1920s Harmony-made California-style Banjo Ukulele




A consignor sent this in for resale and, while working on another banjo of his, I got it going. These old "California-style" (meaning: inset top-tension rim of low-cost design) banjo ukes were made by the boatload in the '20s and early '30s and they turn-up all over the place with varying colors, finishes, and decorations. This is one of the plainest types, though it does have neat decals applied to the side of the rim and the neck's face. I'm pretty sure it was made by Harmony in the mid-'20s.

After work is done, these play just as well as a fancier banjo uke, though their sound is much more folky and mellow. These are only a little bit louder than a decent soprano uke so the "banjo" part of it is more about tone and zip than it is about punching above your jam friends.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, side dots install, replacement tuners (1920s friction pegs), replacement bridge, extra bolt-reinforcement and neck angle adjustment to the heel, cleaning, and setup.

Setup notes: action is bang-on at 1/16" at the 12th fret overall, the neck is straight, and it's strung with light-gauge Aquila Nylgut strings.

Scale length: 12 7/8"
Nut width: 1 3/8"
String spacing at nut: 1 1/16"
String spacing at bridge: 1 3/8"
Head diameter: 5 5/8"
Rim diameter: 7"
Rim depth: 2"
Rim material: ply maple(?)
Neck wood: poplar
Bridge: maple/ebony vintage '20s-era
Neck feel: slim-med C, flat board

Condition notes: there's wear-and-tear throughout with lots of nicks, scratches, and dings. That's totally normal for this type of banjo-uke and I've only seen one or two I'd describe anywhere near clean. The tuners are vintage replacements and the bridge is a vintage replacement, too. There's one tiny little tear on the head near the tailpiece, but it's stable and a non-issue.











Comments

Avital said…
Hooray! Thanks for the thorough writeup. I have one just like this that we got a "body" of in an antique store near NJ or maybe it was eastern PA. My dad, a hobbyist guitar builder, was able to affix tuning knobs, strings, and the same fret on the bottom (sorry if my vocab's wrong). This was done 15 years ago when I was 10 years old and before I was really into the 1920s (I was more into medieval times back then), but now as hobby/career historic interpreter I couldn't be more pleased. I have grown to love this fantastic uke and its twangy sound, adds such a great rhythm to songs I wrote. I love the fancy decal around the rim of your model. Fantastic!