Maude

Brilliant, there's a few little DIY jobs that Mrs. Maude's been pestering me about. When should I expect them? I'll put the kettle on. 😁

But you've just given the game away, haven't you 🤔

Okay okay, you Elm 😁

Have you seen my recent New Bass Day thread? You beach 😁

Which is why I didn't do it, until I used it to make my point, which wasn't actually about grammar but misunderstandings. Ahh b0ll0cks, what do I know about anything , I've just bought a banjo 😂

See, now I don't know if you're proving the point of my post and messing with me, or genuinely dyslexic and pee'd off with me, or maybe even into trains of the diesel-electric type and are just plain crap at spelling. 😁 Anyway it was PaulWarning's post I quoted and corrected. 😉

I'd agree with @EBS_freakabout misunderstanding the intention of the post. Using the quoted post above I could reply, "Its 'accept' you fookin' bellend". Meant comically, playing on the "without resorting to insults" part of the post, but with no smilies Paul might take offence, so I add a laughing emoji to show I'm joking with him, but now he thinks I'm laughing at him as well as correcting him. Could get totally out of hand due to misunderstanding how I meant the post. I'm a bit of a joker so take most posts of this sort as said in jest, but some more serious folks would take it straight and be offended.

I won't post a distracting reply to your post. I'll just let you get practicing. P.s. Should it be 'practicing' or 'practising'? Are the two interchangeable, is one an Americanism, or is one 'to rehearse something' and the other 'to carry out a profession or belief? Hmm 🤔.

And yes 'chaps' should've had an apostrophe before the s but I'd run out of them. Obviously I've found some more now for this post. 😊

The two big issues I have with BC is firstly, I joined as a moderately wealthy man and now I'm broke, and secondly, could somebody please increase @Teebs 'like' allowance, the poor chaps always running out 😂

At a guess I'd say the second one is the actual eight string as at the beginning the I think I can hear single strings sometimes rather than both courses, not using headphones though. Either way they're both hell of a close.

I don't comment much in 'Build Diaries' but I have to say we're spoilt with the level of craftsmenship on here. There really are some amazing luthiers showing their work which I love to see, so thank you. Now let's see those wooden machineheads 😀

Will do. I'll make sure it's working properly first but I'll PM you when I know what I'm doing.

Well I've just bought it 😀 I'll post some pictures another time as I'm a bit pushed for time at the mo. It's not a resonator but it does have a closed back (which is removable) so slightly mellower sounding which is good. Nice low easy action, strung for Scottish/Irish so should be even easier on the fingers once strung for Trad Jazz. The big, big bonus is that I might have effectively scored a free banjo and case as it came fitted with a Fishman Rare Earth active pickup, which will never get used. I had a quick Google and these seem to be in the £220-230 price range new, so quite possibly £80 for a second hand one. I don't really know what the value of the pickup is realistically but it's got to half the price of the banjo I'd have thought. As it's strung like a mandolin I'll leave it as it is for a bit and take it to rehearsal and let our mandolinist try it out through the PA to make sure it's all good. Pictures to follow .

Will do 😊

Going to look at the banjo tomorrow now but the owner says there are no scratches or marks on the body or neck so I reckon we'll get it. Good enough to dip his toe in with and test the water. Thanks for all your help 👍

As luck would have it one has popped up on Facebook for sale. An Aria tenor, with strap, pick up and hardcase for £80, I'm off to look at it later. Having had a read up the Andybanjo site it would seem a long/standard scale tenor would be better than a short scale at the budget end as the cheaper short scales frequently present tuning issues. I was going to get open back but as this facebook one has popped up locally, I'll more than likely go for it. If he doesn't take to it then we can sell it without loss, or I'll buy it off him https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2156600544657247/ Hopefully that link will work.

This may be a silly question but do all closed backs have a resonator, or are there open backs, closed backs and resonators?

Well yes, obviously, but you can't always have everything.

It just proves that you don't have to be a great singer to be a great frontman. A few years back I was in a band with a decidedly average singer but he was a great frontman, could get the most disinterested crowd eating out of his hand.

Just been doing some more listening and came across Skinny Tuba (I now want to watch The Sting) that sort of thing would be right up his street and the banjo looks relatively easy to get started on. Obviously not to master but if I can give him some diagrams of some chord shapes and he could strum along I think he'd be happy. If he really gets into it and wants to try a different style we can worry about it then. I think I'm sorted 🙂

Ah I see, that's why some mention aluminium tone ring in the advert then I suppose. In the £200 price bracket most seem to be resonator type. I wish I could try a few but living where I do there aren't many music shops unless I want a long drive. I do have a Hobgoblin local though, I'll ring them and see if they have any in. Thanks again.

Thanks @pete.young @Trueno Since my original post I've been doing a bit more research and watching some YouTube vids. My mother in law thought it would just be buy a banjo and had no idea of all the different types. I'd sort of narrowed it down to getting him a four string tenor to try his hand at trad jazz as it looks about the easiest and quickest to get up and running with. Just learn a few chord shapes and your away. I know it's not as easy as that but I really don't think he'll get to grips with finger picking, and Scottish or Irish style would need a bit more knowledge of what notes make up chords to be able to play melodic lines. I don't really want to go uke as they always seem to just sound slightly out of tune and too George Formby. Thanks for tip about the weight of a reso, I hadn't considered that, also as it will just be at home on the sofa I assume an open back will be quieter than a reso as well as being a little mellower sounding. So a four string, open back tenor it is then, I think. Just one more question, what average scale length are long and short scale tenor banjos. He'll need a balance between not stretching too far and being able to easily make the chord shapes.

I do love a happy ending 🤛

Coreen Bailey Rae is smart, she calls them records, be smart like Coreen 👍