Fatboy Special

Like the Cigar-Box, the Biscuit Tin, (or Cookie Tin if your American), is traditionally a homemade instrument using an old metal container of some description. It is generally called a Banjo as with a floating bridge and a tailpiece, the finished instrument is more like a Banjo than a Ukulele or Guitar. I've said for some time that one day I would make a Biscuit Tin Banjolele however... 

I had a couple of conversations with my friend Fat Mullet Slim, in one I said I could do a website for him and his band and in the other we talked about Cigar Box Ukuleles and how these days the look was impaired by the big health warnings. The conversation then turned to Biscuit Tin Banjoleles and that they didn't (yet) have health warnings despite the fact their contents are bad for you too...

Now I have a Biscuit-Tin Banjolele, This one, with the special logo on the headstock and the health warning, and is much better than anything I could build so I don't see me trying ever to make one of my own. It does help me with the Ukulele diet though and now I have it I have no excuse to do the one part of making a Biscuit-Tin Banjolele that I am good at - emptying the tin!

The scale length is 36cm so its just into the Concert Scale and I'm told it needed a lot of bracing (well it is a big tin). It has a very interesting tone - very resonant - almost echoy, but it's quite quiet so its one for playing at home for my own enjoyment

Thank you Fat Mullet and if anyone gets the chance check out the Saltwater Rednecks