Confused about the sound of banjo ukes

Dohle

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 23, 2019
Messages
1,683
Reaction score
1,129
Location
Finland
I've been wanting to find a ukulele banjo that sounds similar to those old-timey banjo ukes. You know the like, very tinny, almost a metallic sound. The problem is all the banjo ukes I've tried have a much fuller and boomier sound. Here's a video showcasing this fairly well, comparing a new Kmise and a vintage Gibson banjo uke: https://youtu.be/cQet44ssVmU?t=332

I personally much prefer the latter. I've owned two banjo ukes so far. A horrible Harley Benton which I thankfully were able to sell quite quickly, and the Gold Tone Little Gem which is decent enough quality but does have that fuller sound that I don't really fancy. So my question is, what actually makes the banjo uke sound more tinny like the Gibson in the video? Is it the strings? Open or closed back? The material of the banjo head? A resonator? Or is it the build of the instrument overall?

I've been trying to test different strings on the Gold Tone Little Gem, but unfortunately anything else than Aquilas or similarly thick strings tend to snap when I try to put them on so I haven't been able to test properly yet. I also took off the back of the Little Gem which seemed to brighten the tone a bit but I'm not fully convinced.

If the answer is the build of the instrument overall, I might just have to go for a more expensive banjo uke that simply has the kind of sound I want. I've seen that the Gold Tone DLX Banjolele seems to have that kind of tinny sound I like. Other similar but cheaper banjo ukes seem to be the Ozark 2037 and the Barned & Mullins UBJ1, but I cannot for the life of me find any reviews or videos of them. If anyone has any info on these or other suggestions it would be very much appreciated.
 
Hi Dohle, I have that Kmise banjo uke, and really like it. It was not expensive, and the quality is very good. I achieved a nice "plinckety" sound by 1) making sure the head was nice and tight (not ridiculously so, but pretty "taut") and evenly-tensioned all the way around, and then 2) taking off the back, placing a loosely wadded plastic grocery bag within the open space, and then re-attaching the back. The "stuffing" kills undesirable "ghost tones" and gives it a nice "staccato" sound.
 
I don't know much about banjo ukes and the few I tried frightened me as they were so loud. But I know quite a few banjo players and they are in two groups. The bluegrass players prefer the closed back resonator types for aggressive lead picking. The clawhammer players prefer the open back types for more gentle song comping. So for a banjo uke an open back may be more suitable for what you're looking for and you may also consider learning clawhammer style to make it sound right.
 
If the sound of the Gibson UB 2 is what you’re after, why not just track one down and buy it?

I personally own a Firefly banjo uke from the Magic Fluke Company and have been extremely happy with it.


Scooter
 
My Firefly is nice and plinky. My old 1920s Stella banjo uke is also plinky, but the frets are right in the neck, no fretboard, and the intonation above the 5th fret is more hopeful than actual.
The Southern Cross (Open back) is a boomy, full-sized banjo-y sound - when I stuffed a pair of rolled socks against the head near the neck, the bass all but disappeared and the treble was perfect.

Still working on how I like the sound best.

-Kurt​

And I never adjust the tension on the head, after ruining a 5-string banjo years back... I'll pay someone else to do that.
 
The sound difference is definitely down to the "open" resonator on the Gibson. My old "John Grey & Son" had a similar (metal) resonator, until I removed it, simply because it was far too loud for what I wanted, though I'll admit to preferring the mellower tone it has now :)

My limited experience with strings on my instrument suggests that Aquila "Reds" #90U are much better balanced for a banjolele than the generic ukulele "nylon" strings that were fitted previously, though I'll admit to being a fan of Aquila strings, and "reds" in particular, so I may be biased ;)

YMMV :music:
 
Had an SS Stewart from the 20s that was quite penetrating, I put a sock between the bar and the head when playing in a circle of ukulele players so not to dominate the sound. Aquila strings for it seemed fine. The SS Stewart was a lot cheaper than a Gibson but it wasn't a Gibson.
 
I've been wanting to find a ukulele banjo that sounds similar to those old-timey banjo ukes. You know the like, very tinny, almost a metallic sound ... the Gold Tone Little Gem which is decent enough quality but does have that fuller sound that I don't really fancy. So my question is, what actually makes the banjo uke sound more tinny like the Gibson in the video? Is it the strings? Open or closed back? The material of the banjo head? A resonator? Or is it the build of the instrument overall? ... I also took off the back of the Little Gem which seemed to brighten the tone a bit but I'm not fully convinced.

From this I'm guessing that you want low sustain, and the tone emphasising the treble.

1. Low sustain is the most important in getting that sound you want. One way to achieve this is to damp the head (as already described, but the plastic bag/socks approach is not really adjustable). I made a small block of wood with felt glued to one face which fits between the underside of the head and the dowel stick/coordinator rod. This can be slid along to find the best spot - it will be somewhere between the feet of the bridge and the rim by the tailpiece, and that short distance produces quite a change of sound. Also, heavy bridges sustain longer than lighter. And you want strings which don't sustain too long - Aquila Nylgut, or nylon, and not fluorocarbon which tend to long sustain.

2. A combination of things affects the treble/bass balance of the sound. Open back is more treble than resonator. Tight head is more treble than loose. Light bridge emphasises treble, heavy bass.

You could play with all these pretty cheaply to see if your current uke can give you something close to what you want (of course, only the UB2 will give you the exact UB2 sound). I'd start with damping the head, and a square of sponge is quick and cheap. Use a narrow sponge (maybe a kitchen washing up sponge with the scourer part cut off) so you can slide it around. If that's working, cut some wood to size and glue on felt for your precision sustain mute. If you seem to be winning, then you can fine tune with the other options.
 
I have several banjo ukes, and each has a different sound, but I like them all. It will be difficult to get the exact sound you want. I recommend contacting Aaron Keim at Beansprout ukes. I'm sure that between the two of you, you can find the right sound. He makes first class instruments.
https://www.thebeansprout.com/

An alternative would be trying several different types of strings on your Gold Tone.
 
Massive thanks to all of you for the advice! I actually managed to get a more clear and trebly sound from the Gold Tone Little Gem by stuffing a cloth between the rod and the head and also by removing the back piece. The trouble here is that this basically ruins the looks of the instrument as the whole body is made of clear plastic. I'll have to try to think of a more subtle way of dampening the overtones of the instrument without ruining the looks.

Even with this success, I wasn't completely satisfied with the sound of the Little Gem, and with the additional struggle with the looks, I decided to get a new banjo uke. One that I can tweak to my heart's content without having to think about the looks that much. I've basically accepted that I'll probably never be able to get an instrument that will completely replicate the sound of those vintage banjo ukes without spending a huge sum of money. The vintage Gibson banjo ukes are definitely too expensive (although frustratingly I just missed out on an auction of a UB1 which actually wasn't that expensive), and the closest modern equivalent to those would probably be the Gold Tone Deluxe banjo uke which would set me back around 700 euros (yes, it's that expensive in Europe). Maybe that's something to aspire to in the future, but for now I've settled on a Magic Fluke Firefly soprano since I managed to find one surprisingly cheap and with free delivery as well. I know it doesn't have 100% the exact sound I'd like from a banjo uke but I've heard very good things about their banjo ukes (even in this thread), and I'm planning on making it my project for achieving a sound as close as possible to a vintage banjo uke.

Also I like the looks and size of it. Much more so than a banjo uke with a massive resonator. :)

Cheers.
 
As George Fromby was very popular playing one, there should be some nice vintage Banjoukes floating around over there.
 
I agree with Bii Sheehan - the Firefly Soprano is a nice one.

After the initial introduction at NAMM, I played two Firefly prototypes at Magic Fluke, and offered to buy either one... but Dale refused, saying it wasn't ready yet. He even showed me the tailpiece he was working on for the instruments... It was much nicer. So, I simply ordered one while I was still there (put with Peghed planetary tuners). About a month later, they let me know it was on the way. I've been happy with it since it arrived.

-Kurt​
 
Thanks for the comments, I've no doubt I'll like it. Should be on it's way already. :)
My only concern really is the fact that, if I'm not mistaken, you can't tighten the banjo head on the Firefly since it doesn't have the hooks around the body, meaning that the only way to tweak the sound is to dampen the overtones by stuffing something between the rod and the head.

In any case, I'm sure the Firefly is at the very least a really nice intermediate banjo uke if I ever decide to go for something more expensive. The next step for me would be the proper Gold Tone banjo ukes which are at least twice the price of the Firefly, and I'm not ready to spend that much money yet before playing and experimenting more with a banjo uke.
 
That's right, Dohle, as I recall, the Firefly's banjo head is basically "factory set" and not adjustable, but I found this to be okay because 1) they make it nice and tight, and 2) it was kinda nice not having to worry about it on an ongoing basis! Damping-wise, on the Firefly, I had good luck using an old sock, rolled up over itself a couple of times so that it was about the size of a small bar of soap; it stayed in place nicely between the rod and the head, and you can slide it either more forward or more rearward to get the texture you like. Have fun with it!
 
Thanks for the comments, I've no doubt I'll like it. Should be on it's way already. :)
My only concern really is the fact that, if I'm not mistaken, you can't tighten the banjo head on the Firefly since it doesn't have the hooks around the body, meaning that the only way to tweak the sound is to dampen the overtones by stuffing something between the rod and the head.

In any case, I'm sure the Firefly is at the very least a really nice intermediate banjo uke if I ever decide to go for something more expensive. The next step for me would be the proper Gold Tone banjo ukes which are at least twice the price of the Firefly, and I'm not ready to spend that much money yet before playing and experimenting more with a banjo uke.

The only tuneable Firefly is their tenor model.
 
So I finally received my Firefly soprano and I really need to thank everyone who's commented so far because playing it is a blast. The sound is much more what I want from a banjo uke than the Gold Tone Little Gem. I actually prefer not to dampen the sound of the Firefly because I can't hear much of those ghost notes like with many other banjo ukes, and the sound overall is much brighter and clearer than the Little Gem already. Probably has something to do with the open back at least. The looks are also just dapper, I absolutely love it. However...

Last time I briefly said that I just missed out on an auction of a Gibson UB-1. Well, the same guy selling that one put up another one on auction that was actually in even better condition. And this time, I was determined to get this one because the seller is in the EU and it's really rare to see vintage (banjo) uke sellers in Europe, and also the starting price was fairly low as well. And... I got it. For the meager price of $361 plus shipping. I cannot believe my luck. You can actually see the auction page here and get a look of the photos of the thing. I personally think I got a real bargain since to me it looks to be in fairly good condition. And even if it's only the UB-1 "Baby Gibson", I don't really care since I prefer smaller ukes anyway.

So yeah, I got the really nice Firefly and an actual vintage Gibson banjo uke. I could actually send the Firefly back to the retailer but I'm not going to because I like it so much. I'll just probably try to sell the Little Gem instead. Needless to say, I'm over the moon.

Cheers, everyone. :D
 
Wow! a six inch head! That is small! Should be a lot of fun to play. I think it will compliment your Firefly.
 
Top Bottom