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Original Post By:
SpudTayter
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Date: 7/19/2015 9:11:21 PM |
noob here - seeking info re this find - photos at http://s24.photobucket.com/user/taytersmusicSpudTayter/library/Banjo%20Uke%20-%20openback
nice 'ting' to the head, but missing the 'knee bracket' (no prob there), tin tailpiece, bridge, strings, and replacement nut.
partial decal: / ? Approved / ? ASSOCIATION OF / ? INTENT TO / ?
is it more than a wallhanger? is it worth even trying to fix & play?
(I play a 50's Harmony baritone, a 70's no-name soprano, and a slew of other slack-tuned 4-stringers) |
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Posted By:
Tom B.
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Date: 7/20/2015 4:21:42 PM
(Updated: 7/20/2015 4:22:49 PM)
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That label used to read "Standard Approved." I've seen it on a few vintage regular ukes from one of the big Chicago houses, probably Harmony. I think I had a Vita Uke with that sticker inside.
Those tuners look new.
If you go to this site and scroll down to the "Standard Approved" banjo, you'll see one that looks like yours. This site claims it was made for Sears.
http://ukuleleguide.com/banjo-ukes.html
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Posted By:
SpudTayter
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Date: 7/20/2015 4:45:17 PM |
| Tom, thank you for your reply. The screw-heads on the tuner buttons are a rather newer phillips+slot style, so they are quite likely replacements. So, my concern remains: Would it be worth fixing & playing, or would it just be money down a rat hole?
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Posted By:
Tom B.
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Date: 7/20/2015 6:21:46 PM |
It's a personal call. I don't think that banjo is worth much on the resale market, but it looks like it could be an OK little player for the cost of a few parts. Whether that would be a good investment of time and money is up to you. (Personally, I think banjo ukes are fun for one or two songs, and then I get tired of the sound. Also, I don't like the narrow nuts and string spacing on vintage banjo ukes.)
Maybe a banjo-uke player will chime in here.
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Posted By:
Ukulele Rob
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Date: 7/22/2015 11:23:14 PM |
OK, banjo uke player of sorts here. I have one in my arsenal. It isn't that one gets tired of the sound necessarily. Rather, it's that the tunes for which banjo uke works aren't the same as those for which other instruments work. E.g., mine sounds great (I play it through instrument mic) when I sing "The Sheik of Araby" or "Fascinating Rhythm," but for something like "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" I think I'd get some weird looks. I play regularly in a cabaret pit band, and always have the banjo uke at the ready (along with other ukes, electric and acoustic guitars, hand percussion, and even harmonicas). In March we did an Irish-themed show for St. Patrick's Day, and the banjo uke got such a workout, it slept for four straight days afterward. Our most recent had a patriotic theme for July 4th, and the banjo uke never came out of its case. Bottom line: Glad I have one. My audiences are glad I don't use it for every song.
That said, there are some very serviceable/playable banjo ukes out there today for prices that are probably not that much more than what SpudTayter would have to pay to have his vintage number restored. Were it mine, I'd hang it up as wall art.
http://www.ukulelerob.com
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Posted By:
Dutch
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Date: 7/23/2015 9:53:42 AM |
The favored instrument in the 1800s, outside of the New England churches which could afford an organ or piano, was the fiddle. The second utility accompaniment instrument was the banjo. Guitar joined much later. Over much of the country congregational accompaniment was what was available. I have found uke inadequate in many church auditoriums but the banjo sings out jes' fine. Congregational singing drowns out an unamplified uke. But, the banjo uke (banjolele) is well suited for congregational singing. I only use the uke for amplified solos.
When I started using a uke (Makala Dolphin) for children's church, it was such a novelty the children stared rather than singing. When I started using a banjolele (Gold Tone Tenor)for adult church, it was a novelty. Now the regulars are surprised to find visitors are surprised at the sound. It has been accepted quite well. And I don't worry if the piano player shows up. I wish I'd had one as a kid in the small churches I went to when younger. I agree with ukelelerob in that the instruments vary based on musical needs.
I can offer no advice about the instrument in question.
Strength & Honor
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