So I got this banjolele like a week ago and am loving it. I'd post a picture, but it's a well-known banjolele, so I'll just post the link. https://goldtonemusicgroup.com/goldtone/instruments/buc
My reason to post a review is that I have seen this banjolele in stores, and sometimes it did not sound good in the store. Still, I wanted to give it a try because it looks well made. I'm glad I did. What I found is that when you get this banjolele home and take the time to properly tune the head, properly position the bridge and tune it up with quality strings (I used D'Addario Nyltech with a LaBella low G), it sounds fantastic. And it feels great to play.
I bought mine for $369 at Island Bazaar in Orange County. It comes with a nice hard case. Maybe there are cheaper deals out there, but Island Bazaar is a nice uke store, and why not support a local vendor.
Here's what's really nice. The neck feels good and solid, and it's 15 5/8", which is longer than typical concert scales, so your hands feel like they have a tad bit more room for chords. The satin finish on the neck feels good, too.
The Remo head on the BUC has great tone -- much better than most non-branded heads that I've heard. It takes some time to line up the bridge, but I tested it with a tuner at open and 12th frets, and found that with a slight angle (like Martin guitar bridges), it tunes up nicely.
Adjustments are easy. For example, I was able to lower the action by adjusting the rod inside the pot.
The hardware seems like it's good quality.
The shell has a well-cut edge so that the banjolele head tunes easily and evenly.
This banjolele has 16 brackets (most seem to have 12 or 8), so you can tune the head at a high tension, and it will stay in tune. Also, with the high tension, the Low G string thins out a bit, which makes it so that it does not sound muddy. Rather, it sounds dry, which I like.
All in all, I think the BUC is a great buy for the money. I'm quite pleased.
My reason to post a review is that I have seen this banjolele in stores, and sometimes it did not sound good in the store. Still, I wanted to give it a try because it looks well made. I'm glad I did. What I found is that when you get this banjolele home and take the time to properly tune the head, properly position the bridge and tune it up with quality strings (I used D'Addario Nyltech with a LaBella low G), it sounds fantastic. And it feels great to play.
I bought mine for $369 at Island Bazaar in Orange County. It comes with a nice hard case. Maybe there are cheaper deals out there, but Island Bazaar is a nice uke store, and why not support a local vendor.
Here's what's really nice. The neck feels good and solid, and it's 15 5/8", which is longer than typical concert scales, so your hands feel like they have a tad bit more room for chords. The satin finish on the neck feels good, too.
The Remo head on the BUC has great tone -- much better than most non-branded heads that I've heard. It takes some time to line up the bridge, but I tested it with a tuner at open and 12th frets, and found that with a slight angle (like Martin guitar bridges), it tunes up nicely.
Adjustments are easy. For example, I was able to lower the action by adjusting the rod inside the pot.
The hardware seems like it's good quality.
The shell has a well-cut edge so that the banjolele head tunes easily and evenly.
This banjolele has 16 brackets (most seem to have 12 or 8), so you can tune the head at a high tension, and it will stay in tune. Also, with the high tension, the Low G string thins out a bit, which makes it so that it does not sound muddy. Rather, it sounds dry, which I like.
All in all, I think the BUC is a great buy for the money. I'm quite pleased.
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