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Thread: Mandolin Banjo?

  1. #26
    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    Yes, I do. Both will make you cry, but an onion is much, much quieter. And tastier.
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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  3. #27
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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    Does anyone know the difference between a mandolin banjo and an onion? Asking for a friend.
    Uhmm... The onion makes you cry AFTER you cut it??
    - Ed

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  5. #28
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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    Quote Originally Posted by maxr View Post
    I’ve heard them described as “the instrument of the devil”!
    I thought that was the accordion
    I have got both

    I have a vintage Windsor Pyxe that I was given. When we could still do them I started taking it along to folk band practice and it worked really well, I don't need an amp any more. It's not a great solo instrument, but there are around a dozen in out band with maybe 8 guitarists and it fits in well there.

    It cuts through considerably more than my tenor banjo.
    - Jeremy

    Wot no catchphrase?

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  7. #29
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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    Does anyone know the difference between a mandolin banjo and an onion? Asking for a friend.
    You swerve to avoid the oni... wait a minute, what was the question again?
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    Does anyone know the difference between a mandolin banjo and an onion? Asking for a friend.
    Perfect pitch? No, hang on, that's throwing a banjo in a dumpster without touching the sides. Wait, I've got it - if you have an onion on the back seat of your car, nobody leaves two more?

  10. #31

    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    I have a mandolin-banjo (maybe a Slingerland) that I use a lot. I play it at the local Irish session, where it is the perfect sound and volume. I also play it at the local mixed-genre jam, where it is great for rock solos. The complex overtones make it like a distorted guitar. It has a large calfskin head which doesn't really affect the tuning very much.

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  12. #32
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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    Quote Originally Posted by maxr View Post
    Perfect pitch? No, hang on, that's throwing a banjo in a dumpster without touching the sides. Wait, I've got it - if you have an onion on the back seat of your car, nobody leaves two more?
    Nah, nobody cries when they cut up a mandolin banjo. The only problem I ever had with them was keeping them in tune.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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  14. #33
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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    You guys are cruel, CRUEL!

    Every instrument has its place, somewhere.* I played my Vega Little Wonder MB in a klezmer band, on certain tunes; it held its own with clarinet and accordion. I posted above an MP3 of my Celtic band Innisfree with Mark Deprez playing one he built himself.

    My experience is that larger-bodied ones aren't as shrill, and experimenting with string types and gauges can get you to a sound that you find acceptable.

    * Maybe except the bombarde, and I'm not sure about spoons, either.
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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    You guys are cruel, CRUEL!

    Every instrument has its place, somewhere.* * Maybe except the bombarde, and I'm not sure about spoons, either.
    Bombarde can be OK on its own at a distance. But the Biniou, that's something else. We're talking, folks, of a small deafeaningly loud bagpipe with one drone that sound one octave above the Highland bagpipe. Bretons say it was neccessary because bombarde and biniou used to play sitting on a big wine barrel head for weddings with 00's of people dancing. I say that's not sufficient excuse for those of us who (just about) remember the cord driven dentist's drill.

    Spoons can keep your drummer from doing anything worse...
    Last edited by maxr; Jan-20-2021 at 3:30pm. Reason: typos

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  18. #35
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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    Every instrument has its place, somewhere ... Maybe except the bombarde, and I'm not sure about spoons, either.
    Spoons have a place, all right. In the kitchen drawer!
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

    Furthering Mandolin Consciousness

    Finders Keepers, my duo with the astoundingly talented and versatile Patti Rothberg. Our EP is finally done, and available! PM me, while they last!

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  20. #36
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    The only mandolin banjo (or banjo mandolin) I own is a small headed (~7") Weymann style 25. It has a skin head and I bought it back around the mid 1970s mostly because it was the only one of its kind I could stomach to the sound of. I don't play it all that much but it came in handy when a band I was in played the black stringband tune Jackson Stomp.

    Frankly, unless you prefer the percussive sound of these instruments, I would look into a resonator mandolin for a loud acoustic sound. I have a National RM-1 which can be heard over semis on the interstate but still has a sweet tone even at those high volumes. I actually sold my vintage National for this modernized one. They ain't cheap or easy to find used or new, but worth checking out.
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  21. #37
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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    I think a resonator mandolin is a great suggestion. I looked for one for years while in my first jug band (a time period which predated the interweb, with its attendant assistance and ease in searching). At one point a visit to my luthier proved fruitful. Hanging on a wall was one such - not for sale - and a 1935 Triolian steel tenor guitar - which was. Plunked down me hard-earned money, I did. It had exactly the sound I was looking for, which provided listeners instant entry into that era. And oh yes, it was good and loud. I'd still like a reso mando someday, but this baby does quite well.

    Also, a resonator would provide volume without sacrificing, ah, auditory integrity. Volume isn't everything; being heard is no victory if the sound one hears isn't pleasant. Not that banjolins can't be pleasant - plenty of testimonials here to that point - but one wishes to hedge one's bets, so to speak. My experience is mostly limited to the two I've owned, which runs somewhat counter to Allen's. That is, the one with a larger plastic head was much more shrill than the one with a smaller skin head. I've always thought both the smaller size and material contributed to the latter's more pleasant sound. I admit, my survey is based on a very small sample set. But it seems logical to me that such an instrument would tend to produce quite the opposite of the qualities in the premise presented in the lead sentence of this paragraph. That said, it may take more effort, time, and money for the OP to acquire a reso mando than a decent banjolin, which is worth considering.
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

    Furthering Mandolin Consciousness

    Finders Keepers, my duo with the astoundingly talented and versatile Patti Rothberg. Our EP is finally done, and available! PM me, while they last!

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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    And, of course, there's the commodium:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQy1...rodcaryandfoss

    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

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  25. #39
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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    BTW & FWIW, the builder (and Café member) Keith Cary is playing cello in the video, not his ingenious construction.
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

    Furthering Mandolin Consciousness

    Finders Keepers, my duo with the astoundingly talented and versatile Patti Rothberg. Our EP is finally done, and available! PM me, while they last!

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    Default Re: Mandolin Banjo?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ranald View Post
    And, of course, there's the commodium:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQy1...rodcaryandfoss

    I always enjoy seeing that clip when posted!
    Charley

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