I'm glad I logged in by chance last night, or else I probably would never have seen this thread again
Thanks everybody! I am really enjoying the Firefly, it's been getting a lot of play time the past few weeks. The strings took a surprisingly quick time to settle (maybe two or three days) and it's been sounding terrific ever since. As I said above, it sounds great when you run through some quick chords, and it even has a nice old-timey feel to it when you start strumming the right progression. Lately, I've been finding out that the banjo-ey twang really comes out when you finger pick on the firefly, especially if you pick around with just the thumb. The open back design allows for some interesting dynamics too- you can dramatically change the volume simply by moving the uke a few inches away or towards your chest. And don't let the modest price or quaint asthetics fool you, this banjolele is a projector. If I had one criticism about the sound, it'd be that it might be a little difficult to reign in the volume in certain situations.
I noticed the neck was a bit fatter than all the other ukes I've previously played when I first got it, but didn't think too much of it. Having played guitar for a little over a decade now, I imagine no uke's neck can catch me by surprise. I actually think it's a pretty nice thickness and mostly it's just allowed me to acknowledge how slim my Mainland's neck feels by comparision. The Poly fretboard is, well, just that - a fret board. This is the first instrument I've bought with a non-wooden board, so I too was wondering if there would be a noticeable difference, but there really isn't. It leads me to think that the hardwood upgrade is kind of unnecessary unless you just really like the look of the rosewood. Personally, I ended up prefering the black poly board as it breaks up what's otherwise a mostly uniform brown instrument, so I'm pleased with my choice.
The friction tuners were also a new experience for me, and I'm very happy with them so far. No (unintentional) major retunings have had to take place and the pegs hold their tune excellently. I had to pinch the C string up a hair this evening, but that's really the only tuning I've had to do to the firefly this week. So I also reckon the peghead upgrade isn't exactly necessary, but I can understand why somebody would want to get the geared tuners and certainly wouldn't begrudge them doing so. And every review ever written about this thing has commented on its light weight, so I might as well do the same. The lack of girth really allows the firefly to travel quite well, and yeah, it's just remarkablely light for a professionally made instrument. I imagine that's been one of the, if not THE, main selling points.
So I am definitely a Firefly fan and I'd recommend it to folks who are looking for a quality 'bang-for-your-budget' kind of banjolele. I imagine I'll be hanging on to this one for a long time.