Resonator banjo-ukulele
Alternate name(s)
- Resonator banjolele
- Resonator ukulele-banjo
- Resonator banjo uke
- Resonator banjulele
Date1922-1930 ca.
Place MadeUnited States, North America
Serial No.none
SignednoneMarkingsStamped on tuners: PAT.PEND / WAVERLY
Remains of paper scraps glued on inside of back
DescriptionSee banjo-ukulele with similar alternating light and dark wood rim, NMM 3320, probably sold by Lyon & Healy.
NMM 10,665 has a groove on the inside of the rim that appears to be without a function. In NMM 3320 this groove accommodates six brackets of the Rocco A. Carlucci tension hoop patent (U. S. Patent No. 1,409,078, awarded March 7, 1922). It is possible that this instrument was designed to have either type of tension hoop, or that the Carlucci patent took advantage of a groove that was already part of the manufacturing process for this type of instrument.
The banjo ukulele was invented by Alvin D. Keech around 1918, and was popular through the 1920s and 1930s.
Neck: three-piece maple-mahogany-maple
Peghead: shield-shaped upper edge; mahogany veneer with alternating light and dark wood chevron capped edge lined with maple strip; chevron light and dark wood inlay divided by maple strip and lined with maple strips along center line
Fingerboard: mahogany; fifteen nickel-silver frets; continues decoration of peghead
Heel cap: mahogany
Rim: alternating 23mm-wide pieces of maple and mahogany, the grain running perpendicular to the head; alternating light and dark wood chevron capped edges lined with maple strip; groove on inside diameter at midpoint, possibly to accommodate a Rocco Carlucci patented tension hoop. See NMM 3320.
Head: calf-skin
Tension hoop: nickel-plated steel with seven nickel-plated steel dome-headed screws, set into wood of rib
Back: arched three-ply mahogany-maple-maple plywood with two f-holes; affixed to rim with six small brass tacks
Nut: mahogany
Tuners: nickel-plated brass pegs with tension screws and black bakelite heads
Bridge: missing; green felt damper
Tailpiece: nickel-plated brass sheet metal affixed to body with small brass tack
Finish: clear varnish with craquelure
DimensionsTotal instrument length: 526mm; 20-13/16 inches
Vibrating string length: 312 mm; 12-1/4 inches
Fingerboard length: 229 mm; 9 inches
Fingerboard width at nut: 30 mm; 1-3/16 inches
Fingerboard width at body: 45 mm; 1-13/16 inches
Head diameter: 132 mm; 6-3/8 inches
Rim depth: 61 mm; 2-7/16 inches
ProvenanceBelonged to Frances Sinclair Brennan (1898-1991).
Credit LineGift of Ruth Brennan, 2004
Object number10665
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