A few questions regarding my Firefly banjolele

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The nice thing about ukes and planes is the fact that they're so small it's very unlikely you'd be forced to check it like baggage. That said, almost any banjo uke case will probably do. Just make sure the round part measures as close to the FireFly as possible.

I wouldn't bother with a pickup at all. just stand in front of a microphone and have at it!

As for a strap, I don't use one on mine but if I did I'd probably go with a simple braided string and tie it to the headstock loop the other end through the gap in the tailpiece at the bottom.



Scooter

Soprano or concert? Lots of gig bags perfect from around $15 and up. The nylon hard cases will usually work but some folks like to modify it to the banjo uke shape on the inside for a "custom" fit.

I make straps in 19 different colours in one inch wide webbing. That is what I use on my banjo ukes. Send me your e mail address and I will send you a scan of the colour chart. It will have ends on it which attach to the J hooks on both ends of the pot. It will cost you $5.80 for a small priority box to send it. There is no cost for the strap. Why? Because I have 10 different banjo ukes, and have a soft spot for other banjo players. The thin cord cuts into your neck very quickly. wdt

There are no J hooks on the FireFly.



Scooter

Here's a picture of the tailpiece. I would tie one end of a strap to the headstock and loop the other end through the lower curved part of the tailpiece.


Scooter

I had one and I just tied a long shoelace around the headstock and the other end through the space in the tailpiece. they are pretty light and a thick guitar type strap is overkill. I bought a cORDOBA SOPRANO GIG BAG FOR IT at a Guitar Center AND IT FIT FINE. I wouldn't check it, they are pretty small, you can get it in an overhead. remember to put the bridge flat when traveling so it won't mess up the head.

You could try a regular Uke Leash. It attaches at the headstock, and then loops around your arm or belt loop. I also make Banjo Uke Full Straps, and in that case, you could use one end with a tie cord around the tail piece and a strap connection to the headstock. I know that the Firefly has no brackets, and the pot is a modified drum. It might be tricky to install a button or other hardware there. You might consider attaching something to the dowel stick in the back or the nut that attaches the tailpiece.

–Lori

Bill1 said:

The website for the Magic Fluke Company, which make the Firefly is here: https://www.fleamarketmusic.com/Default.asp. They are usually very helpful when you contact them. Perhaps they have a solution for a strap and hard case.

Click to expand...

The last I checked (a few months back) the case solution from Magic Fluke was the fluke case with an insert - If it is anything like the flea case my daughter has it will be pretty nice. For a less expensive and possibly smaller option, a standar concert uke case will often fit any 8" drum banjolele.

I bought a concert hard case from musician's friend (house brand I think) and it was fairly tight on the drum - and didn't fit particularly well around the tuners because the neck didn't get them up to the wide spot for the headstock. One of the various canvas/foam hard cases might work better because they tend to run a little wider and don't narrow down around the neck.

And - when I bought my firefly from Magic Fluke they installed a strap button for me at the tailpiece and told me to tie off the other end of the strap to the headstock. I'll post pictures if I get a chance tonight.

First - a few pictures of my case solution.



as you can see - this particular concert case isn't a perfect fit, but a slightly more generous one should work great.

A few photos of the factory installed strap button on my firefly. Looks like they just add it on to the tailpiece attachment. If you can get the right length screw this should be easy to install on your own.