paw123los
Well-known member
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
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
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