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Thread: Arched vs. flat top for Irish music?

  1. #26
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    Default Re: Arched vs. flat top for Irish music?

    Melody banjos seem pretty hard to find. I've seen 2 for sale over the years, but that's it.

  2. #27
    Registered User liestman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arched vs. flat top for Irish music?

    I have a Yosco mandolin banjo that was made into a melody banjo (the luthier closed 4 tuner holes and refinished, put on banjo tuners, new 4 string nut and tailpiece, etc) and it fits in quite nicely. It is not as clangy and jarring as a mandolin banjo with 8 strings. That being said, if I need that volume I just take a tenor banjo, so the Yosco stays home.
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  3. #28
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    Default Re: Arched vs. flat top for Irish music?

    I really love the sound of a tenor banjo in traditional Irish. In the hands of a great player it can be breath taking. Not so much yet in my hands however.
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  4. #29
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arched vs. flat top for Irish music?

    Quote Originally Posted by Thomaston View Post
    Melody banjos seem pretty hard to find. I've seen 2 for sale over the years, but that's it.
    I got 8 string Mand-jos and had a 4 string nut made, then put a tenor banjo bridge on it.
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  5. #30
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    Default Re: Arched vs. flat top for Irish music?

    Wouldn't a restrung ukelel banjo work?
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  6. #31
    Registered User liestman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arched vs. flat top for Irish music?

    To me, the use of a ukulele banjo or mando banjo as a mini-tenor banjo all depends on the tone of the instrument. Most of these things have, um, well, they are loud anyway! :-) Finding one with a good tone can be a challenge.
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  7. #32
    Mediocre but OK with that Paul Busman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arched vs. flat top for Irish music?

    Quote Originally Posted by Thomaston View Post
    I've been playing Irish sessions for about a decade now, multiple instruments, but lately mostly on my Fullerton Gloucester.
    IA large part of me wonders if I've already got everything I could need in the Fullerton, though. Maybe I'd be happiest upgrading the bridge on that? I put a Red Henry-style on it a few years ago, but I think a Cumberland and maybe a bone nut would be better.
    Anyone have some wisdom nuggets for me?
    I'm lucky enough to have a Fullerton Gloucester and as far as I'm concerned it's all the mandolin I need. It's had a couple of modifications, mostly cosmetic except for a bone nut, Red Henry bridge and arching of the fingerboard, and it plays like a dream.
    A few years ago I got to play the wall of mandolins at Elderly and didn't find any, old or new, that were superior enough that I'd even consider spending the money to upgrade.
    If you do change the Red Henry bridge to a CA or other, let me know how it works out.
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  8. #33
    Registered User Randi Gormley's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arched vs. flat top for Irish music?

    fwiw, I've played an ff-hole, a flattop and an oval arch top in session and all three were loud, just different. Most of the people in the session just noted that I was playing mandolin; however, the other mandolin players pretty much ignored my ff-hole instrument (a strad-o-lin), found my flat-top kind of cool (a bandolim which has a different kind of ringy-sound to it) but lust after my Gibson snakehead. So there's that. I think only the other mandolin players would notice if you changed instruments or changed your current instrument with a new bridge or whatnot. my 2 cents. so just play what you like.
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