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Thread: "melody minor" banjo-mandolin - information needed

  1. #1

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    Hello everyone!

    This is my first post in this forum, and I must admit that I am not a mandolin-player, but I play the ukulele. I am asking here because I would get some information about "Melody Minor"-Banjo-Mandolins.

    I recently bought a Banjo-Ukulele at eBay which actually was a banjo-mandolin before. Somebody has removed four tuners and changed the saddle, I guess some other things were done as well.

    I would be pleased if somebody had any kind of information about "Melody Minor"-Banjo-Mandolins. Where did they come from? When were they constructed? (I was told mine was constructed in the 1930s, but I am not sure at all about that.) Any nice stories about the firm?

    Thank you very much!

    Here are some photos of the instrument:





  2. #2
    Registered User Ken Berner's Avatar
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    It looks like a UK product to me, but I am no expert. There was a Melody King brand-name made by Slingerland in the 1920s and your banjo uke may be related.

  3. #3
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    I'd guess from the looks of it it came as a Uke-jo.
    Is there evidence that 4 holes have been plugged?
    veneer on both sides would be the best way to cover that change.

    I have an 8 string that I'm planning to do that to, with 4 geared guitar tuners ,
    after finding 1:1 tuning, and short steel strings
    was exceedingly hard to tune on an actual friction peg Man-jo



    writing about music
    is like dancing,
    about architecture

  4. #4
    Registered User Ken Berner's Avatar
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    mandroid, If you would like to maintain the originality of your neck, I have one for sale in the ads here; with or without Schallers.

  5. #5

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    Thank you for your answers!
    The seller gave me this link: http://freespace.virgin.net/dennis.t..._40_Melody.htm
    Though this site shows a banjo-ukulele, there are many similarities. I've looked for "George Houghton and Sons" and found out that they had definitely built "Melody Major"-Banjo-Mandolins. Thus, I guess, the "Melody Minor"-banjo-mandolin is one of their instruments, too - though there is not a proof at all...

  6. #6
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    Default Re: "melody minor" banjo-mandolin - information needed

    I found a Melody Major banjo mandolin today and bought it.

    I have to say I've generally never liked these things but this one played great despite very old strings. It's had a new bridge and is really very playable.

    One of the first times I heard an Irish session featured Eddie Furey on banjo mandolin and I thought it sounded great, but I've never seen one since that I thought was much good until today. As it happens it's my birthday tomorrow, so that's my present to myself!
    David A. Gordon

  7. #7
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    Default Re: "melody minor" banjo-mandolin - information needed

    Happy birthday to you Dagger!
    Steve

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