Finally got my sexy new (old -1920's) banjo uke!!

Despite the holiday delay, the mail lady was kind to me. My 80-year-old uke was delivered in great condition. I switched out the strings for some Fremont Black lines, and am fairly happy with it. She's open backed, so a little on the quiet side. Somebody replaced the vellum awhile ago with a synthetic. I ordered a circle of goat skin and a new bridge to upgrade it a bit. Do you think that will make a difference in sound and projection?

I would imagine any new bits would help the sound of it.
Can I ask what sort it is? I have an ol' Keech and I love it!!

Phil

philxbx said:

I would imagine any new bits would help the sound of it.
Can I ask what sort it is? I have an ol' Keech and I love it!!

Phil

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It's a Kunzel Brand Loreley (I think I spelled that correctly). 13" scale, 7.5" pot. Bird's eye maple with an ebony fretboard.

Aloha J_Tay81,
Congrats on your new ole Lorely banjo uke...It sounds to me like a little low volume and bright...Have Fun and Enjoy!! Happy Strummings and Happy New Year!! MM Stan..

J_Tay81 said:

Somebody replaced the vellum awhile ago with a synthetic. I ordered a circle of goat skin and a new bridge to upgrade it a bit.

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Did the original flesh hoop come with it, or are you ordering/making one for it?

Bill

KamakOzzie said:

Did the original flesh hoop come with it, or are you ordering/making one for it?

Bill

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The original flesh hoop did NOT come with it; its a synthetic. Somebody at one time made a 7" skin hea. I was going to replace the head with goatskin, but decided against it for the time being. I'll still replace the bridge, though.

Actually, a correction to my last post - being the guy I am, I had to take apart the banjo uke to see how everything worked (I know, I'm weird like that).

When I got the old synthetic head off, I realized how cheap and flimsy it was. It was like an old worn out vinyl tablecloth we used to take to parks for picnics when I was a kid! It had holes and so forth around where the hoops and tension rings attached. It looked like it was about ready to go, so I ordered a 12" goatskin from ukuleleworld.com and will replace it as a (hopefully) fun winter break project.

Anybody have any good links or pics to show how to tackle this project?

Happy New Year!

John