I love mine. As do many of the people that hear it. It is a very loud instrument. Good for playing with traditional instruments and not getting blown out. As you say, build quality is superb.
I have yet to calculate the bridge down pressure on this one however at twenty one degrees breakover I can see why it has a big foot on the bridge. The bridge would be sinking deeply into the top at the big down pressure but that is where the power comes from.
I love mine. I took the strings off and replaced them with the B, G, D, and A (top to bottom) classical guitar strings. But I tune it E, B, G, D, just like the top four strings of a guitar. It's fun. I play chord melodies, and sound like a dixieland tenor banjo.
I love mine but I had one complaint about it. The tailpiece was a little too long to allow me to move the bridge away from the neck as much as it needs to be able to play in tune down on the neck. So I ordered Deering's other banjo tailpiece, which is made for claw hammer tone. It's like $35. It's made for 5 metal strings with 5 hooks, but it fits the Goodtime banjo ukulele perfectly. I tie my C and E strings on the 2nd and 5th hooks respectively, then tie the outer strings, G and A, on the 1st and 5th hooks with the strings going around the outsides of the tailpiece. That spaces the 4 strings just right and I can now move my bridge where I want it.
This is a great instrument and very well made. I have one that I use in a old time band. I put a sponge under the head to mute the over tones. It will hang in there with the other instruments in the band.
Just bought a banjolele, very exciting. i don't know how to play my ukulele straight yet, and I am adventure to a banjolele. I love the sound, I just need to know basic care for my banjolele. Thanks
Its very nice and its given me an idea because i have an old banjo nothing special but about 100 years old no a great sound i think due to the neck its kind of a wavy sound but i might bang a Uke neck on it and see how it goes.I am into Dotora an India folk instrument very much like a banjo and a lot of people in India now use Ukes instead and tune it EBEA so i think if i try my idea i might get the nice plonking sound dotoras have, anyway check them out.
I’m hesitating between the Deering and the Firefly. I like the sound of the Deering, but love the light weight of the Firefly. Which would you say plays more in tune? Thanks for these reviews!
Playing in tune isn’t a feature of any particular instrument- it’s just a feature of the instrument being setup accurately by the player. Both will play in tune if they are setup properly
thankyou for this review. i actually went and bought one after watching. can it be tuned to plectrum tuning like a4 string banjo? or could i tune this like the last 4 strings of a 5 string banjo? would i use banjo strings for that? please
You'd certainly need different strings as the gauges of these will make that tuning difficult on tension grounds. I assume you mean DGBD tuning? I think to get that you would need ukulele baritone strings as they are normally tuned DGBE - so close enough. I would urge caution with banjo strings and certainly avoid steel strings - it's not built for that.
@@GotAUkulele thank you. I'll try the baritone strings. I read somewhere that Glen Deering used mandolin strings and tuned it like a mandolin. Might be interesting to try that too😊
Eagle Music stock them I think and I am sure Southern Ukulele Store did too - two of the top ukulele specialists in the UK. I'd seriously avoid ebay for ukes !
Oh, nice. ty for the tip. I usually keep an eye on gumtree, but there's seldom much about. Only a tenor banjo, which is tempting. Not sure how wrong you can go with those. - www.gumtree.com/p/banjos/4-string-tenor-banjo/1308110321
+ISawUAtTheSTore There is - some people get sniffy because don't play anything complicated- but there is a reason - I once ran a poll about the music and MOST people liked it was always the same tunes as it allows them to compare. Anyway - on to the question - the strummed song is called 'Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate' - you will get the chords easily if you Google. The picked song is Creep by Radiohead, but played in the key of C. So C, C7, F, Fm , repeated..
@@GotAUkulele Hah! It's funny, I thought the tune you were finger picking was "Where the blue of the night meets the gold of the day, someone waits for me", the old Bing Crosby theme song. Sounds a lot like it, though not exactly. Does Radiohead listen to Bing Crosby?
not sure I'd call it a banjo if it's only got four strings... my granddad had a banjo uke back in the fifties when he was in the army. It had the traditional four strings with nobs at the stock and the fifth stopping halfway up the neck. Very impressive instrument this, all the same, whatever it is.
Nice instrument but hard to say who would by this A beginner won't want to spend this much on the other hand a professional will want a ukulele with a resonater and calf skin velom
No, I don't think it's that. I just think this is a very different market to the traditional banjo ukulele of old. At the end of the day, Deering are one of the most respected banjo makers on the planet - think they are already professional standard instruments - just for a different style of play though
+coolowlman I personally don't think there are any truly 'great' ukuleles for 50 dollars - have a look at my reviews in price category order to take a look at the rest of my instrument opinions www.gotaukulele.com/p/ukulele-reviews.html
Thank u im a very beginner and do play the soprano ukulele c am g f but i dont know anyother chords and the price of this is up here in. Florida at 467.00 usa dollars but i love the review u did and going to get one from zsounds small payments.thank you
+Samuel Talbot-Cross Possibly - but I need to take care with what I advise - just one mandolin case buyer when it didn't fit would lead to complaints!!
Thanks for your helpful reviews. I've been playing guitar and a little ukulele in bars a bit lately and I would like to step up my game with a banjo uke. The Duke is pretty tempting, especially since it can go electric, but I really like the volume on this Deering banjo uke. Any thoughts on that trade off? Also, are there any other good electric banjo ukes you would recommend for a similar price? I'm currently playing a Kala KA-C concert uke. It's been great to learn on, but I really regret not getting something electronics.
The Deering is a touch louder than the Duke 8, but check out the new Duke 10 - not much in it on volume to be honest. I prefer the new Duke 10 myself - much lighter.
Was a fairly rushed review - but as you will be aware - being a banjo ukulele - it's adjustable at the saddle. The slightest nudge of the saddle throws out the intonation. Was in tune at the nut - but I must have nudged saddle in getting the review filmed. Can assure you - being a Deering - when the saddle is in the right place - the intonation is brilliant.
I love mine. As do many of the people that hear it. It is a very loud instrument. Good for playing with traditional instruments and not getting blown out. As you say, build quality is superb.
Yep - Deering really are masters when it comes to banjo
I have yet to calculate the bridge down pressure on this one however at twenty one degrees breakover I can see why it has a big foot on the bridge. The bridge would be sinking deeply into the top at the big down pressure but that is where the power comes from.
Thanks for all of your reviews and tips!
+SniffyRockroot My pleasure!
I love mine. I took the strings off and replaced them with the B, G, D, and A (top to bottom) classical guitar strings. But I tune it E, B, G, D, just like the top four strings of a guitar. It's fun. I play chord melodies, and sound like a dixieland tenor banjo.
Edwin McCravy nice!
I got to play one of these, I saw a busker with one and asked and I was thoroughly impressed by it, plenty loud enough for any use I can think of.
Yeah - would make a GREAT busking instrument I think
I love mine but I had one complaint about it. The tailpiece was a little too long to allow me to move the bridge away from the neck as much as it needs to be able to play in tune down on the neck. So I ordered Deering's other banjo tailpiece, which is made for claw hammer tone. It's like $35. It's made for 5 metal strings with 5 hooks, but it fits the Goodtime banjo ukulele perfectly. I tie my C and E strings on the 2nd and 5th hooks respectively, then tie the outer strings, G and A, on the 1st and 5th hooks with the strings going around the outsides of the tailpiece. That spaces the 4 strings just right and I can now move my bridge where I want it.
Good idea!
This is a great instrument and very well made. I have one that I use in a old time band. I put a sponge under the head to mute the over tones. It will hang in there with the other instruments in the band.
Indeed - don't think i've ever played a banjo (uke or otherwise) where I haven't put a sock or a cloth under the head to calm it down.
This is sweet, and I have a Deering Goodtime banjo, which is wonderful, but I also love Gold Tone banjoleles, especially the baritone one.
Agreed!!
Just bought a banjolele, very exciting. i don't know how to play my ukulele straight yet, and I am adventure to a banjolele. I love the sound, I just need to know basic care for my banjolele. Thanks
Enjoy!
I played one at a music store and it was great
I guess a standard gigbag for mandolin should fit to this banjolele. Thanks for a nice review ❤️
I seem to recall that Deering make one that fits themselves
Just to let you know even when you didn't turn the volume down it sounded fine not to loud on this end at all .
Yeah - seems you can't please everyone all the time!
The loudness is valuable for ensemble playing, with no amp needed!
Its very nice and its given me an idea because i have an old banjo nothing special but about 100 years old no a great sound i think due to the neck its kind of a wavy sound but i might bang a Uke neck on it and see how it goes.I am into Dotora an India folk instrument very much like a banjo and a lot of people in India now use Ukes instead and tune it EBEA so i think if i try my idea i might get the nice plonking sound dotoras have, anyway check them out.
I will do Petey. Sounds interesting
I’m hesitating between the Deering and the Firefly. I like the sound of the Deering, but love the light weight of the Firefly. Which would you say plays more in tune? Thanks for these reviews!
Playing in tune isn’t a feature of any particular instrument- it’s just a feature of the instrument being setup accurately by the player. Both will play in tune if they are setup properly
Excellent thank you bro👏
My pleasure
thankyou for this review. i actually went and bought one after watching. can it be tuned to plectrum tuning like a4 string banjo?
or could i tune this like the last 4 strings of a 5 string banjo?
would i use banjo strings for that? please
You'd certainly need different strings as the gauges of these will make that tuning difficult on tension grounds. I assume you mean DGBD tuning? I think to get that you would need ukulele baritone strings as they are normally tuned DGBE - so close enough. I would urge caution with banjo strings and certainly avoid steel strings - it's not built for that.
@@GotAUkulele thank you. I'll try the baritone strings. I read somewhere that Glen Deering used mandolin strings and tuned it like a mandolin. Might be interesting to try that too😊
Excellent review, I'm buying one soon.I wonder how it would sound in d-tuning....with a calf skin vellum?do you think it would sound good?
Honestly have absolutely no idea - would take D tuning, but have never re skinned a banjolele - sorry
Are you gonna review the tenor scale any time soon?
Gus Sanders possibly but booked up on reviews until november
Does this instrument use ukelele chords?
Plays like a regular ukulele - tuned the same
it's very sweet sounding. Kind of Mandolin like, but with that ukey plonk. Is there an equivalent more readily available to the UK?
because88 I thought these were readily available in the UK?
Right you are! I default to ebay, but I do see retail examples. Cheers for putting up with me.
Eagle Music stock them I think and I am sure Southern Ukulele Store did too - two of the top ukulele specialists in the UK. I'd seriously avoid ebay for ukes !
Oh, nice. ty for the tip. I usually keep an eye on gumtree, but there's seldom much about. Only a tenor banjo, which is tempting. Not sure how wrong you can go with those. - www.gumtree.com/p/banjos/4-string-tenor-banjo/1308110321
Sadly they can be EXTREMELY mixed - i'm really not an expert in buying vintage banjos I'm afraid
Certainly not for Formby-Style playing!
But, in it's element, it'd probably be a superb instrument!
No - agreed - not for that style. But I know Phil Doleman in the UK uses one in his set for bluegrass and old time jazz stuff and it sounds wonderful!
I love these videos and Ive always wondered if there is a name for the tunes you play while demoing the ukes, id love to learn them!
+ISawUAtTheSTore There is - some people get sniffy because don't play anything complicated- but there is a reason - I once ran a poll about the music and MOST people liked it was always the same tunes as it allows them to compare.
Anyway - on to the question - the strummed song is called 'Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate' - you will get the chords easily if you Google.
The picked song is Creep by Radiohead, but played in the key of C. So C, C7, F, Fm , repeated..
+GotAUkulele thanks so much, and yes it makes sense that playing the same songs really gives you something to compare them too
@@GotAUkulele
Hah! It's funny, I thought the tune you were finger picking was "Where the blue of the night meets the gold of the day, someone waits for me", the old Bing Crosby theme song. Sounds a lot like it, though not exactly. Does Radiohead listen to Bing Crosby?
not sure I'd call it a banjo if it's only got four strings... my granddad had a banjo uke back in the fifties when he was in the army. It had the traditional four strings with nobs at the stock and the fifth stopping halfway up the neck. Very impressive instrument this, all the same, whatever it is.
Irish banjos only have 4?
Chip Bipple - I believe that the 5 string Banjo is the interloper - didn't Pete Seeger pioneer it?
Do you know anything about an Alabama Banjo Uke or Denver Duke Banjo Uke?
Not heard of either I’m afraid. It’s fair to say banjo uke varieties are not really my expertise
Nice instrument but hard to say who would by this A beginner won't want to spend this much on the other hand a professional will want a ukulele with a resonater and calf skin velom
I know several professionals on the global music circuit who bought these and use them in their set!
***** a well times have changed perhaps this kind of instrument is know considered to be a more professional type
No, I don't think it's that. I just think this is a very different market to the traditional banjo ukulele of old. At the end of the day, Deering are one of the most respected banjo makers on the planet - think they are already professional standard instruments - just for a different style of play though
***** yeah you could be right
GotAUkulele your so very right.i have one of the these in my collection and love it. it's a different sound and very quirky!
intonation is spot on!
I know this question doesn't involve the video but what is a great ukulele that is around 50 US dollars?
+coolowlman I personally don't think there are any truly 'great' ukuleles for 50 dollars - have a look at my reviews in price category order to take a look at the rest of my instrument opinions
www.gotaukulele.com/p/ukulele-reviews.html
Kalas got a great uke for $60
? 4 u is it tuned like a soprano is.
?4u?? You can tune it how you like, but yes, standard tuning for this is like a soprano
Thank u im a very beginner and do play the soprano ukulele c am g f but i dont know anyother chords and the price of this is up here in. Florida at 467.00 usa dollars but i love the review u did and going to get one from zsounds small payments.thank you
That would probably fit a mandolin case
+Samuel Talbot-Cross Possibly - but I need to take care with what I advise - just one mandolin case buyer when it didn't fit would lead to complaints!!
Ok I have a kinsman mandolin case and that would probably be a great fit
Thanks for your helpful reviews. I've been playing guitar and a little ukulele in bars a bit lately and I would like to step up my game with a banjo uke. The Duke is pretty tempting, especially since it can go electric, but I really like the volume on this Deering banjo uke. Any thoughts on that trade off? Also, are there any other good electric banjo ukes you would recommend for a similar price?
I'm currently playing a Kala KA-C concert uke. It's been great to learn on, but I really regret not getting something electronics.
The Deering is a touch louder than the Duke 8, but check out the new Duke 10 - not much in it on volume to be honest. I prefer the new Duke 10 myself - much lighter.
Phil Doleman also gives a great review on this Uke, ua-cam.com/video/cj2bClMbx38/v-deo.html
He does. He's now using one live at his shows and it features on his new EP
Nice instrument, but You should tune it first.
Was a fairly rushed review - but as you will be aware - being a banjo ukulele - it's adjustable at the saddle. The slightest nudge of the saddle throws out the intonation. Was in tune at the nut - but I must have nudged saddle in getting the review filmed. Can assure you - being a Deering - when the saddle is in the right place - the intonation is brilliant.