RichM
Well-known member
A few weeks ago, I decided to make my first foray into the dark, dark world of banjo ukes. I've become a huge George Formby fan of late, and I wanted to see if I could recreate the Formby sound. I poked around at some of the vintage banjo ukes on ebay, but I was unwilling to go too high for an untested instrument with little history.
Finally, I decided to give the Lanikai resonator banjo uke a try. It has a vintage look and feel to it, and I liked that it was concert scale, because I thought I could use a little extra room on the fretboard. I also bought it from Musician's Friend, which has a generous 45-day return policy.
When it arrived, it was both well-made and very attractive. It had some basic defects that I would have addressed if I'd kept it (it needed a new nut and the bridge replaced). But neither of these things prevented me from assessing the tone, which was... I dunno, just not *there.* I messed with the setup as much as I could without changing to instrument, but I simply couldnt get that focused, crunchy, almost metallic tone I associate with Formby. So not a bad instrument at all, but just not what I wanted.
I briefly considered investing some large $$$ in a Ludwig Wendell Hall, one of Formby's instruments of choice. But before I did that, I decided to take a chance on a 1920's Slingerland Maybell. The Maybell isn't really a model, since all kinds of banjo ukes carry that name, from really basic student ukes to pretty nice higher-end ukes. The one I got was from the higher end, but still considerably less than the Ludwigs go for.
I got it yesterday, tuned 'er up, laid down some Formby-style licks, and...
There is was. The tone. Right outta the box.
Now, some people might think that saying "I have a really great banjo uke!" is roughly akin to saying "I have a really great migraine!" But I'm a happy uker.
Finally, I decided to give the Lanikai resonator banjo uke a try. It has a vintage look and feel to it, and I liked that it was concert scale, because I thought I could use a little extra room on the fretboard. I also bought it from Musician's Friend, which has a generous 45-day return policy.
When it arrived, it was both well-made and very attractive. It had some basic defects that I would have addressed if I'd kept it (it needed a new nut and the bridge replaced). But neither of these things prevented me from assessing the tone, which was... I dunno, just not *there.* I messed with the setup as much as I could without changing to instrument, but I simply couldnt get that focused, crunchy, almost metallic tone I associate with Formby. So not a bad instrument at all, but just not what I wanted.
I briefly considered investing some large $$$ in a Ludwig Wendell Hall, one of Formby's instruments of choice. But before I did that, I decided to take a chance on a 1920's Slingerland Maybell. The Maybell isn't really a model, since all kinds of banjo ukes carry that name, from really basic student ukes to pretty nice higher-end ukes. The one I got was from the higher end, but still considerably less than the Ludwigs go for.
I got it yesterday, tuned 'er up, laid down some Formby-style licks, and...
There is was. The tone. Right outta the box.
Now, some people might think that saying "I have a really great banjo uke!" is roughly akin to saying "I have a really great migraine!" But I'm a happy uker.
