo's shape. Then, just felt cover that, Kinda like doing upholstery work in an old car. It will work fine, just need to go ahead and do it..
 
Hi John,

Sure enough thats a great suggestion Tudorp has made,
Gigbags = Potential problem, some a better than others and
well protection is debateable even as a dustcover they're dangerous.
People see em and treat em like a hard case and disaster happens.
My horror story Gibson SG in gigbag + plus idiot = broken headstock.
Just my thoughts.

Cheers.
 
I've got a nylon-covered hard shell case that I bought from Music 123 for my Makala Dolphin. The Dolphin never fit in there correctly; it just bounced around. My Applause didn't work in there so hot either. Since the Banjo uke is only a 7-inch pot, maybe I'll try that in there, and look for a gig bag for my other two. I don't gig anywhere outside of my basement :) but am mostly looking for something a bit heartier than a dust cover, you know?

Thanks guys for the reply!
John
 
I have a hardshell that doesn't fit my concert ukulele, I take my polishing cloth and wedge it to one side between the case and the ukulele to keep it from bouncing around. It works well and I always have my polishing cloth handy for post play wipe downs.
 
Aloha John,

Congrats on the purchase of the Lorely Banjo...I hope it didn't go much over a hundred bucks...and you say it came from Hawaii???wow...Let us know how it sounds...Happy Strummings and Happy Holidays!
Do you know what island it came from...MM Stan...
 
J_Tay81 said:
Hi all,

I just won an auction on a Loreley 1920's open-back soprano banjo uke. I was looking for a case or gig bag for it. It has a 7" pot on it. I wondered what you all thought would work for such an instrument?

I found this:
http://www.instrumentalley.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SUPC3770&click=35

Would that be acceptable? What do you banjo ukers use?

John
Click to expand...

My soprano banjo uke with and 8 in head is way to small for this bag. I am using a concert gig bag, until I make a case like Tudorp describes.
 
mm stan said:
Aloha John,

Congrats on the purchase of the Lorely Banjo...I hope it didn't go much over a hundred bucks...and you say it came from Hawaii???wow...Let us know how it sounds...Happy Strummings and Happy Holidays!
Do you know what island it came from...MM Stan...
Click to expand...

Hi,

The actual purchase price itself was $94.00 but, of course, shipping added more money on to that, but was to be expected.
It is being shipped from KALAHEO, HI.
The seller put new D'Addarios on to the banjo uke but he recommended putting on Aquilas to make it sound its best (doesn't everybody recommend that?) :)
I took a gamble on buying it, and i hope I don't get burned. But I'm still excited for it. Will keep you posted!

John
 
No you did alright on it. Those sell for $100-$150 in playable condition, so you are in the low end of the ballpark. You'll enjoy it. Post pictures when ya can..

Congrats, and welcome to the skin head Uke group, hahhah..
 
Tudorp said:
No you did alright on it. Those sell for $100-$150 in playable condition, so you are in the low end of the ballpark. You'll enjoy it. Post pictures when ya can..

Congrats, and welcome to the skin head Uke group, hahhah..
Click to expand...

Wheww! Good to know!
I'm excited for it to show up on my door step.
Do these guys sound good tuned gCEA or in 'D' tuning?

Here's a link to the auction site itself on eBay. It has some pics of the banjo uke. Hopefully you can view them since the auction is now closed.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rt=nc&nma=true&item=330506708691&si=EhFIrDOqSvAQwrPtjX9gpXIOO4A%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_618wt_932
 
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J_Tay81 said:
Wheww! Good to know!
I'm excited for it to show up on my door step.
Do these guys sound good tuned gCEA or in 'D' tuning?

Here's a link to the auction site itself on eBay. It has some pics of the banjo uke. Hopefully you can view them since the auction is now closed.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rt=nc&nma=true&item=330506708691&si=EhFIrDOqSvAQwrPtjX9gpXIOO4A%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_618wt_932
Click to expand...
That one is in very nice condition. You did do well on the price. In that condition, it's worth $150 up to maybe $200 retale. You did just fine.
What I really like about these banjoles is they are VERY durable, and you really don't need a case for them because the only real delicate part is the skin head, and even that is pretty safe unless it takes a lick from something sharp to puncture it. If it is real calf or lambskin, that is even tough. I have enough confidence in mine that I hand it to the grandkids all the time to play on it with me. Worse they can do it twist the pegs and make it out of tune.
 
Tudorp said:
That one is in very nice condition. You did do well on the price. In that condition, it's worth $150 up to maybe $200 retale. You did just fine.
What I really like about these banjoles is they are VERY durable, and you really don't need a case for them because the only real delicate part is the skin head, and even that is pretty safe unless it takes a lick from something sharp to puncture it. If it is real calf or lambskin, that is even tough. I have enough confidence in mine that I hand it to the grandkids all the time to play on it with me. Worse they can do it twist the pegs and make it out of tune.
Click to expand...

Very cool - good to know I came out smelling like roses on that one (so-to speak).
Playing Devil's Advocate here, but if I were to somehow rupture the skin head, are there replacements available? I'm kind of clumsy :)
 
J_Tay81 said:
Very cool - good to know I came out smelling like roses on that one (so-to speak).
Playing Devil's Advocate here, but if I were to somehow rupture the skin head, are there replacements available? I'm kind of clumsy :)
Click to expand...
Yeah- they are available all over the place- fortunately, I have not had to replace one yet...that looks like the hard part
new banjo heads
 
J_Tay81 said:
Very cool - good to know I came out smelling like roses on that one (so-to speak).
Playing Devil's Advocate here, but if I were to somehow rupture the skin head, are there replacements available? I'm kind of clumsy :)
Click to expand...

Yes, they can be replaced. I replace mine with real skin and it's actually a fun project and not very hard to do.
 
Tudorp said:
Yes, they can be replaced. I replace mine with real skin and it's actually a fun project and not very hard to do.
Click to expand...

I just did my UB-2 with skin.
I don't know whether it was beginners luck, but it was not very difficult and came out super.

Also, a mando bag will work, but if I were buying a bag I would look for a soprano/concert bag.
My banjo is really loose in the mando bag.
 
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Yes - replacing the head is daunting until you actually start messing around with it and it's actually kind of fun to do. Elderly and Ukulele World both have online resources for skin heads, and while Elderly sends you step-by-step instructions when you order a goat or calf skin head, Ukulele World has an online article you can practice with even before you order. Elderly heads run about $3-4 cheaper than Ukulele World's. Both are great companies to deal with.

I use gig bags for both MayBells, for the simple reasons that the original cases are rare as hen's teeth, and when you do find them, they cost more than the instrument itself. I use Levy concert uke bags for 8" banjo ukes, and a soprano uke bag for 7" pot banjo ukes. They work well and are pretty good fits.

John
 
Wow - lots of info to sift through! I love this forum :)

The banjolele I will get is a Loreley from the 1920's. I'm guessing that the skin has been replaced in that time. Do you guys think it would behoove me to order a replacement skin, or just wait to see what she sounds like? Would a new skin alter the sound at all?
 
Just wait to see how it is.. Keep it if it is tight and complete, even if stained. My 1930s has it's original headskin, and I love it, stains and all..
 
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