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Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/155913
The Bunyip - Posted - 08/22/2009: 05:57:00
I'm guessing the Merlin company is now defunct? What was the model of Merlin Luke played? Are there any similar banjos on the market nowadays like this?
I'm a banjo novice (can you tell?) and was interested in learning a Luke Kelly style of playing on a Luke Kelly style of banjo for the heck of it. In this day and age is it better to go for a flat back resonator as they're louder? I guess it just comes down to personal preference but I'm told the hollow back banjo can get pick-ups put on them and is a nicer sound for rhythm
Any light that can be shed on this subject would be greatly appreciated
The Bunyip - Posted - 08/22/2009: 06:39:03
Haha...oh dear
Not so sure about this now...
"In the mid-'60's there was a bit of a scandal with Luke Kelly, and Tommy Makem and a Merlin banjo. The company had given one to Tommy, then at the height of the Clancy Bros. mania in the US. He sort of mucked about on it, but didn't really like it, and so he gave it to Luke Kelley. A sort time later, Kelly was playing it on stage when the whole thing just exploded and went all to pieces with parts flying out into the audience."
pernicketylad - Posted - 08/22/2009: 07:35:35
Don't know about the banjo but Luke Kelly died 25 years ago this week.
He played an openback though in Seeger style.....there's a good lesson on utube where Pete Seeger teaches "Skip to my Lou".
Openbacks are the norm for Oldtime whereas Resonators are the norm for Bluegrass.....both Seeger and Kelly used an openback as far as I can tell.
Interesting story.
There are three types of people in the world.....those who can count and those who can''t!
longneckpat - Posted - 09/02/2009: 05:10:09
Yes, Luke played a Merlin long neck for the most part of his professional career. Around 1980, he acquired an early 1960's Vega Pete Seeger that I had the privilage of playing in his presence. He told me that the fingerboard on the Merlin had warped away from the aluminium neck and was dismantled at that stage. The fingerboard and the peg head overlay were the only wood parts in this banjo. I have since acquired a Merlin for sentimentality sake. They are hard to find and about 120 were made. They are not the best to play with a thick aluminium neck that tends to tilt even more than conventional wood necked long necks. Sound is good though and unique and the head size is about 11.5 inches in diameter. I play several sylyes and can mimimc Luke pretty well. If you are starting to play the long neck banjo, Gold Tone make reasonably priced long necks and Wildwood and Deering make excellent long necks. I use a Deering Vega long neck as my working banjo and this sounds and plays great based oon the original Vega Pete Seeger Model long neck.
Here are some interesting links:
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?th...e=1&desc=yes
http://homepage.eircom.net/~patkelleher/page_3.htm
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