low G on soprano banjolele?

Sigh... I swore to myself I would never post a "what strings?" thread, but....

I picked up an open back, soprano banjolele (Morgan Monroe) last weekend. I'm looking for a really bright, punchy sound - thinking monofilament nylgut Aquillas - but then I started thinking, what if I used a low G string?

Has anyone tried it? How does it sound? My concern is that it might be too punchy, that the low G will overwhelm the trebles.

(OK, will somebody just tell be to buy the damn strings and try it. I tend to overthink things!)

river_driver said:

(OK, will somebody just tell be to buy the damn strings and try it. I tend to overthink things!)

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Buy the strings and try it already. Stop overthinking things.

There...happy to help! :biglaugh:

John

Haha, thanks John, I feel better now.

he he....good answer brother...I was gonna ban you, Steve and Dirk from posting on this thread buttcha beat me to it

should we just close it now r_d or should I go make a batch of cupcakes? :biglaugh:

I love cupcakes!!

Punch from a M/M soprano banjo ukulele

I am a M/M dealer. The newer ones are now called Eddy Finn, but it is the exact same instrument. Aquila soprano strings with a low G really makes it speak. Another thing you can do is to put a backing plate over the opening that is the same diameter as the outside edge of the pot. If you want to do it, I will send you some. Be sure to mark which is front and back, because they are not perfectly round. Mine is clear 1/8th inch thick clear acrylic plastic. I have extras of the metal beads used for separation for the sound to come out. The reflector plate really helps the sound. As it is held against you body, with the plate, the sound is not absorbed. A strap will also help the sound because you will not need to lay your arm over the top to strum and still heep the uke in place. Straps come on Black as 1"--3/4"--1/2" and 18 other colours in 1" poly webbing.

Want to see a picture of mine? thecraftedcow@comcast.net
I also have two other M/M banjo ukuleles. They are great!!

I'd be careful with a low G on a Banjolele.

You might crack a wisdom tooth filling.

The neighbor's dog might enjoy it, though.

OldePhart said:

Buy the strings and try it already. Stop overthinking things.

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Yeah, what john said. Try it out and let us know what you think.

river_driver said:

My concern is that it might be too punchy, that the low G will overwhelm the trebles.

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My guess it will be the exact opposite, and the G will sound dead due to its lower tension.

TheCraftedCow said:

I am a M/M dealer. The newer ones are now called Eddy Finn, but it is the exact same instrument. Aquila soprano strings with a low G really makes it speak.

Click to expand...

So last night, I found a pack of Hilo strings (high G) that I forgot I had, and figured, what the heck, I'll slap them on. Long story short, it sounds waaay better now. Short story long, I don't think I could put a low G on this uke if I had to! the holes in the tailpiece are different sizes, with the hole for the fourth string being too small to get a low G through. TCC, does yours have a different tailpiece than mine? or did you bore it out in some fashion?

I tried a low-G Red Aquila on my banjolele last week. The string was thin enough, but I just didn't care for the sound, even tuned up a step. The low string was a little overwhelming, especially un-fretted. It just didn't have the brightness in tone I associate with a banjo. But strings are cheap, and I think it's fun to try different ones.

I have a set of numbered drill bits. I use a #60 for all of the holes when I am doing through the body conversions. I am going to put a set of Aquila reds with the low G
{which comes as a single string} on it. It is Aquila white until my next shipment comes. One of my wood 8 shaped soprano ukuleles is low g and low a{low g string pulled up to a}. I will do it with one of my soprano banjo ukuleles also. If you want to put a back plate on it, I will send you the small screws and spacers. It really makes it bark because the sound is reflected out rather than absorbed by clothing.