Looking for banjolele $250 or under

I'm looking for a banjolele in the price range of around $200, max $250. I want one that sounds as much like a banjo as possible, in uke tuning (if that makes sense). I'm open to new or old, as long as they still sound good. Interested in Firefly, Eddy Finn, Dixie, or whatever you throw my way!

Just a suggestion (no financial interest), I picked up a Gretsch 9470 banjolele new at the local GC for under $250 (there is usually some kind of discount as well).

The Gretsch 9470 in the store sounded thumpy. Brought it home, changed the strings to Aquila Nyguts, tuned (properly tightened) the head (very important!), set up the nut to a better string height, replaced the stock bridge with a $5 Deering Banjo 4-string bridge, and re-set the bridge position for proper intonation. The result is a banjolele that now gets as much playing time as my Deering 17-Fret Tenor Banjo.

Many banjoleles (new and used) are not set up right for optimum (or even adequate) performance. As a result a lot of makes get poor reviews from customers expecting out-of-the-box decent spund or have had the instrument "set up" by techs/luthiers who are not banjo-centric.

Good luck on the hunt. Your price range is reasonable, especially if you are ready to spend another $15 for decent strings and a banjo-quality bridge.

SteveZ said:

Just a suggestion (no financial interest), I picked up a Gretsch 9470 banjolele new at the local GC for under $250 (there is usually some kind of discount as well).

The Gretsch 9470 in the store sounded thumpy. Brought it home, changed the strings to Aquila Nyguts, tuned (properly tightened) the head (very important!), set up the nut to a better string height, replaced the stock bridge with a $5 Deering Banjo 4-string bridge, and re-set the bridge position for proper intonation. The result is a banjolele that now gets as much playing time as my Deering 17-Fret Tenor Banjo.

Many banjoleles (new and used) are not set up right for optimum (or even adequate) performance. As a result a lot of makes get poor reviews from customers expecting out-of-the-box decent spund or have had the instrument "set up" by techs/luthiers who are not banjo-centric.

Good luck on the hunt. Your price range is reasonable, especially if you are ready to spend another $15 for decent strings and a banjo-quality bridge.

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:agree: Yup, what Steve said.

I bought a Rally concert with full reso on UU at a steal. (read also Eddie Finn). Nearly all of the Asian banjo ukes are Goldtone clones. I had a calfskin head and a no knot tailpiece installed along with a full setup by Goldtone (I live 45 minutes away) at a very reasonable price. It sounds as much like a regular banjo as a banjo uke with non-metal strings can. It's also heavy as hell and requires a decent strap or shoulder pad at least 2" wide (at least for my ageing shoulder).

I have the Gretsch 9470. I have been trying to sell it locally, but have had no takers. I was going to post it on here in about a week if no one bought it. Great condition, and can shoot some pictures your way if you're interested it. It has Living Water strings on it, its all I had at the time so thats whats on there. Maybe Aquilas would be better. Definitely would do what Steve said, and get a new bridge for proper intonation. I was meaning to do that, but just never got around to it. Only reason I'm selling is that she gets the least attention, would rather someone have her that will play her! Will ship it FEDEX for free for $175.

ovejito said:

I have the Gretsch 9470. I have been trying to sell it locally, but have had no takers. I was going to post it on here in about a week if no one bought it. Great condition, and can shoot some pictures your way if you're interested it. It has Living Water strings on it, its all I had at the time so thats whats on there. Maybe Aquilas would be better. Definitely would do what Steve said, and get a new bridge for proper intonation. I was meaning to do that, but just never got around to it. Only reason I'm selling is that she gets the least attention, would rather someone have her that will play her! Will ship it FEDEX for free for $175.

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This looks like an excellent deal. If you take ovejito up on it and change out the bridge, try to find a two-footed bridge.

Another suggestion is to find a tenor banjo and string it either GCEA or DGBE with steel strings. That way, you'd have all the uke fingerings, but it would sound the most like a banjo that it could. You could also use nylon strings.

zac987 said:

Another suggestion is to find a tenor banjo and string it either GCEA or DGBE with steel strings. That way, you'd have all the uke fingerings, but it would sound the most like a banjo that it could. You could also use nylon strings.

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I've done the reverse and use the Aquila Nygut 31U string set, tuning CGDA as that's what's on my tenor banjo. I like the Nygut as it's a pretty hard material and (in my humble opinion) the harder the string, the better the banjo sounds. Banjos are really not to be warm and mellow, but to have a bite and bark, and many ukulele strings are made to respond in a warm/mellow manner. Nygut is as close to steel as I've found so far.

On the Deering Banjo website they sell banjo bridges amongst everything else banjo-related, and I got a couple extra 4-string bridges there for $5 each, one of which I put on the Gretsch with great results.

I find the Aquila red strings make it bark even more. That's what I have on all three models of my EddyFinn banjo ukuleles. The little soprano can easily have a plate back attached that stands 3/16 away from the back, so even snugged up, the sound is not absorbed by the human body.

I played an old Harmony tenor last night. The overall length was the only thing that I did not like. The grab and go size of the little soprano with a low g, suits my needs far better. Long train crossing waits...construction delays....I LOVE 'EM ! that thing is in my hands, and I enjoy the wait. That cannot be done with a tenor banjo without rolling down a window. Oregon is often not window down weather.

The full reflector that throws the sound to the front is a lot of weight that makes it my third choice instrument. The plated back concert model gave me the idea to do it to my open back soprano. I like its longer neck for up the neck work, but the soprano really is my grab and go choice.

Jump on the one for 175 shipped!