Banjo ukuleles.
These instruments were very popular from the mid twenties through the thirties. They were often used when a ukulele could not provide enough volume to project over the other members of a ragtime or jazz band and could fill out a rhythm section as a harmony instrument. Many of the major manufacturers of guitars and banjos produced banjo ukuleles as a utility instrument.
A quick line up of the more collectible banjo ukes would have to include the exquisite instruments made by Ludwig, Gibson, Bacon and Day, Abbott, Dallas Co. , Lange and Stromberg Voisinet.
Ludwig Co.
The Ludwig company made banjos and banjo ukuleles for about a six year period from 1925-1931. They offered very innovative designs on their banjo ukes that were new technology to banjos. The main feature of these outstanding instruments were the solid metal rim and a tension ring that had no hooks but used bolts that could be adjusted from the top to adjust the tension on the skin. Also, the entire rim/skin/flange and tension mechanism could be lifted out of the resonator as a seperate unit. The dowel in the Ludwig Ukes has no pressure on it whatsoever from string tension. The Ludwig came in two basic models, one with a thick flange that had "crowns" to vent the resonator, and the Wendell Hall model that had rounded slots as vents on the flange.
The instruments with a crowned flange were available in nickel or gold and a choice for the tuners as well (friction peg or planetary geared). There are a number of custom instruments that Ludwig made as special order that had features like pearloid headstocks and fretboards and rhinestone inlays. Over the past year I have seen approximately six of the Gold Crowned Ludwig banjo ukuleles for sale on the world wide auction site. The prices have ranged from about $890-$3400 depending on condition. It's my opinion that all of the Ludwig banjo ukes are extremely fine instruments are fine collectible investments. I have observed about 10 to 15 Wendell Hall banjo ukes for sale during the past year and they have ranged from $650 to about $2300 in selling price.
The difference in tone and construction is very slight on these instruments. Physically, the flange design and inlay on the back of the resonator are the differences.
Both basic models have identical dimensions of scale length, resonator dimensions, number of frets and neck thickness. The gold plated model with crowns seems to be far more common than the nickel plated variety. Of the six Ludwig's with crowns sold this year at auction I seem to remember that one was nickel.
I don't want to speculate, but I will in saying that the plating would have very little if any difference in the tone and character of the instrument.
The Ludwig line is known for having a brilliant large robust sound, and the instruments are a joy to play in terms of comfort. The photos are all details of a Wendell Hall model. Both of the Ludwig models must be disassembled carefully. The flange screws hold the entire rim assembly to the resonator. When these screws are removed, it must be lifted up slightly near the tailpiece, then slide away under the fret board. The angle of this is critical and cosmetic damage could occur if not done precisely. The instrument is built quite sturdily throughout and is on the heavy side of the banjo ukulele choices.
Ludwig Finishes
I should mention that the finish (lacquer/varnish) on Ludwigs are often in very poor condition. They are usually cracked, flaking or completely worn off and it seems that user care may have little to do with this. The entire Ludwig banjo line suffers from this and it might be something that would require restoration, complete refinishing or simply minor touch ups. Humidity was probably are large factor in the condition of the finishes. Ludwig finishes appear to "breath" as compared to other manufacturers and this allows the wood to swell and shrink which cracks finish. Some finishes simply crack due to age when stored instruments are kept in a case at the back of a dry closet. Also, cracks in finish are not necessarily a negative thing when considering purchase of an instrument, many players prefer the soul and character of an original finish to a perfect reconditioned finish. This topic is one of great debate both in the vintage musical instrument world and the antique market. Often, a refinished instrument is considered less valuable as a "collectible" if the finish has been tampered with with in any way. This applies to all of the banjo ukes discussed on this blog. There are times when a finish is simply not practical to retain due to extreme cracking and flaking, discoloration (sometime due to sun exposure). Some finishes can be re amalgamated by applying a solvent to the finish which puts it in a liquid state again and it can reform. This should only be done by a re-finisher that has full knowledge of this process. This technique might take as much effort as a completely new finish. Also, to those restoring instruments. Try not to put a thick plastic looking finish on any of these vintage banjo ukuleles. They didn't have finishes like new guitars do nowadays and it will lesson the value of your instrument when you sell it.
These instruments were very popular from the mid twenties through the thirties. They were often used when a ukulele could not provide enough volume to project over the other members of a ragtime or jazz band and could fill out a rhythm section as a harmony instrument. Many of the major manufacturers of guitars and banjos produced banjo ukuleles as a utility instrument.
A quick line up of the more collectible banjo ukes would have to include the exquisite instruments made by Ludwig, Gibson, Bacon and Day, Abbott, Dallas Co. , Lange and Stromberg Voisinet.
Ludwig Co.
The Ludwig company made banjos and banjo ukuleles for about a six year period from 1925-1931. They offered very innovative designs on their banjo ukes that were new technology to banjos. The main feature of these outstanding instruments were the solid metal rim and a tension ring that had no hooks but used bolts that could be adjusted from the top to adjust the tension on the skin. Also, the entire rim/skin/flange and tension mechanism could be lifted out of the resonator as a seperate unit. The dowel in the Ludwig Ukes has no pressure on it whatsoever from string tension. The Ludwig came in two basic models, one with a thick flange that had "crowns" to vent the resonator, and the Wendell Hall model that had rounded slots as vents on the flange.
The instruments with a crowned flange were available in nickel or gold and a choice for the tuners as well (friction peg or planetary geared). There are a number of custom instruments that Ludwig made as special order that had features like pearloid headstocks and fretboards and rhinestone inlays. Over the past year I have seen approximately six of the Gold Crowned Ludwig banjo ukuleles for sale on the world wide auction site. The prices have ranged from about $890-$3400 depending on condition. It's my opinion that all of the Ludwig banjo ukes are extremely fine instruments are fine collectible investments. I have observed about 10 to 15 Wendell Hall banjo ukes for sale during the past year and they have ranged from $650 to about $2300 in selling price.
The difference in tone and construction is very slight on these instruments. Physically, the flange design and inlay on the back of the resonator are the differences.
Both basic models have identical dimensions of scale length, resonator dimensions, number of frets and neck thickness. The gold plated model with crowns seems to be far more common than the nickel plated variety. Of the six Ludwig's with crowns sold this year at auction I seem to remember that one was nickel.
I don't want to speculate, but I will in saying that the plating would have very little if any difference in the tone and character of the instrument.
The Ludwig line is known for having a brilliant large robust sound, and the instruments are a joy to play in terms of comfort. The photos are all details of a Wendell Hall model. Both of the Ludwig models must be disassembled carefully. The flange screws hold the entire rim assembly to the resonator. When these screws are removed, it must be lifted up slightly near the tailpiece, then slide away under the fret board. The angle of this is critical and cosmetic damage could occur if not done precisely. The instrument is built quite sturdily throughout and is on the heavy side of the banjo ukulele choices.
Ludwig Finishes
I should mention that the finish (lacquer/varnish) on Ludwigs are often in very poor condition. They are usually cracked, flaking or completely worn off and it seems that user care may have little to do with this. The entire Ludwig banjo line suffers from this and it might be something that would require restoration, complete refinishing or simply minor touch ups. Humidity was probably are large factor in the condition of the finishes. Ludwig finishes appear to "breath" as compared to other manufacturers and this allows the wood to swell and shrink which cracks finish. Some finishes simply crack due to age when stored instruments are kept in a case at the back of a dry closet. Also, cracks in finish are not necessarily a negative thing when considering purchase of an instrument, many players prefer the soul and character of an original finish to a perfect reconditioned finish. This topic is one of great debate both in the vintage musical instrument world and the antique market. Often, a refinished instrument is considered less valuable as a "collectible" if the finish has been tampered with with in any way. This applies to all of the banjo ukes discussed on this blog. There are times when a finish is simply not practical to retain due to extreme cracking and flaking, discoloration (sometime due to sun exposure). Some finishes can be re amalgamated by applying a solvent to the finish which puts it in a liquid state again and it can reform. This should only be done by a re-finisher that has full knowledge of this process. This technique might take as much effort as a completely new finish. Also, to those restoring instruments. Try not to put a thick plastic looking finish on any of these vintage banjo ukuleles. They didn't have finishes like new guitars do nowadays and it will lesson the value of your instrument when you sell it.
3 comments:
Bingo on the finishes. I've only ever seen ONE Ludwig, a Wendell Hall, that didn't have a finish issue - and this one is on Andy Eastwood's website in the ukes for sale section. I've looked at 6 Wendell Halls in the 'flesh'and upwards of 50 for sale online (though some may have been the same instruments changing hands a couple of years later :)) and all had checking on the finish, the resonator especially, not so much the necks. It's unavoidable, and I agree, not a question of how the instruments were taken care of when you consider that every one of them save one have it.
Thanks for your great posts - finally, someone more OCD than I about banjo ukuleles. ;)
John
One other comment - you'll find that Ludwig Banjo Ukuleles do not uniformly have the flange with crowns; they were also commonly offered with the slotted flange that was standard on the Wendell Hall. Mark Tuson of the GFS has a Banjo Ukulele Model that has a gold-plated slotted flange along with the inlaid resonator. The late Dennis Taylor had a very distinctive Ludwig Banjo Ukulele, another one with Wendell-Hall style flange and a resonator rim and headstock covered in gold mother of toilet seat. They're both complete beauties!
Thanks John, for both comments, You answered a question that I was going to pose on this blog. The slotted Ludwigs I see certain players in the U.K. playing. I had a feeling that they might have offered the slotted flange as a replacement part when the crowned version would crack. I have heard that both versions will crack if uneven pressure is applied during the re-skin process. I am glad to know that they were simply included on some orders.
About finishes and Ludwigs, I don't really see any problem with having a knock up finish put on one of the original models, unless the original is in acceptable condition. The flakiness is certainly worse on some and it's probably better to get that wood sealed up rather than let it shift constantly from humidity fluctuation. I would again suggest that a thick plastic guitar like finish be avoided in favor of a finer thinner lacquer. Semi-gloss finishes can be polished up to match almost any gloss with a buffing wheel. Mild sanding, steel wool before that helps too. My Wendell Hall was refinished before I bought it and it just took some buffing and minor ultra fine sanding to give it a nice lustre. Glad you are reading the blog and comments are alway welcome!!
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