Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. Finding best ukulele for beginners can be overwhelming. It’s possible the neck has moved as far as it can. At its current price, I’m afraid it’s not a very good value. Kmise Banjolele Starter Kit: Best Cheap Banjolele Runner-Up Check Price on Amazon If you’re not sure that the banjolele is the right instrument for you and you’d like to give it a try while keeping a tight rein on your spending, then you’re probably going to like the way this banjolele from Kmise pairs affordability with decent quality. The Goodtime Banjo Ukulele has a much bigger rim than a standard banjolele. I bought this to be a tiny banjolele to take outside on lunch breaks in the summer, and I expect it will be perfect for that purpose. The rim is generally fabricated with wood, but some banjo ukuleles contain metal or plastic rims. The Banjo ukulele is patterned after banjolele from the 1920s and 1930s—the height of the instruments popularity. The tension of a banjolele head can drop over time as the head stretches out. Many Asian-made banjoleles are excellent, especially for the money. A banjolele implies a small stringed instrument, which consists of the body of a banjo and the neck of a ukulele. Most people are familiar with the traditional wooden acoustic ukulele, but there are many other interesting types of ukuleles! Top subscription boxes – right to your door, New Kala KA-BNJ-BK-S Satin Black Soprano Banjo Ukulele Banjolele Uke, See all details for New Kala KA-BNJ-BK-S Satin Black Soprano Banjo Ukulele Banjolele Uke, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Many old banjo ukes will need things like a new head, new bridge, new strings, new tuners, neck adjustment, setup, and so on. The Kala Banjo ukulele is … I’ve also found that smartphone tuner apps work well. This instrument has a unique way of combining the style of the ukulele with the … Those smaller banjo ukes tend to have a more plunky tone with less bass and sustain. We used to sell this model at my music store, and I can confirm that they were beautifully built, played well, and sounded great. The craftsmanship is excellent, and it has the best fit and finish I’ve seen on a banjolele in this price range. These include: This is one of the only banjoleles on this list that is made in the USA. My ukulele buying guide will help you choose a ukulele that meets your needs and budget. It’s best to avoid tweaking the neck angle too much. I wouldn’t let this scare you away–this is a really nice instrument and probably one of the best banjolele deals on the market right now. I want to help you find the best uke for your budget and skill level. 4) Kala (KA-BNJ-C) One of the most loved and obsessed about brands by Ukulele players around the world, Kala makes just as good a Banjolele. I go into more detail on each instrument below. The build quality and fit and finish were OK, but I never felt they were worth the money. This page works best with JavaScript. A quick search on eBay results in dozens of interesting used banjoleles for sale. Others will result in a warmer, mellower voice. Bellissimo,ottima qualità,avevamo già un ukulele kala.....ma questo banjoukulele è super,rapporto qualità prezzo ottimo,lo consiglio vivamente , da completare con il kit di amplificazione. I’m generally a big fan of Kala ukes, and their KA-BJN-C is no exception. According to Kmise (and at least one reviewer), removing the back plate results in a brighter, more punchy tone. This is such a common problem I’ve written a whole article about why ukuleles won’t stay in tune. I recommend just doing 1/8 of a turn at a time, checking the action after each turn. The Kmise banjolele is currently one of the top-selling, best-rated banjo ukes on Amazon. Those instruments offer better quality at a lower price, plus they include a gig bag and clip-on tuner. Customer reviews indicate that most people are happy with their OBU1, but I did see a number of complaints that the instrument needed a fair amount of setup work before it was playable. Some strings will produce a louder, brighter tone. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. The Goodtime banjolele has a handful of unique features that set it apart from other banjoleles, which I’ll cover in detail below. ... a custom Mya Moe resonator, and a Gold Tone banjolele. My guide to the best cheap ukes has everything you need to know to find a great budget uke. The Kala Banjolele powerfully combines the outstanding features of a Banjo and a Uke. There are a lot of different types of ukulele strings, and they can have a huge impact on the tone of your uke. For example, if your banjolele has a soprano scale, you’ll need to buy soprano strings. When it comes to beginner ukuleles, Kala is one of the oldest brands around. A small adjustment to the coordinator rod can have a big effect on the neck angle, so it’s best to work in small increments. The only thing that holds it in position is the downward pressure from the strings. They were decent, but not great. This model has an even larger 12″ rim. Even though the banjolele looks like a tiny banjo, it’s much closer to a ukulele. All I had to do was use the included plastic template to set the bridge in the correct position and I was ready to go. I would imagine the Kmise banjolele is of similar quality, and based on customer reviews, this seems to be the case. Buying a cheap ukulele is tempting, but it's easy to get burned. Deering Goodtime Banjo Ukulele (Concert Scale), Difference Between Banjo and a Banjo Ukulele. One of their claims to fame is that every Deering banjo is made in the USA, including their affordable Goodtime series. To my ears, the Goodtime banjolele has a bit more of a banjo-like sound than the other banjo ukes featured in this article. Like most things, the answer largely depends on your budget. Most banjoleles are based on a soprano or concert ukulele scale, although tenor scale banjo ukes do exist. There are dozens of ukulele tuners online that work fine, but I’d recommending investing in a good clip-on tuner. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to experiment with different head tensions, I recommend, 5. This page shows a variety of ukulele offerings from Kala ranging from custom instruments built entirely at their headquarters in Petaluma to import models that excel in value. If you’re on a budget or just want a banjolele to fool around with as a second instrument, the Kmise banjolele is a safe bet. When buying strings for a banjolele, make sure you’re getting the right size. Sometimes the seller knows enough about instruments to accurately describe any issues; other times you’re pretty much buying blind and hoping for the best. A few features that I like about the Aklot banjolele: While it’s not exactly a feature, I also liked that my Aklot banjolele played perfect right out of the box. The head tension and neck angle both seemed about right, so I didn’t have to fiddle with either. This results in a tone that’s louder, warmer, and bigger than most of the other banjo ukes featured in this article. It’s totally normal for a new banjo uke to go out of tune over and over. This problem will be especially noticeable as you play further up the neck. Buying a vintage instrument from a stranger online isn’t without risk. Many manufacturers ship their banjoleles with the bridge laying flat on the head, which is safer for shipping. […] It's not as resonant as my Gold Tone deluxe, but you have to expect that of an open-back with a 6 inch head. Capable of easy projection thanks to the concert-sized body, the KA-BNJ-BK-C is complemented with an 8" hoop diameter and real Remo Weatherking Banjo Head for a plucky, bright character. A banjolele bridge is known as a “floating” bridge, which means it’s not glued in place. The Deering Banjo Ukulele is also available with a 17″ tenor scale. Considering the somewhat high price of the OBU1, I’d steer people towards the Aklot or Kmise models mentioned above. You can learn more about these models on my reviews page. A banjolele is tuned G-C-E-A, just like a standard uke. Most manufacturers will set the tension properly from the factory, so you probably shouldn’t try to adjust it right away unless your uke doesn’t sound right. In my experience, acoustic instruments made in the USA are higher quality and have better fit and finish than cheaper mass-produced, imported products. Folks who have a little more to spend will want to check out the Deering Goodtime or the Magic Fluke Firefly. Read more on my About Me page. Confused about uke sizes? Positioning the bridge correctly means your uke will have good intonation and will play in tune in all positions. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2016. Not all banjoleles have a coordinator rod. A banjolele is usually tuned like a standard ukulele: G-C-E-A. It is a beautiful musical instrument with four strings, a body of a banjo, and a ukulele neck. It gives a clean glassy finish that shows of the beautiful woods and protects it, while still being thin enough to let the wood speak. The head is typically plastic, but some older banjoleles had heads made from animal skin. If the string height seems unusually high or low, you can try changing it by adjusting the neck angle. One problem is that many of these older banjoleles need a lot of work before they’re playable. Kala uses the same UV cured gloss finish as Taylor Guitars, and Kanile’a Ukulele. For a louder, brighter tone, some players prefer to use a pick. They’ve made a name for themselves by offering good quality at an affordable price. Try to work with the bridge to adjust action height if possible. If you feel like your banjolele has lost some of its punch, you may want to tighten the head slightly. That feeling is also true of their OBU1 banjolele. One interesting feature is the removable back plate. Deering is one of the most well-known names in banjos. This model has a 15″ scale, which makes it comparable to a concert ukulele size.It’s available in a handful of different inlay patterns, such as dots, diamonds, flowers, and blocks. The tension of a banjolele’s head can affect the tone. I believe they are the best selling ukulele line in the world market at this point. Banjos ukulele, sometimes called a banjolele or banjo uke is a special kind of ukulele with a drum-like body. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. You can still see all customer reviews for the product. It’s available in a handful of different inlay patterns, such as dots, diamonds, flowers, and blocks. If it has a concert scale, look for concert ukulele strings. Many of these banjo ukes were made decades ago, giving them a cool vintage vibe that’s impossible to match with a new instrument. We’re only worried about the part of the string that vibrates, not the part that is resting on the top of the nut or bridge. 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