3 Things You Need To Know About Banjoleles (Banjo UKe)

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#1 Banjoleles, also called Banjo Ukuleles , have been with us since the early 1900’s. These instruments were developed for Ukulele players who simply wanted more volume than a standard Ukulele could provide. These instruments were popular early on with Vaudeville acts of the day and were most closely associated with  George Formby a British comedian (1904-1961) who used them his act.

#2  The construction is the same as a banjo but with a 4 –string ukulele neck and it is commonly tuned G–C–E–A (Standard Ukulele “C Tuning") or A–D–F♯–B ("D Tuning"). Like the banjo, early models featured Calf Skin heads but present day Banjo Ukuleles have synthetic Mylar heads. They are also fitted with a banjo style bridge and use standard Ukulele strings.

#3 Banjoleles are available in both Soprano and Concert sizes and come in both open back and closed back designs. The closed back versions have more volume than their open back siblings. The Eddy Finn models pictured above shows both an open back soprano and a closed back concert Banjolele.
If you can play the standard Ukulele, you can play the Banjolele. It all a matter of personal style.

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