Review: Banjo Ukes from Deering, Kala, Luna, Gold Tone, and Magic Fluke

Full review at https://www.ukulelemag.com/gear-revie...

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.