New sales this week.  Also, over on ebay, a different UB-1, all original finish :  SOLD   http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220960377189#ht_500wt_954

Gibson UB-4 Sold
The Gibson Ub-4 which is the last design in the Gibson line of banjo ukueles.  This is the nickel plated version and several years after Gibson produced this model they began to refer to the gold plated version as the UB-5.  These are a bit longer scale than the ub-3 and were equipped with a Walnut burl diamond flanged resonator.  Other differences from the other Gibsons are the fancier fret marker inlays (mother of pearl), fret board side binding (white black white) and matching binding on the edge of the resonator.  Headstock has inlayed "The Gibson" and a floral inlay below it. (also mother of pearl).   Tuners are the Ivoroid version of the Grover Spring loaded style.  Original hardware throughout and includes the rare "Presto Ideal" that flips open for changing the strings.  The reso has the original chalk serial number which is also stamped into the rim  8818-2.
Finish is excellent inside and out, there are no splits or deep scratches.  Shows very very minor wear in terms of slightly dull finish here and there, and very minor surface scratches.

I am the second owner of this UB-4 and bought it from an elderly gentleman that said he recieved it as a gift in 1930.  He was 5! at the time.  His son told me that it was kept in a closet all these years in a very large house and when I purchased it the original gut strings were in place.  I replaced them with Aquila Gut strings and it sounds great.  Gut breaks on it's own and is more susceptible to fraying but it has a unique sound that is apparent in the strumming because the strings are nowhere nearly as smooth as nylon.  There are more pictures on this blog of this exact Gibson under:  http://banjoukuleleforum.blogspot.com/2011_01_23_archive.html
  I have seen no more than 3 for sale in the U.S. and a few in the U.K. over a 3 year period. They are rare and excellent by any standard with a deep banjoey tone that works melodically or as a strummer. To give a comparison the F model Gibson mandolins which are for sale constantly on Ebay for $4000-12,000 were also made in Kalamazoo with the same woods, finish and care.
I'm not the least bit embarrassed to ask $5000 for this one.  It is completely original and has suffered no abuse by the original and current owner.  My conservative guess is that these will command as much as the Gibson mandolins within 5 years.

Please write me if you are interested in this one.  

Gibson UB-2 SOLD
This is the UB-2 that is featured in this blog on Jan 28th 2011.  It is an excellent banjo ukulele and has been my regular player for 2 years.  It has a lovely robust sound and excellent scale.  It has a curious finish, being a sort of two tone that is very deep walnut everywhere but the face of the peghead and resonator.  What really matters is that it sounds so good and is in excellent condition.  There is minor wear on the fret board on the first fret, but it has no buzzes all the way up the fret board.  Enough talk though, take a look at this!

I have both the Ub-3 and Ub-2 and there is no difference in tone or quality between the two.  The UB-3 is simply more ornate and often has a sunburst finish.  Both models are powerhouse banjo ukes with great projection and color.   It has the original Gibson skin, and all of the hardware is original except the hooks which were mismatched when I bought it.  I reglued the veneer on the inside of the rim 2 years ago and it is holding up perfectly.  The bridge is one of mine and designed just for this banjo uke.  It has a set of John Alvie  

Turner strings on it that are about a year old and I would leave them on because they sound rich and full to this day.  

I take PayPal as payment and ship anywhere that the USPS will deliver.  Tracking and insurance included.

Price:  $950 including padded nylon carrying bag.

Baby Gibson UB-1 for Sold.   Immaculate restoration in terms of finish, color and playability.  This, as you can see by the photos, is a gorgeous example of a fine banjo ukulele.  It has the sound that I mentioned on the very first UB-1 blog and this one is truly something to look at and hear.   I will put on a new set of Aquilla Nylgut strings before the instrument is shipped also.

This is probably a bit later in terms of production since it has the bone nut.  The dots are real mother of pearl and these happen to be very nicely colored.   I put a lower action bridge on this one and played it without changing anything else.  It could use some polishing on the hooks to brighten them up and that is just about it.  Shipping anywhere in the world but please realize that the import duty for many countries is as much as 20%.  Also please note that international shipping can take several weeks for delivery.  Instrument will be bubble wrapped and surrounded by styrofoam peanuts inside a sturdy box.  I insure to anywhere in the U.S. and to any foreign country that the u.s.p.s. offers.

Tracking number and delivery confirmation will be added on at no extra charge.

I take PayPal only and there is no charge for local pick up.

Price $645.00  

More great players/singers:

This one by "Dan", who is sporting a formidable Ahab beard and kazoo singing Georgia Brown introduces a great mix of Formby and traditional Dixie stylings into his solo break.  I found many other great videos in his uploads too.

Great playing Dan!

Next, another favorite of mine, Ben Mealer, who has a nice looking Stromberg Voisinet banjo uke and  wonderful Italian Greyhound:

Ben does a great job on many of my old 20s 30s favorites.  Gus Kahn etc.  Check out "Gypsy in my soul" too and his Jack Pepper cover.

Ub 4/5 Resonator Thumb Screw Replicas

I am offering these as a custom replica that I machine on my small metal lathe.  They are $22 each or 2 for $40.   Solid Steel with nickel plating.   They are very time consuming to make and I make them to the exact dimensions of the original Gibson parts.   I couldn't find an exact duplicate anywhere when looking for these.

The ones pictures have not been polished or plated yet.   I can leave them unplated for UB5 owners.

I take paypal :  stevebobs@hotmail.com    please add $2 for shipping

Allow one week for delivery.

John Bianchi's wonderful blog about Banjo Ukes:

http://theukaholic.blogspot.com/

John has a lot of videos playing and singing up on YouTube and his blog is very informative.  Many great photos and in depth information about makers/distributors.    Check it out!

By Request:   Formby's "Alexander's Ragtime Band"   a  video .   Chords are in the description (tuning to the video will be needed to strum along)   Once again Mr. Formby takes a lovely solo break full of shakes, splits, syncopations and the usual effortless virtuosity.

  I hope to be loading more videos of the  more obscure songs with chords.  I started with sharp photos of my Stromberg Voisinet but the windows movie maker pixelates them into a painful focus.  Sorry!

Chords:  Chords:


 G|G|A7 D7| G G7| C x 4|G x 4| A7 x 2| D| D7| G x 2| A7 D7 |G G7|C x4| G|G7|C| C# o | G|D7|A7 D7| G

Mya-Moe Beansprout Banjo ukulele released:

This new design sounds GREAT!!  I like the colors offered and the new changes.  Bravo!  I can't wait to give one of these a try.  Curved frets, various neck widths, Black, Reddish and Amber finishes, brass or plated tension rings.  I love the sound on the video.   Serious quality Aaron!!

Another Day, Another Brit!
Richard Stubbs:

What a man wears in the privacy of his youtube garden is his own business!!  I hope his neighbors appreciate his "raw" talent though..........  A wonderful player, singer and he plays on great looking
Banjoleles:  An Abbott, Keech and Dallas.   I hope to post information on his CD soon.

some more great songs (with shirt):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfAsKqm-aq4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuDB_guOGlA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgqWWjWUdgU&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgqWWjWUdgU&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

I could watch him all day.

David Barlia,

New Orleans by Hoagy Carmichael.

This video contains the rarely played middle section which was originally the Verse in the sheet music.

I shot this with my old phone out in my garage with a great friend and Uke player David Barlia.  David is one of those rare musicians that can most often just play and figure out an old song if you just hand him a ukulele and insist on it.  If he was a pianist he would aptly be called a "piano man".      If I had to consider anyone a teacher it would be David, who handed me a Red Maholo and taught me the chords to Five Foot Two.  Check out his websites: http://barliesque.com/main.html  & http://studio.barliesque.com/

David is a Flash developer, video game designer, learning slide Hawaiian guitar, chef  and an active freelance ukulele/singer.

Just to mention a few of his many talents.

Lange Banner Blue Banjo Ukulele for Sale      SOLD
Lovely, solid, heavy, big sound, ornate, tone ring, original hardware and skin (in great shape).  Nice finish.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220874869603#ht_1076wt_510

SOLD

FOR SALE:   Gretsch Clarophone Banjo Ukulele

These are punchy little 7" head banjo ukes.  Everything original but the tuners which were cracking and falling apart.  The replacements hold tuning very well and are smooth for fine tuning.  Some rust on the

hooks, all original hardware and skin, great finish solid maple, hefty neck.   I used it tuned to high F and it sounds great at C,D or higher tunings.  Minor dings or nicks, a great user.
some pics:

Sold

For Sale, I am thinning down the collection of wonderful banjo ukuleles.  This is the 8" Maybell by Slingerland that is made of solid walnut.  A very husky model with a clear tone and long sustain.  Brand new Jeff Menzies skin, no rust, all original hardware and finish.  These are quite heavy compared to many brands and the reason is that the hardware is a bit heavier duty than most banjo ukes, and the walnut is heavier than the selection of woods that various makers used.  Lovely grain throughout, Ebony fret board and peghead, real mother of pearl diamond fret markers.  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220872360610#ht_500wt_1202

Here is a short sound clip with pictures: sorry about the sound , it seems to get harsher when I compress the video through movie maker.  Blogspot won't allow a simple sound file.

the auction is listed on Ebay and will include a nylon padded gig bag for the instrument along with another new set of my own strings.  Here are the pictures:

Headless Wonders!
You have all seen them.

 They seem to be everywhere.  Strumming away effortlessly, perhaps singing on or off key but never without spirit.  Men and women, too shy to point the video camera a little bit higher and reveal the face behind the talent.  I would bet these are the same sort of people who scoot the to back line in photo ops and obscure their faces or completely eclipse them if possible.  I think it's probably a phenomenon that will be eternal to You Tube.  Here's to all of you, keep it up!  ( the playing, not the camera)

Great U.K. players:
Peter Nixon!

  Another great set of tutorial and performances from the U.K. ,  Peter Nixon's videos really got me going on many of the aspects of banjo ukulele playing.  He has posted tutorials on the fan stroke, split stroke and break downs of many of George Formby's solo breaks.  A very crucial one for me was his second fan stroke tutorial because it sorted me out on the best order to use the fingers in the fan stroke in relation to "tapping".   It's very important to learn the fan stroke correctly from the very beginning because the timing of the tapping technique depends heavily on which strings are being strummed.  For most cases of this technique, you stroke this order:   thumb on high string down stroke, index finger on high string up stroke, followed by a down stroke with the back or side of the little finger across all of the strings.  (as you get familiar this pattern you emphasize the outer strings for melodic clarity)
  Peter's video explains this carefully and was a revelation for me when I first saw it because I could not seem to coordinate the ragtime rhythm with the fan stroke.  (123,123,12)
  I highly recommend having a look at Peter's Channel which includes tutorials, performances at the Formby Society and various other items of interest.
P.S.   Peter is a lefty and is kind enough to aim his camera into a mirror so that the videos aren't completely confusing to observe.  Thanks for the help Peter!

SOLD

UB-3   fine condition, fine example.  Sounds lovely.  You can read much more about the UB-3 model on my post about the Gibson line of banjo ukes.  Here are some more pictures for the auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220791607634&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT#ht_500wt_1156

I forgot to mention, the UB-3 that is for sale is the same one pictured on this post:
http://banjoukuleleforum.blogspot.com/2011_01_23_archive.html#6289967290418397502

I hope to be loading a video in the morning.  

Ebay Auction:   Maxitone Banjo Ukulele   SOLD


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220791607634#ht_500wt_1156

A fine example of the metal body Maxitone.  These came in Nickel, Brass and Aluminum.  This one is solid brass with a copper flange for the hooks and tension nuts.  New skin, strings and has modified tuners that are smooth and easy to fine tune.  Very rugged banjo ukes with the famous "Gumby" headstock.  Decal is new and printed with lacquer coating to protect it after applying.
Please contact me for any other questions.