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Giving Old Instruments New Life with a Fresh Look

Over the years I have had dozens of these old Banjo Mandolins through my repair shop. Well if the truth be told not all go through, abut stay stashed on a shelf as the customer does not see the value in the cost of the repair. They just want it repaired 'cos it was grandads. Most are past saving at a reasonable cost.

So I came up with this idea, and did this project just to see what is involved in making playable a wrecked out of shape instrument. Instead of a new skin, cost of a new head and the labour to fit it is big dollars for most of these instruments, I fitted a Cedar top. Then you find that the neck is bowed, the frets have had the life filed out of them over the years, and the fingerboard is so thin it does not grip the frets well anyway.

Anyway that was the case with this one. All of the above was fixed, even replaced the fingerboard and refretted it. Lots of changes inside too. So..........before and after photos.

From this.......

To This.......... Taff

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Permalink Reply by Keith Rearick on July 6, 2019 at 5:50am

Nice job, Looks ready to sing again.

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on July 6, 2019 at 10:39am

Great solution for instruments that have been ridden hard and put away wet.

If the frets are gone, then it would make a great slider. Re-tuned to an open tuning and it's back in the business of making music.

Nice work

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Permalink Reply by Blues Frog on July 9, 2019 at 1:27pm

That's a mighty fine transformation. How does it play?

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on July 10, 2019 at 3:05pm

Hi, with a new friingerboard new frets a new nut and a massive back bow removed from the neck, it plays sounds and feels more like a mandolin, more than a banjo, I like it. Very loud though.

Taff

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Permalink Reply by Mike Parker on July 13, 2019 at 8:26am

Do you have a sound clip of it? Looks really nice!!!

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on July 13, 2019 at 11:15am

Hi Mike, I'll post a video soon, I can't seem to post one here without going onto utube, and I ain't doing that with a mandolin. I have posted short videos before without having to go on utube so I'll try again.

Taff