1920s Slingerland MayBell-Style (Regal-made) Banjo Ukulele

Update 10/8/23: I've just put a set of 4:1 geared uke pegs (black finish) on this uke so it's easier to tune-up and will stay in tune better, too. Photos soon.

I've worked on so many iterations of this banjo-uke model that they all look like water flashing in the sunlight in the river to me, these days. This is only slightly fancier than the basic model as it has a painted headstock and separate fretboard (vs. a fretboard that's just the top of the neck). Because it lacks a tonering, it doesn't have an ear-piercing sound -- which is a good thing! It still has plenty of volume for jamming with, however.

While these are branded Slingerland, I'm almost certain Regal in Chicago was the builder. This same banjo-uke type is seen in Concertone, MayBell, and other various minor brands fairly regularly but the vast majority of them say "Slingerland MayBell" somewhere on them.

I helped my friend Gus get this one adjusted many moons ago. Since then its skin tore and he replaced the head with one I gave him. Post-replacement the setup had drifted but when it came back in recently for sale, I just had to do a few small tweaks to get it back to playing spot-on. It's now stable and ready to go.

Repairs included: (previously) a fret level/dress and the owner fit a new vintage head (not perfectly, but soundly) and, just now, a setup and additional plate for the neckbolt that had been fit in the past (the original shim-style neck brace on this guy kept falling out).

Weight: 1 lb 14 oz

Scale length: 13 1/8"

Nut width: 1 3/8"

Neck shape: medium V

Board radius: flat

Head diameter: 6 3/4"

Depth overall at rim: 2 1/2"

Rim wood: ply maple

Tonering: none

Bridge: maple/ebony 3-foot

Fretboard: looks like rosewood but isn't

Neck wood: maple

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16” overall (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: some sort of "crystal" nylon

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: low/small

Condition notes: there's a little chip-out at the very end of the fretboard and mild wear and tear throughout the finish. The head is replaced but the owner used an old '20s Slingerland skin that I gave him from my pile of old skin heads. The neck brace/bolt is not original but it is a period plate. It has a replacement tailpiece (No Knot). The Grover friction pegs are unoriginal, too, but hold fine. Still -- they're friction pegs and so can be a little fussy.

It comes with: a gigbag.