Review: Banjo Ukes from Deering, Kala, Luna, Gold Tone, and Magic Fluke
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2024
- Full review at www.ukulelemag...
The banjo-ukulele is one of the most powerful spices in the ukulele world. For decades, this marriage between a banjo body and a ukulele neck and tuning was something of a novelty to most players, but it also found a few dedicated advocates. Long after American vaudevillians like Wendell Hall and Roy Smeck moved on, the banjo-ukulele remained popular in England, with people such as George Formby and George Harrison carrying the torch of the fun-loving banjo-ukulele (or bangolele or banjulele).
In gathering banjo-ukes for this roundup, we were more concerned with getting a sampling of the wide variety of what you might find when shopping, than a complete list. A few makers weren’t able to get an instrument to us in time. Some companies, like Deering and Gold Tone, make several sizes and versions of banjo-ukuleles, which meant we had to pick one from extensive lineups for this roundup, so if you don’t see one that’s perfect for you in this review, take a look at their full collections.
The Deering just blows the rest away. Love the tone on that thing!
Everyone loves the deering, me included, but the luna has the most banjo sound out of all the rest.
Fr!
Just ordered a Deering Goodtime Tenor Banjo Uke....so excited!
I love the sound of that Magic Fluke
That Gold Tone sounds glorious
Firefly is my favorite because it is so light and portable. Unlike most in this comparison (all but the huge Deering?) it has an open back, so it sounds thin here. When I have played it on stage, people have come up and said they were amazed at how loud and full it sounded. I even soften it a bit with a small foam sponge at one end of the dowel.
Have been looking for the right size frisbee or Tupperware salad bowl lid to use as a resonator. ;-)
I sold my GoldTone concert because I found I just wasn't taking it anywhere ... because of the size and weight of instrument and case. The Firefly comes along with me, even when I'm carrying a mandolin and a tiple or a guitar, or two other ukuleles.
I have a firefly and i love it, i m thinking of buying a Duke 10 now. its only 2 lbs but its louder than the firefly.
Did you find something that works as a resonator? Eager to try that on my Firefly, great idea!
I bought the Luna at a music shop, hoping to get a good set up, but they didn't really know or care, I guess.
I had to straighten the neck, and when I tried to tighten the head, found two of the bracket nuts were stripped. Asked the shop for help, and was told there was nothing they could do. Email to Luna went unanswered until I contacted them on Facebook, then they sent the two brackets right away. It plays pretty well now. It might sound softer in this video as it has a back on it. Mine has rubber o ring spacers, which if the screws are too tight will muffle the sound.
I recently bought a Donner Banjolele for half the price(I know, one SHOULD be enough🙄), which came with extras the Luna did not. I had to set it up, but had experience from the Luna. It is not as sturdy as the Luna, which has a maple pot and neck, where the Donner is sapele. The nut width on the Donner is slightly narrower, so harder to stuff my fingers in there. It plays and sounds great to me, for the price👍
Sorry about this novella, but I thought maybe someone might like another point of view. Maybe I will make a video comparing the two😁
still happy with the Luna banjolele? here at Europe not many options out there...
@@pedrosanchezpalma4443 I play them both, but not as much as when I first got them. I recently set the Luna up with the low G string, for the variety. Sounds pretty good.
Great review! I love that you compare the instruments. 🤗
Other ones to look at: Magic Fluke tenor, Gold Tone Little Gem (I see you did a review) and Duke 10 😉
And in another life where money is no object: a Beansprout 🌱
dang... i'm about to pull the trigger on a luna, and then i saw this video... LOL... the deering is just so much more instrument...
The Deering is lovely and has a nice punch.The perfect instrument for jamming with guitars, fiddles, etc. The build quality is very nice. Made in California.
Same here man
Yeah. We vote for Deering
I bought the same luna one before I even saw this video and im waiting for it in the mail right now. It definitely sounds rough here and not as pretty compared to the other ones (even though its aesthetically pleasing) but im hoping it will work with the folk punk tunes ill be playing on it. I think it kind of depends on what you are looking for and what you are planning to do with it too.
@@audreyranx7204 i ended up buying the luna, and don't regret it at all... love it...
About fifteen years ago I bought a 1927 Gibson UB4. I also have a GHB Melody Uke, a Majestic uke and an unnamed Japanese uke. Of the four the Gibson is by far the best. It rings and stands out by a country mile.
You did not include the Oscar Schmidt banjolele….to me, the sound is equal to the Goldtone or Deering and better than most others. The price is about 1/2 the cost of the Deering…The OS is beautifully made…
The Deering is definitely my favorite
Deering by far the loudest but the Gold Tone is sweeter in my opinion. The others are also rans.
I enjoy the sound of the goldtone too.
If you are thinking of getting a banjo ukulele, there is another one now on the market called the Duke Uke 10 (tenor)so check it out also.
Obvious winner here. One banjo in ukulele size, versus several “ Banjo-like ukuleles.”
The Firefly has the most banjo-ey sound.
team firefly... it is also cute and simple
Yeah, it sounds great to me, although looks downright fragile. The big Deering seems disappointing to me... so much banjo there to the eye but sounds too much like a ukulele, I guess.
@@Fuzzybeanerizer I've never heard of someone having a problem with the Firefly, despite its fragile looks. Must be some seriously good build quality.
Just sold my Gold Tone soprano banjo uke. I need a tenor. Looking now.
The kala wasn't bad, The Deering had the most banjo sound. Luna was...hm...Intersting..Like it was a banjo sound but muffled ? Idk...it sounded off. Gold tone was probably 3rd place for me.
1.Deering.
2.Kala
3.Goldone.
T
Agree exactly with your order.
Everybody loves the Deering... I must say I do as well
Deering actually makes great 5 string banjos but man, that full sized head looks weird with that little neck. If I went with one of these it would have to be the Gold Tone. It looks very traditional and sounds pretty good.
At least from the video the Deering sounds loud, clear and melodic, but a little too clean I think. You want that old timey banjo sound. It should be a little dirty IMHO.
Clarity is one of the definitions of a banjo? Overtones are “bad.”
Very nice and useful video!! Some users say that the Luna banjolele is not well finished, with sharp frets and other problems of poor workmanship. What is your opinion on this aspect? thanks!
Love the sound of the Deering
I love the Magic Fluke sound for some soft sorrowful sounds, and it's so pretty too, but then the Deering is very bright. Kind of want them both! I wish someone would do a review with demoing more traditional banjo kind of songs. I want to hear how bluegrass sounds on these little guys. I need a banjolele!
@CurtMuhGurt my obsession that obvious 😂 I just got a vintage one for a steal on Saturday. Even with the super high action and instantly losing tune, it’s just so adorable and versatile and fun. I’m having it looked at tomorrow by a luthier. Hoping it works out because if not then I’m even more convinced a banjolele at this point and will probably start with the Firefly. I will look into the one you are talking about too. Do you know if there are any sample sounds online? Good luck and hope you get yours soon!
The Magic Fluke Firefly has some twang :)
Really good: only time I've heard the Magic Uke. Didn't like it!
I like the Kala sound, but want to try the Luna.
I'm turning 66 tomorrow, and play pre-WWII stuff a lot. And songs so filthy and weird, I can't even sing more than two lines in public.
And have dozens of verses, all catchy. 😁
The kala sounded best to my ears.
I noticed that only with the Deering did the player strum at the body part, hence, producing a louder and more banjo-ey sound.
So I want to learn a ukulele but I REALLY want a banjo uke. Is it a bad starting point?
Nope! They may feel and sound a bit different due to having a different set up but they're the same instrument, a cheap second hand banjolele is probably going to be in better condition and more ready to play than a solid body of the same price, just make sure the neck is straight before buying
The Deering has the most punch.
I love mine. I took it to uke night and it was a hit.
You can sample all you want, but its mostly about the setup of the instrument. Cheap instuments comes with an unplayable setup. And the people who can do a proper setup for this is fue and far between.
I've heard there is a big casim between the cheep banjoleles & the Good Banjoleles Kala tries to bridge the gap but it's just mediocre the Deering must be expensive anyone know what it sells for?
Big fan of the gold tone...only thing is it's out of my budget :(
What is the right way to tune a banjolele I've heard a d f b and I've heard just standard uke tuning
Did I do wrong? I just purchased the Kala. I love the sound of so many of them but the Deering was the loudest - just can't afford one.
I'm a collector of early 20th century banjo ukes and I've also bought a few modern ones. Choose what you think sounds the best from these in the video BUT, stay away from Luna brand instruments. Their build quality is horrendously poor!
I bought one of their banjo ukes and the neck was not perpendicular to the body which is not a time consuming problem to fix if you can do it yourself and expensive if sent to a luthier. The fit and finish was also extremely poor. I checked out a regular Luna tenor banjo and a Luna banjo guitar of theirs and there were other similar big build problems.
I have no personal experience with Deering instruments but I've been told their build quality is excellent and I know they're manufactured in the USA. Gold Tone banjos are also made very well but they're manufactured inch China and the company has good customer service and they are easy to deal with should you have a problem. Deering and Gold Tone are not cheap but they are high quality instruments.
Was there really that much of a drop off in volume with the Kala and Luna? I mean was the recording volume and mike position the same throughout the video?
We used one external mic in the same position for all takes, with the recording levels kept consistent for all instruments.
Hi what are the two pieces of music you play in this video called and do you have links to them would love to learn them for my banjolele
I don't recognize the first song he played but the second one, starting at 1:13 is "Hello My Baby". Hello my darling, hello my baby, hello my ragtime gal...!
Dream A Little Dream Of Me
was the first song.
Dream A Little Dream Of Me
was the first song.
My most hated is magic fluke firefly one
Which one of these do you think sounds more like a banjo❓ thank you ‼️😁
What is the name of the song he is playing with each of these? Trying to learn new stuff
Search for "Hello my baby, hello my ragtime gal". People usually just use these lirycs as the title nowadays. It was made famous by a cartoon with a frog which sings it
I just wanna know the cord progressions so i can just jam out on mine like this.
2.01 I`ld prefer Deering. The most bright sound tone.
Play some dark stuff on it. I bet it can sound gothy.
Forgive me. My 'Like' ruined the beautifully balanced number of 555 already existing likes.
Forgiven! Thanks for the like!
Ukulele How about a Banjolele Orchestra?
Gold Tone, Kala, then Deering. The Deering's so huge I'd not like it just due to the size.
Can anybody tell me the name of the HELLO MY BABY song?
You probably already found it's "Hello my ragtime girl (gal)"
Not sure if the link will post
www.ozbcoz.com/Songs/song.php?ID=2074,soprano
Do you play them the same as a regular ukulele?
Yes. It is tuned the same as a soprano, concert, and tenor ukulele (GCEA).
Do you realize you never told us what the first one was. All the others have a little text telling us what uke it is. You never added that. Plus, the headstock can't be read from the long angle and the name is JUST out of view in the close up. It's frustrating. Also, I happen to think that one sounded the best.
Hey Paul, sorry for the frustration. That first uke (played during the introduction with the voice over) is the Gold Tone Banjolele DLX.
@@Ukulelemag Okay thanks. Not a problem. I hope I didn't sound super pissed. I was annoyed at the time but it seems like a silly thing to be annoyed at now.
@@PaulTheSkeptic No worries!
I like Schmidt 😎