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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 25, 2013 22:42:24 GMT
Great voice indeed! If I could have anyone else's hat though, I'd probably choose a different one.
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 25, 2013 20:13:03 GMT
Is it the Johnny Cash signature edition?
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 24, 2013 12:49:10 GMT
It looks like you've got it well in hand, and I can't wait to see what you build with all those parts My ability to dismantle things way exceeds my ability to reassemble, so don't hold your breath Martin! >At least the banjo looks to be in better nick than the tea towel! Well-observed Keith! Am thinking of gluing a couple of sheets of Andrex over the hole, apply a bit of green felt tip in the appropriate place, and stick it on ebay as "Antique French Linen Glass-polishing Cloth in Reasonable Condition", what d'ya reckon? > Good luck Mike - this will be interesting Thanks Phil, I will need it, and yes it will! cheers
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 23, 2013 21:17:12 GMT
Notes so far:
1. Top left, a nice wooden rimmed Remo PTS tambourine which was craftily stuffed inside the tone ring, from a distance looks just like a banjo head!
2. On top of the tambourine, a 17mm high bridge. In fact this is a scale model of the Ribblehead Viaduct.
3. Top right tone ring and tension ring. Missing a flesh hoop but I hear you can make these out of an old coathanger. All the brackets and bolts are present but they seem to have formed some kind of pattern or message?
4. Neck is surprisingly straight for an old instrument, but a bit of damage e.g. 7th fret, missing dot marker on the bass side; sixth fret chipped on the bass side
5. Wooden rim/resonator, varnish quite worn and scratched but seems structurally sound. Probably rosewood possibly holly binding.
6. Note there is no co-ordinator rod inside the resonator, the Windsor Ideal 8 is fairly low-rent so I think they must have economised in this area. The tension when strung up will bear on the tone ring which is a tight fit inside the resonator.
7. Inside the resonator is the tailpiece, which is enormous - possibly stolen from and old archtop jazz guitar. it's so big that where the strings attached to it is roughly where the bridge should be. The tailpiece was screwed to the wooden rim - on removal the screwholes suggest it is the third or fourth tailpiece that has been attached to this instrument.
Such fun!
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 23, 2013 20:36:48 GMT
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 19, 2013 19:33:42 GMT
Thanks Keith. Managed to source the tuner parts I need from the the ever-helpful www.andybanjo.com - next time you hear anyone complaining about "customer service ain't what it used to be", tell them to buy a banjo from Mr Perkins! He's also recommended a set of nylon strings for GDAE tuning so will hopefully be fitting those, and fixing the tuner, later this week. If it works I think my first recording may be seen on the OCarolan thread... Cheers
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 18, 2013 23:52:04 GMT
Banjo off ebay arrived last night, will post photos later but the specifications are roughly:
4 strings, 20inch scale (18 frets) Nylon Strings (not what I was expecting, but given a lightly built rim, and the nut and bridge slots are wide so I think nylon is what its meant to have) About 10.5inch diameter head, 21 hooks all present although a couple have different thread length so possibly non original. Vellum is clean and very taut. No idea what the neck wood is - stained to look like mahogany maybe. Came in a very tatty John Grey Dulcetta case but there is no makers mark on the instrument so not sure who actually made it. Circular dot markers 3/5/7/10/12. Neck possibly a bit bowed although having played a bit already, it's not enough to affect playing fiddle tunes with nylon strings. Veneer on headstock looks a little dry and cracked at the top. Steel tuning pegs/buttons. One of them is missing a washer and retaining screw, am try to source a replacement for this now.
Overall I'd say fairly cheaply made - no fancy inlay etc. - but promises to be very serviceable once the tuner is fixed.
It sounds ... quite nice! Haven't had any exposure to nylon string banjos, and need to experiment with different tensions on this, but initial impressions is with a thick pick you can get a nice mellow sound. I'm told a 20"" tenor banjo is normally tuned DGBE (like baritone uke?) but I want to try GDAE. Cheers
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 16, 2013 20:09:12 GMT
I'm a big fan of a pyramid bridge on a small bodied guitar, Brook did a nicely contoured one on my Creedy so I think you made the right choice there.
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 16, 2013 20:00:26 GMT
This has 4.1m views whereas gangnam style is now up to 1.4bn, is there no justice?
Although to be fair the young fella seems to having some problem with his tuning.
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 14, 2013 23:08:10 GMT
I am very looking forward to it. Ewan McLennan is headlining on the evening's performances, I saw him supporting Martin Simpson a few months ago and is well worth a listen. I shall be bringing Ceol Binn II along with me so I think there will be 3 of Dave's mandos to try out, in different wood combinations. Although there will be a strict vetting process for anyone wishing to play mine
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 14, 2013 23:00:26 GMT
Thanks for the tip Pete I shall give this a whirl and report back.
Also enjoyed Dave's coinage of "sulrty" which I initially read as "slutty" but then realised was probably intended to be "sultry". Either would do for me.
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 14, 2013 22:14:29 GMT
Useful article on fitting a vellum head to the zither banjo here: www.andybanjo.com/help_topic.shtml?show_id=32Although really the article should start with instructions on how to slaughter a calf... these zither banjos are clearly not suitable for vegetarians!
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 14, 2013 22:05:53 GMT
Thanks for starting a thread Martin I was thinking of doing the same. Here's another useful article about the history of this instrument and how it came by its name: www.shlomomusic.com/zitherbanjo.htmAm assuming it can/should be played clawhammer? Off to do some more research...
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 14, 2013 7:01:53 GMT
Don't Paint The Ferryman!
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Mar 13, 2013 23:39:12 GMT
The Foggy Dulux?
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