Banjo Ukulele quality

NOTLguy

UU VIP
UU VIP
Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
185
Reaction score
4
Location
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
I am looking into banjo ukuleles and am curious as to the differences in vintage instruments and the offerings of today such as Goldtone or Lanikai etc? It would seem that you can buy a vintage banjolele for about the same cost as a new one so the question of what is the best buy arises.

I am also interested in any custom makers of such an instrument if there are any. My preference is a concert size.

Thanks in advance for all replies,
Bill
:D
 
In great part, the sound quality will depend on two things: the head and the bridge/saddle.

Most modern heads are synthetic, most vintage are skin. There's a difference in sound, but either can be replaced.

Bridges are generally maple, two or three-feet. I prefer three for greater contact with the top. You may even find a four-footer. Some have a saddle; usually a small piece of ebony laid on the top of the bridge. This affects the sound slightly by transmitting a little more energy to the bridge than maple alone. You can experiment with different woods for bridges - denser material will be sharper, and might bet a bit brassy.

Bridges are much easier to replace on a BU than on a standard uke, so try a few options. You might want to mark the location before you change it so you don't need to fiddle so much to get the intonation right.

The vintage BUs I've had were inexpensive, mass-produced, and not too well made. I've owned a couple of modern ones - and still have a baritone Goldtone - which I think were much superior in quality.

Make sure you're happy with the neck and frets - not too sharp. Old ones may have seen the fretboard shrink a bit, making the frets protrude a bit.
 
I have a FireFly that I love! Lightweight, sounds great and made in America by really nice people.

Comes in both concert and soprano.


Scooter
 
I have two banjo ukes. One is an old Dixie all-aluminum banjo. It plays nice, but being moulded from metal, the fret wear isn't easily fixable. You can't just hammer in new fret wire.

My other banjo uke is a Rally open-back soprano. These are sold under other names, such as Eddie Finn, I think. It plays great and is built like a tank. I think, for playability, get a new one that will be good when it is old, rather than an old one that is worn out already, and will wear out again, even if repaired.
 
If price is no object, Mya-Moe makes a custom banjo uke, available in concert size.

I have a Beansprout, which is the precursor to the Mya-Moe banjo uke mentioned above. I also have a baritone banjo uke which is actually an old Irish Tenor banjo that Aaron Keim (the designer and builder of the Beansprout) reconditioned and set up as a banjo uke.
I've tried some of the mass produced banjo ukes and they just don't compare to the kind of quality that Aaron produces.

My conclusion is that you get what you pay for.
 
Last edited:
I also have a Firefly and it's all I've been playing lately. Super light and plays in tune up and down the neck.
 
Aaron Keim's banjo ukes are built like little bank vaults....high quality ones. I played one and they are Amazing little things with a huge sound. They are heavy though. The lesser banjo ukes are mostly clones of the Goldtone banjo ukes according to Goldtone's owner. I bought two used banjo ukes, a concert size Rally DUB-2 with a full resonator, with hard case for $100. I had a calfskin head installed, no-knot tailpiece added, and a complete setup at Goldtone. Came in less than $200 invested overall. I recently got a Morgan Monroe (now Eddie Finn) soprano open-back banjo uke for $125 that is a hoot. Love them both and got them in our Marketplace. I played the Firefly at a uke festival and they are also a hoot. Sound good, light as a feather, easy to hold and play. If I could go back in time, there have been a few vintage, already restored maple banjo ukes I wish I'd gotten. Good luck
 
Thanks for your detailed reply Ian. I wondered about the difference in sound from new or vintage banjo ukes. With ukuleles, especially solid wood ones, the older instruments may have a better sound but is that so with banjo ikes seeing that they are dependent on s skin for sound?

Regards,
Bill
 
Firefly (by the Flea people) are super-lightweight and easy to play. I think they're a very good value for the money.
 
The tightness of the skin matters, type of strings used and some banjos have brass tone rings which add to the mix.

Larry Sandberg writes: the presence or absence of a resonator alters the accoustic properties the pot.
Banjos with brass rings and tension hoops etc. sound better than banjos with cast steel, or white metal parts.
The heavier the banjo the better it sounds. Brass and good hardwoods weigh a lot, and vibrating air chambers (pots) work best when surrounded by a very rigid enclosure.
He ends of by saying: when you go banjo shopping use your ears and not a pair of scales
 
The tightness of the skin matters, type of strings used and some banjos have brass tone rings which add to the mix.

Larry Sandberg writes: the presence or absence of a resonator alters the accoustic properties the pot.
Banjos with brass rings and tension hoops etc. sound better than banjos with cast steel, or white metal parts.
The heavier the banjo the better it sounds. Brass and good hardwoods weigh a lot, and vibrating air chambers (pots) work best when surrounded by a very rigid enclosure.
He ends of by saying: when you go banjo shopping use your ears and not a pair of scales

Would be at least one of the reasons that MyaMoe's sound so great
 
I also have a Firefly and it's all I've been playing lately. Super light and plays in tune up and down the neck.

I love mine. They play sweetly and are lighter than a metal instrument would be. Important when it can hurt to support a heavier instrument.
 
The tightness of the skin matters, type of strings used and some banjos have brass tone rings which add to the mix.

Larry Sandberg writes: the presence or absence of a resonator alters the accoustic properties the pot.
Banjos with brass rings and tension hoops etc. sound better than banjos with cast steel, or white metal parts.
The heavier the banjo the better it sounds. Brass and good hardwoods weigh a lot, and vibrating air chambers (pots) work best when surrounded by a very rigid enclosure.
He ends of by saying: when you go banjo shopping use your ears and not a pair of scales

Surely that depends on what you think "better" means.

I prefer a plunkier, old timey sound and build my banjo ukes with that in mind.
 
…Larry Sandberg writes: the presence or absence of a resonator alters the acoustic properties the pot.
Banjos with brass rings and tension hoops etc. sound better than banjos with cast steel, or white metal parts.
The heavier the banjo the better it sounds. Brass and good hardwoods weigh a lot, and vibrating air chambers (pots) work best when surrounded by a very rigid enclosure.
He ends of by saying: when you go banjo shopping use your ears and not a pair of scales
All of that is generally true, but be aware he's writing about steel string banjos. So not all applies to banjo ukes with nylon strings and much smaller heads. Thus, Liam's comment above.
 
Last edited:
Liam Ryan you are right, as is soybean. There are definitely followers who go for the woody plunky sound. Unfortunately I'd like more of a Dixiland sound, preferably four nylon strings. But, knowing what sort of "driving" requirements are needed to get the brightness out of the instrument, nylon strings will probably battle?
 
Top Bottom