What's the best Banjo Ukulele for around 200 dollars?

Their is around a half dozen options that i know of, not to mention vintage ones on ebay.

For me the Front runner is The Magic Flukes' Firefly model. I tried one and I felt good about it. I also liked the $300 concert Kala that was out of my price range, and I didn't particularly care for the Kala soprano. Those are the only 3 I've gotten to try, sadly.

I've also considered possibly getting a vintage one off of ebay, but for my first banjolele that seems like a bit of a shot in the dark.

Anyone have a suggestion for a good one I may not be aware of I can research?

Should I give a vintage one on ebay a shot?

Should I stick with the Firefly?

I took a gamble on a vintage banjo uke from a member here. I have seen a few of the same type but only one other that was rebuilt in anywhere as good a condition. The wooden tuning pegs are giving me a little trouble I need to buy some peg dope or try an online recipe.

My banjo uke is tiny and needs a strap to play comfortably. It is easily the loudest ukulele I own that isn't plugged into an amplifier.

I own an old pineapple flea soprano and I would expect the build quality of the firefly to be consistent so if you liked one you should be safe.

With any you will also need to learn how to set up a banjo as they are a different beast, easily more banjo than ukulele in many respects.

~peace~

EDIT: Welcome to the forums BTW!

Depends on how much you know about banjo setup, maintenance, tuning and such. In many ways a banjo uke is really a cut-down banjo strung with nylon and tuned whatever. Knowing how to tune one (head tuning, bridge placement) and keep it working properly is different than with a conventional ukulele.

If one wants a "no work, no maintenances, play it out of the box" instrument, the FireFly is a great choice. For the person who is "into" banjos, there are a couple new options and usually some good used options appearing with in the UU marketplace!

First, you seem to be uncomfortable with a soprano size banjo uke, so I suggest you start with a concert size. I stumbled onto an amazing deal for my concert, but if I hadn't, in hindsight, I'd have gotten a nice, clean, concert size vintage. Many at a great price if you are patient. If you are not, this may be one of the better deals you will find: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gretsch-273...160?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d34bf0eb0

You will have to "fine tune" the setup anyway and this is a reputable dealer.

Wow, great responses guys. Really informative.

I was looking at the gretsch, also. I watched two reviews on youtube about it. The first one the guy really liked it, the second the other guy said to stay away from it. They both said it needed some tweeting to get it up to par. I have long fingers, so a concert would be nice. But on the other hand, all Magic Fluke uke fretboards are longer then the average uke in the same category. Maybe that's why the Firefly soprano just physically felt better to me then the Kala soprano.

I don't know anything about banjo maintenance, so I'll take the advice to stay away from the vintage ones for little while. I might have a better shot tweeting a new one, but it wouldn't be fun for me particularly. If their was one that blew everything else in the same price range out of the water I'd give it a shot.

There are tenor banjo ukes out there, but not for $200. Also, you could consider a 17 fret tenor banjo tuned GCEA. It will require some string changes, but is a perfectly acceptable alternative tuning for that instrument, as well as tenor guitars.

You may also have some luck with a WTB post for your banjo uke in our UU Marketplace

THIS JUST POPPED UP ON EBAY. OS HAS GREAT GUARANTEE http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Oscar-S...255?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item54213fb1b7

A few not so great reviews, mostly good ones. Consider what this one costs as an "entry level" banjo uke. http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Schmidt-OUB1-Ukulele-Satin/dp/B008FLSNCI

[snide]
The best banjo-uke for under US$200 is... none, because the banjo-uke is an abomination. [/me fondles /me own nearly-century-old Varsity] Well, most of them.
[/snide]

I can't discuss modern banjo-ukes 'cause I haven't bothered with them. I *can* say that my ~90-100-year-old soprano Varsity has its original skin head and D'Addario T2 'Titanium' EJ87S strings and it's not real loud, certainly softer than my concert and other soprano 'ukes. It's good for a quiet bluegrassy sound.

The old Varsity has taught me:

* Banjo-uke setup is critical but not difficult.
* Banjo maintenance is not difficult, either.
* I hate tuning pegs. Machines only, please.

IF a new banjo-uke was on my radar, and IF volume was important to me, THEN my search criteria would include:

* Concert or tenor size; soprano is really too small.
* A bright-tone synthetic head, not muted natural skin.
* Tuning machines and tension rod so steel strings can be used.
* A resonator back really pumps up the sound and can be easliy built.

As with any instrument, you'd do best to hit shops and try everything till something bites you.

Recently got a tenor banjo uke for $220 delivered (SideKick model from www.banjouke.kiwi). As mentioned earlier, some knowledge of banjo anatomy care should always accompany a banjonuke acquisition.

I make the Southern Cross banjo uke so I know a little bit about the instrument. If I had US $200 to spend, I personally would stay away from new builds, most of which will be mass-produced somewhere in Asia. Instead I would buy used on ebay. There are quite a few good quality older bu's to be had for the money you have, some will need a little work, others nothing other than perhaps new strings. A $200 dollar investment in a well built quality instrument 80 or 90 years old would, in my very humble opinion, be a much safer bet than a similar investment in the new instrument market .
Best wishes.

The Firefly is built at the Magic Fluke Company factory in the U.S., but it's also not a traditional banjo-uke (one of the advantages of which should be lower maintenance than a more traditional build). If you like the Firefly, I'd consider it. I own a Flea and love it.

Re: k0k0peli's comment "A bright-tone synthetic head, not muted natural skin" a bit of an overgeneralization. May be true for his varsity, but I have a concert size Rally, basically a Goldtone clone, with a full reso and a new calfskin head that is anything but "muted." It's louder than anything I own and as loud as the mylar head it used to have, it just sounds more like a real banjo now. Proper tension is, however, more critical as is humidity levels.

Hi,
We make a tenor banjolele, delivered, for $219.
Here's a review:-
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com...-SideKick-Banjo-Uke&highlight=sidekick+review
Ed
ed@banjouke.kiwi

Threadjack!

What's a decent CHEAP banjo-uke, preferably larger than soprano? The purpose: resale as souvenirs at a period event space. That market won't support anything fancy/costly but we don't want to sell cheap crap either. Any suggestions?

Are you sure the Firefly you tested was a soprano? They make concerts, too. If you like the Firefly, then buy it. There's nothing better out there in the $200 price range. Not unless you are incredibly lucky (is that an old Gibson at the garage sale?) and/or you know a luthier who owes you favors. The Firefly has a couple of advantages compared to typical banjo ukes: it doesn't weigh a ton, and it doesn't sound like a machine gun. Unlike my vintage aluminum/maple Werco, which does weigh a ton and does sound like a machine gun, and which I love in small doses. But mostly I play my Firefly and the neighbors rejoice.

That Oscar Schmidt you passed on ebay is likely the "gold standard" for a $159 concert banjo uke with a back, free shipping, and a lifetime warranty. You're going to have to "play" with the bridge with anything you buy to "fine tune" the intonation. In their price range, I don't think these Asian ukes are as bad as some make them out to be. They are what they are and since it is likely, based on feedback that I've read, that most people who buy one don't end up playing it much. I don't play mine much. Not hard to get rid of an inexpensive banjo uke as quite a few folks just want to "try" one. UAS being what it is, a better quality banjo uke, if you decide you really love playing one and will use it somewhat frequently, is easily available......for a price.
Know that compared to the Firefly, they all are fairly heavy for a uke, especially a concert or larger size with a full resonator back.

Currently have two banjo ukes: 1) the Deering concert-scale that weighs almost as much as my tenor banjo; and 2) the SideKick tenor-scale that's only about 1.5 pounds. Used to have a Gretsch concert-scale which weight-wise is somewhere between the two above. All three are gems, and the two still in the stable get a lot of fun playing time.

Regardless of price, scale, origin or any other caveat, all banjo ukes require more "maintenance" than comparable ukuleles. Drum heads require adjustment as they stretch (Firefly is the exception). Banjo bridges under nylon strings always seem to need some position tweaking to keep intonation correct. Bridge replacement is not uncommon, as bridge feet (if soft wood) tend to distort. Strings and heads make for strange sound-buddies, and changing strings to get the sound one wants can happen a lot.

With all that in mind, buying a banjo uke usually means there will be more initial (than the average ukulele) "getting used to each other" time and experimentation before the banjo uke and the musician mesh. Also, as opposed to most ukes which are "tweak a string or two and go," spending comparably more tune-up and adjustment time prior to play almost every time can tend to become a drag and turn-off for some.

Regardless of what the OP acquires for his budget, there will be front-end time and probably some additional cost to get the instrument sounding correct and comfortable to the touch.