1880s/1920s Frankenstein Vega Baritone Banjo Ukulele (Tenor Banjo) Conversion

October 28, 2023

1880s/1920s Frankenstein Vega Baritone Banjo Ukulele (Tenor Banjo) Conversion

My pal Andrew from Mass-land plays a ton of bass but doubles on banjos and baritone ukuleles. He came in the shop with an 1880s banjo (with a messed-up neck) and he loved the rim enough to want to cobble-together a "baritone banjo ukulele" for himself.

I scrounged-around on eBay and snagged this cool Vega Style N banjo neck from the '20s, fit some nice Gotoh pegs to it, and set it up as the instrument of his desires. As a result it's a tenor banjo with an alternate stringing, but it's stupid-lightweight and cozy to handle and has a late-1800s, old-time banjo vibe to it. I like!

There were hiccups when fitting all the bits together as there can be, but the end instrument is quite lovely even if it does have a pretty tall bridge (with "shoes" on its feet while I wait to see where the instrument settles).

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, cobbling-together, new tuners, setup, etc.

Weight: 2 lbs 14 oz

Scale length: 21"

Nut width: 1 1/8"

Neck shape: medium V

Board radius: flat

Head diameter: 10"

Depth overall at rim: 2 1/8"

Rim wood: maple

Tonering: none

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: ebonized maple