RELATED PAGES: The banjolele (brand name; sometimes banjo ukulele or banjo uke) is a four-stringed musical instrument with a small banjo-type body and a fretted ukulele neck. "Banjolele," sometimes also spelled "banjelele" or "banjulele" is a generic nickname given to the instrument, which was derived from the 'banjulele-banjo,' introduced by Alvin D. Keech in 1917.
Current manufacturers
- Mya-Moe Ukuleles (USA)
- Andy's Banjos (UK)
- Bean Sprout (USA)
- George Banjos (USA)
- Gold Tone Instrument Company (USA)
- Barry Sholder Gourd Banjos (USA)
- Kala Ukuleles (USA) - We'll have a few of the Kala Banjo ukuleles at our Funky Frets, Boyertown, PA store when they are available.
- Lanikai Ukuleles (USA)
- Magic Fluke Company (USA) - We always have a few of the FireFly Banjo ukes in stock in our Funky Frets, Boyertown, PA store.
- Small Wonder Banjos (USA)
- Spanky Banjo Ukes (USA)
- Tyler Mountain (South Korea)
- the Uker of OZ (USA)
- Waverly Street Ukuleles (USA)
Historical Manufactures
- Dixie (USA)
- Gibson Guitar Corporation (USA)
- Ludwig (USA)
- Slingerland Drum Company (USA)
- J. G. Abbott (UK)
- John Grey (UK)
- Dallas (UK)
- G.H&S. (UK)
Related Links
- WidipediA:The Banjo Ukulele
- The Banjo Ukulele Haven
- World of the Banjo Ukulele
Great site with a lot of history on the bajo ukulele. Especially from the perspective of the United Kingdom, Great Britain where the banjo was wildly popular. thanks to George Formby.
- WidipediA:George Formby, Jr.
George Formby, Jr., OBE (26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English singer and comedian, famous for playing the banjolele, a banjo-like instrument, and performing a variety of light, comical songs. He would eventually become a popular star of stage and screen.
Banjo Ukulele Builders and Manufactures"
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Links
- www.myamoeukuleles.com
- Goodbye Industrial Robotics; Hello Rock Stars
How one man went from chasing start-up and technology jobs in Silicon Valley to creating a thriving craftsman shop making custom ukeleles for the likes of Eddie Vedder.
Listing Info
( from listing's site ) - Gordon & Char Mayer are the luthiers who build all Mya-Moe ukuleles. They have combined expertise in design, engineering, music, and lutherie. They both have masters degrees in engineering. Gordon has been building guitars for 7 years. Char is a professional musician. Before building guitars, Gordon was a wood-turning artist, giving him extended knowledge of different woods & their properties. Char’s artistic bent was expressed in hand-pieced Roman shades. Together, they hand-craft each instrument, a culmination of their combined educations & experiences in engineering, art & music.
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Links
Info
(from the Bean Sprout web site ) Finally a Banjo Ukulele that is ready for the 21st century! Bean Sprout banjo ukuleles are loud and bright but with a woody depth. Just what you need to cut through the band and get the volume you need, while producing the pleasing sound that you want!
The Bean Sprout is perfect for standard ukulele playing styles, using banjo finger-picks or for playing claw-hammer style.
The Bean Sprout is a new design that is the perfect mix of traditional and modern construction. The neck is of concert size with fourteen frets and a neck width of one and a half inches at the nut, which is wider and longer than any other banjo ukulele manufactured today. This creates not only a very comfortable feel while playing but also a very proportionate instrument, setting Bean Sprout apart from its competition.
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George Banjos
Tommy George and Christian Stanfield
301 Church Street
Somerville, Tennessee TN
USA
Phone:
eMail:
↑ Listing's Web Site Thumbnail Image
- Banjo Ukulele
- Banjos
Links
Listing Info
( from listing's site ) - George Banjos is located in historic, scenic Somerville, Tennessee, just a few blocks away from the court square and town center. It is located just shy of midway between Memphis and Jackson.
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Gold Tone Instrument Company
3700 Washington Ave. S.
Titusville, FL 32780
Phone: (321) 264-1970
Fax: (321) 269-4910
- Banjo
- bass
- lap steel
- ukulele
Links
- www.goldtone.com
- Tiki King's Ukulele: Brand name database: GoldTone
Gold Tone Banjos, located in Titusville, Florida was founded by Wayne and Robyn Rogers in 1993. Active folk musicians in the 70's and 80's, they opened Strings N' Things Music Center in 1978. In 1993 Wayne designed the original TB-100 Travel Banjo and began manufacturing and distributing the "Traveler" mail order. After a wonderful review by Banjo Newsletter, the TB-100 became very much in demand. As the company grew, new innovations were combined with proven vintage designs. Dealers and customers continued to request quality banjos in a reasonable price range and soon Gold Tone's collection included 5 strings, 6 strings, Banjitars, Mando Banjos, 4 strings, Weissenborns, metal bodies, resonator guitars and mandolins.
Banjo and wood ukuleles
The new Tenor Banjo Uke (BUT) is an affordable alternative to the Gold Tone Banjolele series now available in a tenor scale length. Tuned GCEA or DGBE, this model features a maple neck, bound rosewood fingerboard, geared tuners, a single adjustable coordinator rod, and plate-style resonator.
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Barry Sholder Gourd Banjos
Barry Sholder
122 Battle Dr.
Dallas, Georgia 30132
USA
Phone: 770-712-4419
Toll Free:
Fax:
eMail: Barry@signandart.com
↑ Listing's Web Site Thumbnail Image
- Gourd Banjos
- Gourd Ukuleles
Links
Listing Info
( from listing's site ) - To construct all my banjos, I try to find the finest materials available . Your banjo will truely be one of a kind because these instruments are made from gourds grown in the fields of Casa Grade, Arizona. Some of the gourds that I use measure up to 3/4" thick, making them ideal for a carved surface. Also, thickness does have a factor in the tone of the instrument.
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Kala
(pronounced Kah’ la )
P.O. Box 751149
Petaluma, CA 94975-1149
1 877 Uke Duke
↑ Listing's Web Site Thumbnail Image
- Over 120 Ukulele Models
- UBass - Bass Ukulele
- Tuners
- Cases
- Strings
- Accessories
Links
Funky Frets, Boyertown PA USA
Our family store, Funky Frets carries the line of ukuleles and accessories.
Listing Info
( from the Kala site ) - KALA BRAND UKULELES HAVE JUST BEGUN, BUT OUR ROOTS GO BACK A BIT.
Hawaiian Definitions of KALA (pronounced Kah’ la)
- v. To forgive, a prayer to free someone from any evil influence.
- nvs. Dollar, silver, money, cash, currency.
- n. Surgeonfish, Unicorn fish
- (Ono) Brand of Ukulele!!!
Hi, I’m Mike Upton, founder of Kala Brand Music Co. and Kala Brand Ukulele. I became acquainted with the charm of the ukulele at an early age as my Dad would strum the "uke" and sing old standards, entertaining the family, neighbors, and worshiping in Church. The sweet, soothing sound was the best pacifier for a fidgety child like yours truly, so as I grew up, you guessed it, I started playing the bass. Four strings like the uke, only much larger and able to rattle your teeth with the proper amplification i.e. Ampeg SVT 300 Watt Tube Head through a 8x10 cabinet. Anyway, back to the ukulele, I re-engaged with the uke while living on heavenly Lanikai Beach in 1991 with my lovely wife, Wendy. You were just starting to hear and see more and more people playing ukulele back then. My interest continued as I became the Hawaii Sales Representative for the Hohner Company in 1997. I found out very quickly that there were very few quality, affordable ukuleles available in the Islands. So with that in mind, I set out and with some help developed the popular ukulele line. In July of 2005 I went out on my own to start Kala Ukulele to continue to expand what is possible in the realm of quality, affordable instruments for the Ukulele Enthusiast and Novice alike.
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Lanikai Ukuleles
EAST COAST: 1000 Technology Park Dr.
Glen Allen, VA 23059
Phone: (800) 446-6010
Fax: (804) 515-0347
WEST COAST: 1240 Quarry St.
Corona, CA 92879
Phone: (800) 637-0477
- Ukuleles
- Banjo Ukuleles
Links
- www.lanikaiukes.com
- www.hohnerusa.com
- Tiki King's Ukulele: Brand name database: Lanikai
Info
(from their site) -
Lanikai Beach, Hawaii - its name means “Heavenly Ocean”… and Lanikai Ukuleles let you “ride the wave” to your own heavenly musical landscape.
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The Magic Fluke Co. LLC
292 South Main Street
Sheffield, MA 01257
tel: 800-459-5558
fax: 413-229-8536
↑ Listing's Web Site Thumbnail Image
- Books
- CDs
- Cases
- Ukulele
Links
- www.magicfluke.com/
- Tiki King's Ukulele: Brand name database: Fluke
- Tiki King's Ukulele: Brand name database: Flea
Funky Frets, Boyertown PA USA
Our family store, Funky Frets carries the line of ukuleles and accessories.
Durable all weather instruments.
This would be and even better instrument if it had a radius fingerboard.
I've had a few Flukes and my latest is a Koa FLuke.
Listing Info
The Fluke and Flea ukulele. This unique musical instrumented is made by The Magic Fluke Company in Connecticut and sold via Flea Market Music, Inc. and various instrument dealers and music stores.
I've had a few Flukes in the past. Here is my current Fluke.
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Small Wonder Banjos
Jere Canote
Seattle, Washington
USA
eMail:
↑ Listing's Web Site Thumbnail Image
- Banjo Guitars
- Banjo Mandolins
- Banjo Ukuleles
Links
- www.canote.com/banjo.php
- Tiki King's Ukulele: Brand name database: <#BRAND_NAME#>
Listing Info
( from listing's site ) - My fascination with banjos was first sparked in 1975 when I discovered the joys of old time music while living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Soon I was repairing and restoring great old instruments, and after settling in Seattle, I began designing and building my own banjo-family instruments in 1985. I am especially fond of the the late 19th century banjo aesthetic, and at the same time I enjoy taking banjo design in playful and humorous directions. I've had a lot of experience creating custom inlays, including: skeletons, lizards, frogs, dragonflies, butterflies, crows, cats, llamas, hens, roosters, burning candles, and floral motifs. I have built open backed 5 string Banjos (both 11", and 12\' rims) minstrel banjos, banjo-guitars, and banjo-ukes (using both standard banjo construction, and my unique "neck-through" body design).
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Links
Info
( from listing's site ) -
Spanky Banjo Ukes are built by luthiers Dan Fobert and Phil Morris. Combining Phil's longtime love affair with the ukulele and Dan's creativity and innovative construction techniques, with input from other uke players they have developed an idea for an instrument built in the traditional way but utilizing up to date features. Spanky Banjo Ukes use a longer, wider concert scale length neck for easier play and a synthetic head to eliminate the problems natural skin heads have with changes in humidity. The advanced Renaissance and Fiberskyn head materials produce a mellow natural tone while maintaining plenty of banjo volume and punch.
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Artist Info
WaverlyStreet Ukuleles
WaverlyStreet Software
277 W. Brighton Road
Columbus, Ohio, 43202
Fax: (201) 917-1482
Links
( 29-AUG-2008 Update ) A great selection of videos show the Step-by-step process of building a ukulele.
Info
(from their site) WaverlyStreet Software has been producing practical, easy-to-use programs for home and office since 1996. We use the "Shareware" distribution concept, which means that you can download fully-operational packages and try them out for a period of time while deciding whether or not to purchase. If you like the program, you can register on-line via credit card (or through surface mail) and receive a registration code which makes the program YOURS, without having to download anything else or re-install the software!
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