These kinds of conversion projects are fun, subjective, & usually more expensive than they're worth. Unless you really want a pony banjo, you might just be surprised at what a fantastic instrument the mandolin banjo really is. It would be much easier & much less costly to refurbish this as an original instrument.

Before you decide on refurbishing for a banjo mandolin, check the neck angle. In my 50 years of experience I have noticed the string height of most old banjo mandolins is a bit high. Resetting the neck on any banjo with a fretboard extension over the head is a big pain.

Just adding my 2¢ to your decision making process.

Bob Smakula

The quickest way to check the neck angle is to lay a yardstick on the nut and bridge. See how high it sits above the fingerboard. That will give you a good starting point.

I have built a few banjos with small rims in the style of the Stewart "Lady's Banjo." A scale range of 22" to 24" works well when it's tuned to open A or Double D.

Thanks folks. The conversion wouldn't really cost me much, just work it into the production line, and I enjoy the process. Good advice on the neck angle, which I haven't checked, but will. I don't imagine I'd play a banjoin much if I had it laying around, but I wouldn't mind hearing it strung up just for kicks.

Your idea of making a new neck makes sense to me. Personally I find it easier to make a new dowel stick than to try to reuse an old one anyway, so if you do like you said and leave the old dowel stick and neck together you can always go back to them in the future if you decide you want a banjolin (as long as you can find them). My experience has been that if people order a new neck for a pot they have that works fine, but people seem less inclined to buy an old pot with a new neck that they didn't order to their specifications, but if you're just building it for yourself that wouldn't be a factor.

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Originally posted by Zachary Hoyt

Your idea of making a new neck makes sense to me. Personally I find it easier to make a new dowel stick than to try to reuse an old one anyway, so if you do like you said and leave the old dowel stick and neck together you can always go back to them in the future if you decide you want a banjolin (as long as you can find them). My experience has been that if people order a new neck for a pot they have that works fine, but people seem less inclined to buy an old pot with a new neck that they didn't order to their specifications, but if you're just building it for yourself that wouldn't be a factor.

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Great point Zach, give the people what they want,  cause they may not want what you want them to want...

There are those of us who consider the mandolin-banjo the worst of both worlds. 

I like them strung up with nylon or  NylGut and played as ukuleles, either 4 string or 8 string with some courses in octaves. Kala and Kamaka have 8 string sets. The higher than comfortable action common to these is less of an issue strung this way.

These pots measure at 10 1/8" after 1915 (may be different pre-Waverly), not much smaller than Vega's Standard size, advertised as 10 3/4" but closer to 10 5/8". The Standard scale is 26". There is a market for a shorter scale conversion. 25" for standard tuning; 23" or so for A scale.

My 2¢

I converted a Little Wonder banjolin into 24 1/2" scale 5-string. It worked out great.

Well, that sure sounds great, nicely done!

Built a few little wonder small posted Vegas and Fairbanks as well make great a scale banjos and feel well balanced with the shorter neck . The shorter reach makes it a good sit and play at home when I don’t feel like standing. Surprising how much better a shorter neck feels . I build mine with the AScale neck slightly wider than a standard 5 string so it feels like your playing with a capo and switching back and forth doesn’t feel any different from the spacing on the standard length 5string . Very loud banjo able to compete with the big boys.

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Originally posted by dpgetman

I've picked up a few old banjolins, tenors, and random pots over the years with the intention of some day making conversion banjos out of them and the pics below are one such.  It looks to be a Vega banjolin with a tubaphone tonering dating around 1910ish.  It has a 10" pot in pretty good shape, missing a couple of nuts and could use a fretboard refresh, but would restore nicely.  I also have an inclination, though, to make a nice conversion to a 5-string that I could do without modifying the rim and I would likely leave the dowel stick attached to the old neck so it could be interchangable.  Per the conversion, I am inclined to make a neck with the same headstock style, but for a 5-string and would go with a shorter scale, perhaps 25.5" or even 22".  Just curious about what those who have done these smaller diameter pot conversions has been in terms of tone or demand for such things.  Also, I would need a strip of the celluloid binding for the original neck refresh, anyone have something like that laying around?

David

 

 

 

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I just completed a project similar. I posted about it here: https://www.banjohangout.org/topic/404871 Many people advised against it and thought it couldn't be done. My advice: Keep the instrument as close to original as you can. Literally, outside of the restoration of the actual finish and metal pieces, the only change I made was to have a friend install a RR spike on the 5th string. When he installed it for me, we put it facing outside in lieu of the normal facing inside. This allowed for almost perfect separation of the strings. It also lowers the fifth string when playing down the scale. I converted to 5 strings, only stringing some of the tuning machines. One other point: That skin looks really good. If you remove it, it may crack if you try to use it again. What you are trying to do can be done. You will probably have a little better sound, as the scale on the one I converted is about 14", which I believe is close to a SStewart Little Wonder (?). Good luck on your project, it will be a nice addition to your collection and fun to play.

Just sold s as Fairbanks 1912 banjolin in perfect condition that was just too nice to change it . A real survivor