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Minou

Jetel 8

 

Inside this trombone-looking case crouches: Minou.

Behold: Minou.

Minou (MIN-oo) is a Keech-style banjolele identified on the headstock as Jetel 8.

Jetel (JT-L) = Jerome Thibouville-Lamy, a prominent French manufacturer of violins and such for a couple of centuries, from 1730 to 1950-ish. That's pedigree, babydoll.

8 = Still working out the 8.

But what you want to know is, why is she called Minou?

Minoo is a town in Japan.

But that is not germane. What happened is that I mentioned to my friend Babs that I had bought another ukelele. "French made," I said. "You said french maid," she said. French Maid sounded like an excellent name for a ukulele, I said. No, she wanted to name the french maid, she said. Hence, back to the spoon.

Or rather, hence, Minou:

Minou is decorated wiiiiiiiith: a HERRING.

Herringbone inlay, that is. Actually, I'm not sure what a herringbone pattern is. A web search yields many patterns named herringbone, so I divine that herringbone is whatever you say it is.

Minou, I proclaim thee herringboned.

Minou is one loud french maid. I have ceased to refer to the herringbonery & now speak of decibels.

But how could she not be loud? Take a look at that fine French backside.

A British auction house recently sold a Jetel 8 banjolele just like Minou for £145 (about US$276.60). I didn't pay quite that much, not that I don't like French maids as much as the next American clod.


 

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