DonnerBanjolele 4 String Banjo Ukulele kit Stringed Musical Instruments for Adult Beginner with Banjo Tuners, Gig Bag, Picks, Skeleton 23 Inch Sapele

Wow, I really like this banjolele.It is actually my second banjolele. I have been a fan of ukuleles made by Donner for about 15 months now (I have owned and played 4 of them, and all of them were just amazing values for price and great quality), so when I began wishing for a banjolele, I was really hoping that Donner would have one available. After months of waiting and hoping, and both my husband and I doing some research, he gave me a banjolele from another company for Christmas. Just letting you know that for point of reference. It is not from a famous brand, but it is one of a few that we had narrowed down to from research over affordable options, and the company which made it seemed very similar to Donner, which had been so good to me thus far, so…we took a chance. And that banjolele is wonderful. Again—just sharing for point of reference for this detailed review.I was so excited to hear that Donner now had a banjolele available, so I immediately took the opportunity to purchase one and try it out! And how fun that I could now compare as well.The Donner banjolele has a wonderful “plunky” sound, as a banjo should. The drum head has the Remo logo on it, which is one of my qualifications for what I desire in a banjolele, though the skin is a flat white matte, which was surprising to me, as my other banjolele has a Remo skin that has that sort of mottled look to it. Honestly, I don’t notice a difference other than appearance in that respect.This banjolele set comes with a decent gig bag: sturdy material, some padding (so-to-speak, so it is not one of those thin gig bags that feels like a windbreaker jacket), but not quite as awesome as some of the gig bags that came with some of my Donner traditional ukes. I wouldn’t mind a more spacious pocket. It comes with the Donner tuner as all Donner ukes do, which is my favorite tuner. I received another tuner with another brand of uke, and it has been less than pleasing…so glad that I have the occasion to know the difference!The set also comes with an extra pair of strings (but they are not labeled as to which one is which?), picks, a truss rod, and a strap---however the strap might be meant for a guitar or regular sized banjo. It is too long for me even when tightened all of the way. Decent quality, just doesn’t serve my purposes. Granted, I am a petite 5’1’’, but with all of my other ukes, the straps that come with them have been fine. Also, just so you know, one needs to have 2 small strings or ribbons in order to connect the strap to the banjolele (by looping them through the holes at the end of the strap). It’s not an exciting strap, either. Black canvas with fake brown suede/leather ends, but for the right person, it will do the trick, and honestly some of the straps that come with other instruments, ones with crazy patterns- they probably don’t please everyone either. I have been known to buy a particular strap for a particular instrument just because I wanted it to be more “me”.What the set lacked in my case was the special tool for measuring where to set up the bridge, or alternatively, instructions for how to measure without that special see-thru tool that one usually sees with these types of banjolele sets. I found out later that there *should* have been a tool included. Luckily, I had one from my other banjolele, and though they have slightly different lengths of neck/fretboard, etc, when I double-checked using the manual measurement method, it actually came out the same. Interesting.As for comparison, the Donner banjolele drum is about ¼ inch deeper than my other banjolele, and the neck is slightly thicker. I was surprised at this and wondered if it would make it more difficult to play…but actually, the Donner Banjolele is quite comfortable to play!My other banjolele has a slightly brighter sound than the Donner Banjolele, but saying the Donner has a darker sound does not seem accurate…perhaps a bit richer or deeper…The neck and body of the Donner banjolele are a beautiful red wood look, smooth to the touch. I wouldn’t mind a little more texture there for the feel of wood. The Black headstock is actually quite classy looking- I was not sure if I would like that or not, as my other banjolele looks a bit more rustic, but it turns out pleasing to me. I am not sure if the Donner name on the headstock is a sticker or paint. I might have expected something that was etched or punched in, like other products from Donner that I have experienced, but like I said, it is still lovely, and thus far, every Donner product that I have purchased, from ukuleles to other music accessories, has been a home run. So, I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.I have had my banjolele for about a month now. As can be expected with any new uke (but it not always the case), the banjolele went out of tune pretty quickly in the first week or so, like literally within minutes of playing. However, recently I have realized that it has been holding tune through a 15 to 30 minute practice session, which is also what one could certainly hope for and expect from playing an instrument regularly once the strings settle down. (fyi, my first ever uke was a Donner, and it held tune well from the beginning...I was spoiled! 😉)All in all, another great instrument by Donner, at an affordable price. Super value with great quality.

This banjo sounds surprisingly good for the price. It's great for beginners, or for multi-instrumentalists who want a cheap banjo to use every once and a while without investing too much money.

I like this Banjolele. It did require constant tunings for about two weeks! Once that was done and set up completed I ended up with a nice instrument to add to my collection!

I bought this for my 5 year old son. He loves music and banjos. This is the perfect size for him to play with and learn ♥️ the sound quality is great in my opinion.

got it for my son who is a musician. He wants to teach himself to play banjo. He says its a good one for beginners and fun to play

Bought this as a Christmas gift in October, return window closed in November. Unfortunately the neck was cracked. Company reached out to me amd replaced the item without any hassles. My dad loves it. Highly recommend!

So it sounds decent for the price and comes with a lot of extras which is great. That being said mine arrived with very sharp fret ends. I play other instruments and so I have the tools to address this but they were for sure sharp enough to leave you bleeding if you aren't careful. Also the material it's made out of is quite soft, while filing down the fret ends with moderate pressure I managed to gouge the edge of the fret board on a couple of frets. Lastly the tuners feel awful. They feel like they are toys and are going to break as you tune them

This is a really wonderful little banjo uke. The price is so low everyone should have one. It looks more expensive than it is. I love the sound and it's really well made. Even a Remo head. The gig bag is quite nice, better than the one that came with my Luna uke. Comes with a decent strap, picks, tuner, extra strings template to set the bridge and adjusting tool. For those who complain about the tuning, you have to understand that these strings need to stretch out. This can take a couple of weeks. This uke is so much fun you won't regret it. This is a phenomenal value.