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John Croft, Glan Tanat, Llanyblodwel, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 8NQ, England
Tel: (+44) 01691 - 828850.
E-Mail: theukuleleman@hotmail.com
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Welcome to ‘Anorak’s Corner’ folks! I thought I’d set up this page on my web site in order to muse about various topics of discussion concerning Ukuleles and Banjo Ukes. So tear yourselves away from watching paint drying, make yourselves comfortable, and absorb the riveting comments herein.........
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surface to file the feet down. Beware that as you file the feet of the bridge down to a lower height, the sound produced will change. Keep testing the bridge at regular intervals until it produces the right sound at the right height. And what is the right height? Well, that is always an individual preference, but as a rough guide, the bridge should be filed down so that where the strings first pass over the vellum after the last fret on the fingerboard, the strings should be about 3/16ths of an inch (4.5mm) above the vellum. Something around this height usually gives a great playing action.
However, this may throw up a problem. In my experience it is preferable for the line along the top of the fingerboard to be level with the top of the vellum where the neck joins the hoop, with the fingerboard angled slightly downwards towards the peghead. If you look across the line of the top of the vellum you should only just see the top of the last fret at the far side. The angled neck allows for an excellent playing action but also for a larger bridge to be used, which usually gives a richer, fuller sound. Unfortunately, many instruments were made with the necks too high, and altering the necks can be easy on some banjo ukes, and a nightmare on others. But try, because the difference it makes will be enormous.
Finally, clean your banjo uke out thoroughly inside and out, apply liberal amounts of wax polish and polish up profusely! Believe it or not, polishing your banjo uke will actually make it sound better. Polish up the frets and gently apply some linseed oil to the fingerboard, and you’re ready to go. The difference between what you had before and what you have now will be enormous. Store the banjo uke in a warm (not hot) place and periodically check the strings and the vellum tension.
Finally, remember the weather! I have found that banjo ukes usually sound at their best a few hours prior to rain arriving - probably something to do with increased moisture in the atmosphere. Now we can’t always have the weather of our own choosing, but just be aware that banjo ukes can sound as dull as dishwater one day, but fantastic the next, and it’s all to do with the weather.
I hope that these few ideas will help you to experiment with your own banjo uke to improve the sound that it produces and the ease with which it can be played.
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