How To: Stringing a California-style Banjo Ukulele

Many old 1910s-1930s "inline-rim" or "California-style" banjo-ukuleles come with this simple stamped tailpiece design. It took me a while to figure-out the easiest way to string it. It looks simple -- just ball-up the end of a string and pop it in the hole -- but unless your ball-end is large enough the strings can slip-out under tension. To get a big balled-up end on the string then means it's hard to pop the balled-end into the holes for mounting, so it's a "compromise" stringing.

Here's how I do it instead:

1) I start with the C&E strings. I insert the new string through the face of the tailpiece and point it so it comes out the side where the tailpiece is bent.

2) Next, I ball the end up. First I start with a granny knot, but leave its loop a little open.

3) I make another granny knot but pass my end through the loop of the first one. I do this 2-3 times for the bigger C&E strings and maybe 4-5 times for the thinner strings to make a nice, bigger ball-end that snugs against the tailpiece rear happily.


4) Once I have the ball-end done, I pul it back through the curved part o the tailpiece.


5) I can then pull it up snug and go up to the tuners from here. This is a lot more secure than if I'd had to use a smaller ball-end pushed-in from the outside and places the pressure of the string more on the ball than on the sides of the string itself.

Comments

Oscar Stern said…
Ernie Ball now makes Ball End Ukulele strings which make restringing a Snap.
Pete Davis said…
The Ernie Ball ball end beads are too big to fit into the tail plate. However, after tying them off I did find that they settled in more quickly than any other ukulele string I have tried. Maybe the wooden tuning pegs on my Harmony banjolele made the difference. YMMV.
Pete Davis