Remo Frame Drum for Banjo Uke

I'm not a ukulele builder ... or not yet. But I do like the look of the firefly ukulele. On Ukuleleboudoir.com there are pretty good pictures of that ukulele. On another site I saw how some other frenchman used a tambourine and built a ukulele using a grizzly kit.

Well I just got into frame drums myself and picked up a 16" Frame Drum at Guitar Center. I also have a 22" on order and what I found is the frame drum I bought appears to be ... if it was one of the 8" size, identical to the drum used on the firefly. These frame drums are available in many sizes such as 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 22 inches. Here's the link to the frame drums which match the firefly drum I think: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums-percussion/remo-world-wide-pretuned-hand-drum

So, I have a uke which I bought by mistake on ebay... an old Aria with excellent intonation-- but its a laminate and I wouldn't want to resell it as its too cheap and was considering butchering it or using a Grizzly Kit to get a neck and fretboard.

I am not a woodworker really.

Well I also found on that site that the person who was building the banjo ukes out of tambourines showed how an 8" banjo drum required a neck extension to get the bridge positioned right on the uke. He also said that using a 10" frame drum would alleviate the requirement to use a neck extension with the Grizzly neck but he thought the 10" was too big a tambourine.

So anyways it sounds like a project to me. I would think some work on cutting of the neck or adding a piece to fit the frame drum making it so it would fit up to the frame drum and maybe using a threaded rod through the frame drum and some sort of string attaching mechanism along with a banjo uke bridge would set me up.

Curious if others have considered this. These drums are available for about 20 bucks and the bridges for about 6 bucks... Grizzly kits are like 25 bucks. I don't know which string attaching mechanism would be best. I am sure a good woodworker could use a nice beam through the frame drum like on the firefly in lieu of using a threaded rod.

Any input would be appreciated!

Thanks!

It could be done I am sure. Considered doing one from a tamborine myself. But, if you don't have at least some basic skills with stuff like that, ya might want to not take it on IMHO. Or, just do for the learning part of it. If ya shorten a neck, which includes the fretboard to get the length ya want, it would need a new fretboard too w/ new frets and spacing, because it will have a different scale, with different fret spacing.

Is there any kind of adult education woodshop program near where you live? That could give you access to tools and woodworkers who might be able to help you.

Rick thanks! The guy in the next cubicle to me is a woodworker so I could get assistance from him and there is a good woodworking supply house in town.

I've been looking at doing the same thing. Here's the tuneable drum I have my eye on.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250862893665&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI

Also plan on getting a concet or tenor neck from Mainland or Hana Lima.

Tailpiece: http://www.ukuleleworld.com/End-Pie...Banjo-Ukulele-with-mounting-bolt-and-nut.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_6402383_build-banjo-uke.html

http://www.dailyhack.net/2009/04/homemade-banjo-ukulele-banjolele-hack.html

You mean one like this:



8 inch hand drum, neck is pine/plywood, 6mm (1/4 inch) threaded rod passing through the drum (wingnut inside drum), tailpiece is 1/16 ply with a veneer, tailpiece attached with picture wire (I used an old C string at first but it resonates in sympathy with the strings).

The most important trick is to make a damper for the head (here a block of wood with a felt top which sits between the rod and the head), otherwise you get a jangly noise where all the notes run together.

I like the idea, but I would try and figure out a way to make one with 12-16 tension hooks. I find that I dislike banjo ukes that cannot be tuned or do not have a precise manner in which to tune them (ie the ones with only 6 tension hooks)

zac987 said:

I like the idea, but I would try and figure out a way to make one with 12-16 tension hooks. I find that I dislike banjo ukes that cannot be tuned or do not have a precise manner in which to tune them (ie the ones with only 6 tension hooks)

Click to expand...

That rules out the Remos, wonder if anyone else makes'em with more hooks?

firefly has zero hooks lol

Just to prove that the 7-hook hand drums work, in the right hands, here are two I made being played by the Reentrants

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