okarhu - Posted - 08/17/2013:  10:08:48

Hi all,

I am new to the forum and equally new to banjos. I am a novice uke player, and today picked up a banjo at a local car-boot sale in London, UK, in the hope of starting to learn the instrument. I would like to identify what kind of banjo this is and get as much information about it as possible, so I can get the right strings, pick the right tuning, know a bit about its history and so on. The only clue I have is a sticker at the back of the peghead that reads "Made in German Democratic Republic." I found a few archived topics on similar east German banjos, but all attached pictures had disappeared so I couldn't figure out whether mine was similar.

Any comments and help is much appreciated, thank you!!

Best,

O

Pictures in my flickr photostream here: 

Jo1: flic.kr/p/fwm5dW

Jo2: flic.kr/p/fw6NVk

Jo3: flic.kr/p/fw6NfP

Jo4: flic.kr/p/fw6Mwa

Jo5: flic.kr/p/fwm5Rw

tdennis - Posted - 08/17/2013:  10:12:58

This was made by Musima.

muzzlehatch - Posted - 08/17/2013:  10:53:59

Take a look at database.ukulelecorner.org.uk/m/musima

You seem to have the "George Formby"!

I'm not convinced that you have the ideal instrument to learn banjo on though, yours looks to be a banjo ukulele or banjolele.

I had a Musima banjolele a while ago and it just felt so right sitting in my lap that I thought I'd better try to play one of its bigger brothers.

Edited by - muzzlehatch on 08/17/2013 10:58:32

tdennis - Posted - 08/17/2013:  11:08:28

You have the right banjo to learn banjo ukulele.  It's tuned like a ukulele, & should have Nylon strings.  (They also sound much better,  & have a richer & more interesting voice w/ a skin head.)

Edited by - tdennis on 08/17/2013 11:10:41

okarhu - Posted - 08/17/2013:  11:36:50

Thanks for your replies tdennis and muzzlehatch, that helps a lot! It currently has a synthetic head, but I assume swapping a skin head on it won't be too difficult. I am excited to get it re-stringed and tuned up--I think the current nylon strings are nearing the end of their life. I have a few spare nylon uke string sets--would those work on this banjolele?

tdennis - Posted - 08/17/2013:  12:00:42

The strings are the same for Uke & Banjo Uke,   However, I've found the Aquila Nylgut  absolutely give the best sound & feel.  

banjopogo - Posted - 08/18/2013:  07:20:49

quote:

---

Originally posted by okarhu

 

Thanks for your replies tdennis and muzzlehatch, that helps a lot! It currently has a synthetic head, but I assume swapping a skin head on it won't be too difficult. I am excited to get it re-stringed and tuned up--I think the current nylon strings are nearing the end of their life. I have a few spare nylon uke string sets--would those work on this banjolele?

---

Putting on a skin head is not for the faint of heart, or so I'm told.

That's apparently why they have pre-stretched skin heads for normal sized banjos.

Someone who knows how to put a skin head on a banjo could do it, I'm sure.

But why?

You live in London.  The weather is changeable.   Skin heads absorb moisture and go slack, throwing the instrument out of tune.

(Even a plastic head is touchy- but only to temperature- the skin heads respond to both temperature AND humidity!)

Alternative:

Find some wide, beige coloured painters' masking tape.

Place one strip under the head (inside the "pot")  in line with the line of the bridge.

Place another strip under the head in line with the strings, and under both feet of the bridge.  If the masking tape isn't as wide as the bridge, use two strips.

When I did that, it muted the plastic head on my banjo considerably.   If that's not enough, you can try more.  The nice thing about masking tape is that it's removeable!

But maybe don't mute it too much- I would see a banjo uke as a handy instrument for a uke player who wanted something

1. Less fragile (say for camping)

2. That was louder and more boisterous sounding than your normal uke, like for playing in bands, or busking.

Uke strings should work fine, I don't know what else you could use.  You might have to knot the ends.

Edited by - banjopogo on 08/18/2013 07:22:41