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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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and attached to the opposite side of the Hoop by means of a screw or a small bracket. A metal bracket usually sits on the Perch Pole and clasps the neck tightly to the Hoop. Most Gibson Banjo-Ukes have a Perch Pole made of metal, which at one end threads onto the lower of two screws protruding from the Neck, and at the opposite end passes through the Hoop where it is secured by a hexagonal nut. The upper screw protruding from the Neck is secured by a small hexagonal nut. This arrangement is not only very strong, but it can be used to adjust and fix the angle of the Neck. Ludwig Banjo-Ukes are unique in that their Perch Pole system secures the Neck to the Resonator and not to the Hoop (or in this case a metal ‘Pot’). Finally, some Necks are ‘spliced’. The wood was cut in half, and then one piece was turned around so that the grain went in the opposite direction to that of the other. A thin strip of wood was then often sandwiched between the two main pieces, and the Neck was then cut to shape. This process was supposedly done to reduce to prevent the Neck warping. However, many luthiers say that a Neck made from a single piece of properly seasoned wood, cut from the rite part of the tree and cut in the correct direction to the grain, should never warp. Spliced Necks are usually found on higher grade instruments, and yet Gibson Banjo-Ukes never had them. Although the necessity of a spliced Neck is questionable, there is no doubt that some manufacturers used them to enhance the decorativeness and attractiveness of their instruments.
Right, now let’s consider ‘Hoops’ (or ‘Pots’). The function of the Hoop is to provide a solid base on which to support a skin or ‘Vellum’. It has to be capable of taking all the stress required to stretch the Vellum to a high tension, as well as providing a secure mounting point for the Neck, and
sometimes for the resonator as well. The usual ‘bottom tension’ hoop consists of a Vellum which is stretched across the top of the hoop and wrapped around a ‘flesh ring’. The flesh ring is usually square in section in order to stop the vellum from slipping as it is being tightened, but most lower grade instruments used flesh rings that were circular in section. Flesh rings are often made of steel, but these are prone to rust which can be fatal to a Vellum as it slowly eats it away. Brass is far superior as it doesn’t rust. Directly on top of the flesh ring sits a plated metal ring called the ‘Bezel’.
Around the outside of the hoop are a number of metal objects called ‘Shoes’, which are attached to the hoop by a screw which is inserted from inside the hoop. There may be anything from four to sixteen shoes on a Banjo Uke, and the general rule is that the more there are, the higher the quality of the instrument. Metal hooks are then hooked over the bezel and passed through the shoe, and a metal ‘nut’ is screwed on to the threaded end of the hook. As this nut is turned, it pushes against the shoe and the hook gradually pulls the bezel down, thus tightening the vellum. This system is usually called the ‘bottom tension’ system because the vellum is tightened by turning the nut that lies beneath the shoe near the bottom of the hoop.
Another method often used is the ‘top tension’ system. With this system there are holes drilled into the bezel at regular intervals, through which a threaded metal bolt is inserted, which then screws into a threaded hole in the ‘Flange’. The flange is a fairly wide strip of metal that runs around the hoop, and which often has decorative holes cut into it. In most top tension Banjo Ukes the flange is integral with the hoop, in other words the hoop and the flange are all part of one piece of metal. As the bolt threads itself through the flange, the bezel is gradually pushed down, tightening the vellum. This system is simpler and much more efficient than the ‘bottom tension’ system. NEXT
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