Is this a banjo ukulele?

yes, i think so, it has the same kind of tone, playing style and size
Hope this helps
Hat-Sam
 
I would call that a banjole. But I have also seen some shortened tenors converted to a banjo too. But none the less, that is a banjole, just has the resonator,and sound deflector on it like a traditional jazz banjo.. I wouldnt call it a soprano, maybe a concert, because it has a slightly larger bucket (maybe 8-10 inches..). My soprano has a 7" bucket..
 
To me, it sounded like it had steel strings, and was being played more like a tenor banjo. the resonator looked huge, too - much larger than most banjoleles I've seen - pretty close in size to a 5-string banjo resonator.

-Kurt
 
I'm not too sure what a 'banjole' is, but yes, that is a Samba Banjo. Effectively a banjo version of a Brazilian cavaquinho in the same vain as a banjo-uke.
 
short attention span.... sorry, zdudz, by the time I got to the end of the thread, I'd forgotten you mentioned you were in Brazil and that it was used for samba.....

I was all proud of myself for recognizing the instrument, but I have no idea about its history or evolution. No help at all.....
 
reading the wiki page I linked to, looks like the samba banjo evolved as a louder alternative to the cavaquinho, which is pretty similar to a ukulele.... it looks to me like the 4 string banjo is a very close cousin to the banjo ukelele, but technically different. Maybe it's just a geographic distinction?
 
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