8 string banjoele

Hey guys, brand new to this website so howdy! Also fairly new to ukulele, I have been playing for about 5 months, I have played guitar for years and I found I prefer uku recently. I was in my grandfathers attic when I found a banjolele, asked him about it and it gave it to me . Anyway, It is 8 strings and drawing on what I know of guitar stringing (which may not be applicable here, I'm not sure) I don't believe it is strung correctly. I can't find any information online about 8 string, so I thought I would ask here.

It has low g strings on it and it currently it has duplicate strings paired with like strings each other. a low G next to a low G.
Here are some photos of it
http://imageshack.us/g/36/152755.jpg/

Is it strung correctly?
What type of strings should I put on this?

It's actually a banjo-mandolin, which is strung with metal strings in pairs of GDAE.

Since it's a banjo-type instrument, you have more choices for stringing. You could simply buy two sets of ukulele strings and string it gCEA, for one.

is it supposed to be in an octave like a 12guitar or the same note?
gGcCeEaA
or is it just
ggCCEEAA

If you want to stay with uke tuning instead of mandolin.
I'd go with a pair of g"s high/low, c's high/low, e's high/low and unison a's.
It will sound similar to a tiple.

edit: I forgot try steel strings.

I agree with SailingUke. That seems like the most useful way of doing it. That, or you could just do it in unison like a mandolin. Either way it will sound very cool. Since it's a banjo-type instrument, you have a lot of freedom in the way you string it and tune it.

Upon further inspection, it appears that you've stumbled onto a prize. Weymanns are known for being great quality banjos.

Thank you guys for your help

would Tenor size strings be correct? I've read reviews about the bright-plinky Aquila strings and thought I'd try some out. , I've been looking at strings online and can't find any packs with low C or E. I found the regular tuning with high G set, I found the low G set. where can I get a low C & E from?

http://elderly.com/accessories/items/ANTRP.htm
http://elderly.com/accessories/items/ANT2W.htm

Banjo-mandolins are meant to be tuned in unison pairs, just like a regular mandolin.

- FiL

Valdr: it would probably work best with steel strings and tuned in unison. I'm not really an expert in string gauges, however

Last year, I got a no-name antique mandolin-banjo as a gift. It needs a lot of work to look good, and the body could use reforming, as the banjo cylinder is wood that has been warped by ages of neglect and tension. It's much closer in size to a banjo-uke... I'd say concert size, maybe. None the less, it is an 8-string.

A few months back I shimmed the neck to get a better angle on it, and to improve the action, and then strung it with 8 concert uke strings. I gotta say.. I do not love it, and my wife *hates* it. It is insanely loud. Also, the neck is very thing and generally uncomfortable. EDIT: I forgot to mention, I call it my "manjolele" - Mandolon-banjo-ukulele. :-D

Yours on the other hand looks like a prize. Enjoy it, and let us know how you experiments turn out.