Banjolele Recomendations

I've been hunting for a banjolele to buy and need some help, My local music shop has only 1 available, the recording king U25, and it sounds beautiful. They have it listed at 200(which is a little bit more than what I can find online) and they do not provide a setup with the instrument. The one on the floor sounds fantastic with a really nice banjo sound. I would jump right on it and buy it but I hate to buy things without any research or without looking at other options. I've been searching around youtube looking for other people playing them and I have to be honest they just don't sound all that great to me, which I am sure has something to do with the video quality, but its hard for me to gauge the quality and sound difference between the instruments. So I would really love your input on which ones you have heard and which ones you think are best!
Here are the ones I have been looking at,
Goldtone UB1(Lacks the banjo sound from what I can tell, sounds more like a standard Concert uke)

Recording King U25(the only one I have seen in person)

Kmise Banjolele(I know they're super cheap and maybe a little sketchy but people really seem to like them)

Rally Banjolele

Luna (I dont know the Model #, also sounds a bit muted and dull in videos IMO)

Any other brands that you know are welcome! but keep in mind I want to keep the price at or below 200ish dollars. I really want something with a different sound than what I have, so I want it to sound very much like a banjolele.
Thanks guys!!
-Landon

I got a Rally concert banjo uke with the full resonator at a great price. I hated the clear mylar head and I had a calfskin head put on (If I were playing outside much I'd have chosen a Remo Renaissance head). Also had a neat no not tailpiece installed. I think it sounds like a much higher quality banjo uke and have played it with a bluegrass jam group and it easily holds it's own. I use Aquila banjo uke strings.

US $200 will buy you a nice used ukulele banjo on ebay. You probably can get a nice Slingerland for less than 200. In my not so humble opinion they represent much better value than a new Asian model.

It is a little more than what you want to pay, but have you seen the new Duke Kickstarter? $379 for a pretty nice and not quite traditional banjolele. There are a couple of threads about it here on UU.

Yeah - the Duke really impressed me.

Aside from that - I have played quite a few cheaper banjoleles in my time and i'm afraid to say that most if not all of the cheaper end (The Lunas the Recording Kings etc) have been a let down. I think like resonator ukuleles, banjo ukes are another area where cheap is not necessarily cheerful. ie - you need to spend a reasonable amount to get something that sounds even half decent.

As above - if the budget can't be moved, I would be going used - either a Slingerland or something like the Fluke Firefly.

I do think the Duke 10 though is one of the better sounding 'banjo's' i've played.

bazmaz said:

Yeah - the Duke really impressed me.

Aside from that - I have played quite a few cheaper banjoleles in my time and i'm afraid to say that most if not all of the cheaper end (The Lunas the Recording Kings etc) have been a let down. I think like resonator ukuleles, banjo ukes are another area where cheap is not necessarily cheerful. ie - you need to spend a reasonable amount to get something that sounds even half decent.

As above - if the budget can't be moved, I would be going used - either a Slingerland or something like the Fluke Firefly.

I do think the Duke 10 though is one of the better sounding 'banjo's' i've played.

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Yeah I've seen the videos and they look and sound great. But they're a little pricey for me. Theyre totally worth the money but it's a little out of my price range. I've been told that you can get a decent banjolele for around 200 but I'm beginning to think maybe you're right. I should just save up my money for now.

Yep afraid so - my post was a long winded way of saying 'no, I don't think you can get a decent banjolele for 200'!

As a banjo uke fan, I concur - the closest to $200 that you can get a decent banjo uke for is either a good deal on used, or a Firefly second. That said, even the Firefly, which is a great little instrument, is in a different category to a Deering or Gold Tone for sound and durability.

If it were me (and it has been me in the past), I'd save my money and get a Deering. If you're lucky, you can find a Deering dealer willing to go below street price ($400). I managed to get mine within $150 of your budget including gig bag.

I love my recently acquired Firefly, but it's also the first banjo uke I've owned. I am UAS'ing hard for the Duke 10 though....

If you're going to wait for now and increase your budget, the concert or tenor sized Deering banjoukes is definitely a good option. High quality aside, they probably also have the best resell value of new, non-custom banjoukes, in case you don't get on with it. I bought mine used from a forum member here.

Having tested both the Deering and the Duke 10 - I can honestly say that if I was buying I'd get the Duke. I know Deering have incredible banjo heritage, but it's about twice the weight of the Duke and more expensive. Personally, when it comes to tone between the two, I don't think there is anything between them.

I like Deering's weight and see it as a plus when playing seated. It sits very solidly on top of the leg (and probably belly) and doesn't slip. I have no experience with the duke, though.

yeah, I can see that and I guess banjo's ARE heavier. The Duke is remarkable though

Try this....upgrade some parts if need be. If you love banjo uke, you can easily sell it without losing money and buy a "better" one, whatever that is to you. Many people fall "out of love" with a banjo uke once they own one for a while. http://www.ebay.com/itm/152402212109?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

bazmaz said:

Having tested both the Deering and the Duke 10 - I can honestly say that if I was buying I'd get the Duke. I know Deering have incredible banjo heritage, but it's about twice the weight of the Duke and more expensive. Personally, when it comes to tone between the two, I don't think there is anything between them.

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I haven't had a chance to try the Duke, but I really like the feel of the neck on both of my Deering instruments. And in my case, the Deering was less expensive - the local dealer sold it to me with gig bag for $330 (typically runs $400 for the uke and $80 for the bag). The price I got may be related to the fact that I've sold at least 10 ukes and 1 banjo uke for him by referrals, and bought several instruments there myself.

However, if you say they are close on tone... There is a kid at the school where I teach uke who wants a banjo bad - I'll have to let his parents know about the Duke.

In the FWIW category of life I want to suggest again DPO's suggestion of a used vintage Slingerland. I think I paid about $150 for mine and it has travelled to Madagascar and Kenya with me. It is a workhorse, even with its narrow neck at the nut. I have modified it in 2 ways - Gotoh planetary tuners and a bridge that gives me standard soprano uke string spacing for the right hand.
Another suggestion is to get a modest vintage tenor banjo - I use a 1924 Gibson Tenor Jr. - and string it as a baritone, mine is dGBE, and I love the sound and playability. It is strung with Aquila reds from a 5 string banjo and I use the g of gDBD tuning to give me the re-entrant g.

Have fun