I have discovered an instrument called the "banjo mandolin", which is a mandolin-sized instrument that has 4 pairs of strings tuned like a mandolin, but with a banjo style body. It seems like it would be a great Irish session instrument but I don't think I have ever seen or heard somebody playing one. Anybody use such a thing or seen one in a session?
I have brought regular mandolins to session before and they just get buried by the fiddles. But a banjo mandolin -- that seems like it may be the ultimate weapon. Mwahahahaha...
Well I just bought one on ebay, a Gold Tone MB-850, so I guess I'll form my own impressions soon enough.
It is a very annoying instrument in the wrong hands, but if you just arm it with four strings instead of four courses, it is not to bad. I play mine that way and no one tries to assasinate (any more) nor do they move away in droves.
B-Ms are not too bad if they are set up properly which means that they have to have a slightly looser head to bring out some of the lower tones for mellowness.
Mike, when it has all 8 strings, you are saying it sounds bad -- can you explain? Is it just too harsh or shrill of a sound? How does it compare to, say, a tenor banjo?
There have been two or three discussions here in the past year on banjo mandolins which you may be able to find.
I played one for several years for the same reason you gave: survival in a hostile sea. Mike might mean that they do not sound that sweet on their own with eight strings, but when surrounded by accordions, you WANT harsh and shrill!
I liked that built-in mute system. If you find yours is too loud for where you are playing, wedge a rolled-up duster or similar between the cross-pole and the skin, directly under the bridge. That should mute it a bit. Pete Seeger recommends this !
The main problem with double courses is that they never are in tune and with a banjo, the odds of being in tune drop considerably because banjos are so sensitive to the environment. Since MBs are generally harsh sounding (which, in the constect of a banjo band, is hardly noticeable) they tend to jangle on the nerves.
When they are tuned like a melody banjo (4 strings) it is not so bad and you can still be heard.
I've got one that looks a bit like this http://www.massmedia.com/~mikeb/mando/gallery/union_brand_mandolin_banjo.jpg
I suppose it's about 100 years old - no maker's name. It's had some clumsy refretting so I'm thinking of having a go at fitting a new fingerboard and a Remo head when I get round to it. I think it sounds OK, but certainly not too loud - you can always play more quietly. It's never going to be as loud as a banjo with a resonator. I've only taken it once to a session - on balance I prefer a mandolin. Banjo-mandolins probably have a bad name because of all those little zither-type ones you see in flea markets, with very small enclosed pots. They really do sound a bit pathetic (I've got one of them too).
Iv'e got a old Belltone mandolin/banjo.One or two begrudgers told me not to get one . . but I'm glad I ignored them. I'm really pleased with mine.
I'm sure there are a lot of bad sounding instruments out there and like someone said in the wrong hands . . oh no !
It cost me virtually nothing on Ebay and 50 quid for a Luthier to "do it up" I play it in Old Time sessions as well, and I seem to get away with it. Nobody's ever said stop playing that bloody thing . Not yet anyway
I bought mine so I can hear it in our session, I can't hear my mandolin above pipes, banjos, accordion, flute, fiddles and whistles. It has very little sustain but you do know you are playing it and since the fretboard is the same as the mandolin you can use the mandolin at home for practice.
Here's a link for info: http://www.banjolin.co.uk/mandolinbanjo/
Yes, there is a bloke around here who plays one of those. I can't say it's my favourite ITM instrument though & I think the reason is because of something mikeyes said:
"The main problem with double courses is that they never are in tune and with a banjo, the odds of being in tune drop considerably because banjos are so sensitive to the environment."
I play a good quality Mandolin in sessions & I know that even that slips out of tune as the night goes on & I have to regularly check it. I have used cheap Mandolins in the past & some of those go out of tune each time you blink! However, the saving grace with those is the fact that they aren't so easily heard in the *heat of battle*, while the trouble with the Banjo Mandolin, is that everyone hears every note, so when they go out of tune, & they will, everyone hears all those bum notes!
Following up the second of Ptarmi's links above, I see they use a "Gibson banjo mandolin- One of each pair of strings is tuned down an octave, which gives this banjo a distinctive, never-exactly-in-tune croaking sound". Now that's exactly what our session needs!
Thanks Ptarmi for that banjo web site, is got some brill tunes and songs on it . . I play the ukulele and sing . . Iv'e been looking for some new old songs to learn . .
Back to tuning problems, which really isn't much of a problem nowadays with the advent of chromatic clip on Intelli things . . doesn't take long to tweak your instrument between sets . .
A friend of mine has a very nice antique one, a Vega Whyte Laydie, in fact. But it is still pretty brash, and best used in moderation. We call it the "instrument of mass destruction". On 'The Pizza Tapes', Jerry Garcia gleefully refers to it as "a truly obnoxious instrument".
got myself a johnson resinater mandolin not expensive would not play it at home too shrill but in a session with 4 or 5 other instruments its grand and other players are happyenough to play along with it its very like banjo mandolin sound. best money ive ever spent.
Banjo Mandolin
Banjo Mandolin
I have discovered an instrument called the "banjo mandolin", which is a mandolin-sized instrument that has 4 pairs of strings tuned like a mandolin, but with a banjo style body. It seems like it would be a great Irish session instrument but I don't think I have ever seen or heard somebody playing one. Anybody use such a thing or seen one in a session?
I have brought regular mandolins to session before and they just get buried by the fiddles. But a banjo mandolin -- that seems like it may be the ultimate weapon. Mwahahahaha...
Well I just bought one on ebay, a Gold Tone MB-850, so I guess I'll form my own impressions soon enough.
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by crazy_fingerz
Re: Banjo Mandolin
And they say that you can't prove evil exists.
It is a very annoying instrument in the wrong hands, but if you just arm it with four strings instead of four courses, it is not to bad. I play mine that way and no one tries to assasinate (any more) nor do they move away in droves.
B-Ms are not too bad if they are set up properly which means that they have to have a slightly looser head to bring out some of the lower tones for mellowness.
Mike Keyes
http://www.mikekeyes.com
http://www.banjosessions.com
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by mikeyes
Re: Banjo Mandolin
Mike, when it has all 8 strings, you are saying it sounds bad -- can you explain? Is it just too harsh or shrill of a sound? How does it compare to, say, a tenor banjo?
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by crazy_fingerz
Re: Banjo Mandolin
There have been two or three discussions here in the past year on banjo mandolins which you may be able to find.
I played one for several years for the same reason you gave: survival in a hostile sea. Mike might mean that they do not sound that sweet on their own with eight strings, but when surrounded by accordions, you WANT harsh and shrill!
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by oldstrings
Re: Banjo Mandolin
Here's the one that matches my tenor banjo - probably NOT harsh and shrill.
http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/90U-4479.htm
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by oldstrings
Re: Banjo Mandolin
Mike, you should play the box, or else change your name to Mike Strings.
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by Fiddlebabe
Re: Banjo Mandolin
I liked that built-in mute system. If you find yours is too loud for where you are playing, wedge a rolled-up duster or similar between the cross-pole and the skin, directly under the bridge. That should mute it a bit. Pete Seeger recommends this !
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Banjo Mandolin
The main problem with double courses is that they never are in tune and with a banjo, the odds of being in tune drop considerably because banjos are so sensitive to the environment. Since MBs are generally harsh sounding (which, in the constect of a banjo band, is hardly noticeable) they tend to jangle on the nerves.
When they are tuned like a melody banjo (4 strings) it is not so bad and you can still be heard.
MIke Keyes
http://www.mikekeyes.com
http://www.banjosessions.com
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by mikeyes
Re: Banjo Mandolin
I've got one that looks a bit like this http://www.massmedia.com/~mikeb/mando/gallery/union_brand_mandolin_banjo.jpg
I suppose it's about 100 years old - no maker's name. It's had some clumsy refretting so I'm thinking of having a go at fitting a new fingerboard and a Remo head when I get round to it. I think it sounds OK, but certainly not too loud - you can always play more quietly. It's never going to be as loud as a banjo with a resonator. I've only taken it once to a session - on balance I prefer a mandolin. Banjo-mandolins probably have a bad name because of all those little zither-type ones you see in flea markets, with very small enclosed pots. They really do sound a bit pathetic (I've got one of them too).
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by RichardB
Re: Banjo Mandolin
Iv'e got a old Belltone mandolin/banjo.One or two begrudgers told me not to get one . . but I'm glad I ignored them. I'm really pleased with mine.
I'm sure there are a lot of bad sounding instruments out there and like someone said in the wrong hands . . oh no !
It cost me virtually nothing on Ebay and 50 quid for a Luthier to "do it up" I play it in Old Time sessions as well, and I seem to get away with it. Nobody's ever said stop playing that bloody thing . Not yet anyway
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by Justintime
Re: Banjo Mandolin
I bought mine so I can hear it in our session, I can't hear my mandolin above pipes, banjos, accordion, flute, fiddles and whistles. It has very little sustain but you do know you are playing it and since the fretboard is the same as the mandolin you can use the mandolin at home for practice.
Here's a link for info:
http://www.banjolin.co.uk/mandolinbanjo/
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by Lurcherjohn
Re: Banjo Mandolin
Yes, there is a bloke around here who plays one of those. I can't say it's my favourite ITM instrument though & I think the reason is because of something mikeyes said:
"The main problem with double courses is that they never are in tune and with a banjo, the odds of being in tune drop considerably because banjos are so sensitive to the environment."
I play a good quality Mandolin in sessions & I know that even that slips out of tune as the night goes on & I have to regularly check it. I have used cheap Mandolins in the past & some of those go out of tune each time you blink! However, the saving grace with those is the fact that they aren't so easily heard in the *heat of battle*, while the trouble with the Banjo Mandolin, is that everyone hears every note, so when they go out of tune, & they will, everyone hears all those bum notes!
In case you are interested, here’s a photo of an old Banjo Mandolin Orchestra in 1907 – interestingly though, not one of them is actually playing a Banjo Mandolin!
http://www.vintagepostcards.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=VPC&Product_Code=MUSI-J6320&Category_Code=MUSI
But don’t worry, here’s a Banjo Orchestra that does use them:
http://www.heftone.com/orchestra
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by Ptarmigan
Re: Banjo Mandolin
I play one, probably because I got fed up with people disparaging the bodhran. It never goes out of tune, because I look after it.
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: Banjo Mandolin
"It never goes out of tune" - Bring it Tom's bliss, I need proof!
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by Ptarmigan
Re: Banjo Mandolin
Following up the second of Ptarmi's links above, I see they use a "Gibson banjo mandolin- One of each pair of strings is tuned down an octave, which gives this banjo a distinctive, never-exactly-in-tune croaking sound". Now that's exactly what our session needs!
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by RichardB
Re: Banjo Mandolin
Thanks Ptarmi for that banjo web site, is got some brill tunes and songs on it . . I play the ukulele and sing . . Iv'e been looking for some new old songs to learn . .
Back to tuning problems, which really isn't much of a problem nowadays with the advent of chromatic clip on Intelli things . . doesn't take long to tweak your instrument between sets . .
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by Justintime
Re: Banjo Mandolin
Sorry guys, it's not exactly ITM, but you might enjoy it anyway:
“Cuckoos Nest”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5SGHcHks6Y
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by Ptarmigan
Re: Banjo Mandolin
A friend of mine has a very nice antique one, a Vega Whyte Laydie, in fact. But it is still pretty brash, and best used in moderation. We call it the "instrument of mass destruction". On 'The Pizza Tapes', Jerry Garcia gleefully refers to it as "a truly obnoxious instrument".
# Posted on April 2nd 2007 by crookedtune
Re: Banjo Mandolin
Ha, ha....BM....hee hee....
Sorry; I just feel childish.
Terry
# Posted on April 3rd 2007 by twildman
Re: Banjo Mandolin
Terry, let's not forget the G string humor as well, as in "I broke a G string on my BM."
# Posted on April 3rd 2007 by crazy_fingerz
Re: Banjo Mandolin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C88o2lHeGw hahahahahah
# Posted on April 3rd 2007 by ecidralla
Re: Banjo Mandolin
got myself a johnson resinater mandolin not expensive would not play it at home too shrill but in a session with 4 or 5 other instruments its grand and other players are happyenough to play along with it its very like banjo mandolin sound. best money ive ever spent.
# Posted on April 6th 2007 by r