Wim van der Leden custom tenor banjolele

This is my review of a custom Win van der Leden tenor banjolele

Features
•Made in 2009, in Holland by Wim van der Leden
•How many frets? 18 frets
•Open back
•Neck- hardwood
•8'' Remo head
•high gloss finish
•Tuners - peghead tuners. Give me some trouble when tuning - but gives a nice vintage style.
•Fret makers 3,5,7,10,12. Frets are nice dressed and polished.

Sound
•How does it suit your music style?
I play 5 string banjo and a tenor banjo. I wanted to have a banjolele so it would be easier for me to play with my friends in a dixieland band
•What amps and effects are you using it with?
None. It doesn't need amplification
•Rich/Full sound? Bright sound?
Extreme loud, great punch. Lot of power in the sound. Just the way a good banjo should have.
•Likes and dislikes?
I have problems with correct tuning with the peghead tuners. But I am slowly learning how to do that correctly. It takes a lot of time
to tune the instrument correctly. The action is quite high - but it should be like that. Banjolele needs to be very loud, and with very low action that would be impossible without fret buzzing

Action, Fit & Finish
•How well was the ukulele set-up at the factory? (How was the action?)
Perfect. Nothing to complain
•Did the ukulele contain any flaws?
Nope. Don't see any flaws. Looks and plays great.

Reliability/Durability
•Will this ukulele withstand live playing?
Yes, I think so.
•Does the hardware seem like it will last?
Yes it is
•Is the finish good enough to last.
Not sure. I think it is good to last.
•Can you depend on it?
I don't see any problems at the moment.
•Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
I want to use it when playing with a band, but who knows. Maybe I will try to do some solos

•Customer Support
Great. Wim is a very nice guy. He answered all my mails before I ordered this instrument.
He packed the instrument very well for shipment.

•How long is the warranty.
Didn’t ask. I don't think there will be any need for repairs

Overall Rating
•How long have you been playing? about 2 years
•If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
Yes.
•What do you love about it?
Everything. It looks and sounds great
•What do you hate?
Those tuners. But I have to learn how to use them instead of replacing. They give style to the instrument.
•What is your favorite feature?
The loudness and this unique banjolele sound.
•Did you compare it to other ukuleles? Which ones?
I don't have any other banjoleles. But comparing to the sound from youtube videos I think my is very loud and has a powerfull tone
•Why did you choose this one?
Mostly because of the price. You cannot buy a custom banjolele at such low price anywhere else.
•Anything else you'd like to share?

Check out Wim's work at http://www.banjolele.net

Now some photos and a video.

A video:
http://www.youtube.com/user/paw123los#p/a/u/0/e6usCRKAh6E

Hi,
am very interested in these - has anyone else tried them - got any feedback ?

Jim

I will receive my Wim van der Leden tenor banjolele in June. I bought with him last week. Great models and prices.

Someone bought this banjolele after Paw in 2009? UU (always expert) reviews?

I just found good videos on youtube
http://www.banjolele.net/sounds-and-links.html

I am intoxicated by the sound of the Banjolele, and would love to buy one. I know his prices say he starts from 140 euros (Round 200 US Dollars?) But what kind of price did you have to pay for yours?

Wim van der Leden

Thanks to the review and the links to YouTube.

Just placed an order for a tenor banjolele at euro 195 inclusive of
Shipping to Spore.

Due to be despatched by coming Friday and will take another week to
arrive in Singapore.

Rgds
Ong teong Hoon


QUOTE=CocoGrizzly;756967]I am intoxicated by the sound of the Banjolele, and would love to buy one. I know his prices say he starts from 140 euros (Round 200 US Dollars?) But what kind of price did you have to pay for yours?[/QUOTE]

Mine is priced U$200. Great service for a semi-custom banjolele tenor.

Thanks for sharing information................and nice pics.

Hi Folks.. had mine now around ten months, great thing... still in tip-top shape, no complaints at all, Wim was a great guy to deal with too,
Namaste

nice guitar and good effort


___________

Great review.
Does it come in a case of bag?

I got mine earlier this year and still have not been able to put it down.
I'll post some details when I find the time. But just looking at it is a beauty : )

Thanks to this thread ( and a couple other resources ), I made the plunge and commissioned a banjolele from Wim.
Had him build a back resonator as well, which he charged me 50€ for, as well as 10€ for a set of planetary tunerheads. Considering that the cheapest banjolele w/ a resonator goes for 350USD, this was well worth the money.
The build quality is solid, and there is a lot of weight to it ( I think 2kg? ). Must be all that metal on the drumhead.
The kitchen hook tension-hoop system he's worked out is actually pretty great. Gives it a bit of a unique look.
The resonator attaches to the back with a system of 4 magnets, although he also included a set of hooks and screws for a more permanent attachment.

Only beef I have with this instrument is some rod at the back of the neck, and a split in the pot. The fretslots go down a bit more than necessary.
For 260€/295USD though, it was worth every penny. The sound is absolutely delicious and it's a delight to play on.

Sven-Uke said:

Great review.
Does it come in a case of bag?

Click to expand...

Neither, but it's well padded during shipment.