Banjo Ukulele for under $100- Is it too good to be true? Reviewing the Kmise Banjolele
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- Опубликовано: 2 май 2019
- I've had fun reviewing this kmise ukulele and have more videos in store for it. I'll be reviewing all the accessories that came with it, comparing it to the Oscar Schmidt Banjolele and also trying out some new strings on it. Any suggestions?
Kmise with tuner and bag:
amzn.to/2Jffajl
Kmise bundle:
amzn.to/2PMrngm
Kmsie Banjolele only:
amzn.to/2GYrPEk
*amazon links are affiliate links
Have a great day and don't forget to play your uke today! 
Видеоклипы
0:35 Price
2:46 Specs
2:56 About Sapele
3:57 Weight
4:20 Fretboard issues
6:20 my plans for adapting it
6:35 Nut
6:47 Action and Intonation
7:12 Tuners
7:39 Logo
8:32 Tiny Blemishes
9:05 signs of a well loved uke
10:43 How to play w/o a strap
11:07 How to install floating bridge
11:37 Banjo head
12:02 about Remo heads
12:37 SOUND SAMPLE
13:18 Describing sound
14:28 Strings
15:19 Opening the back
15:50 blemish in the finish
16:52 close up view of body cross section
18:25 Can you use spacers?
19:25 Making adjustments
19:49 More about the banjo head
20:54 Sound sample with back removed
21:33 Would I recommend it?
23:04 The value of the bundle
GirlMeetsUke 23 time stamps. That's a lot of detail. Thanks!
Thanks for the review. I like how you added the time stamps to the video also. This seems like a good value.
Thanks so much for this review! I've been eyeing this guy recently, so it's good to see the property and cons. Looking forward to the comparison video!
Good, thorough review. Thanks!
Great thorough review, i am considering getting one myself.
thorough and clear - thank you
I was able to hear the sound difference with and without the back. Very interesting, I'm not a fan of banjoleles but for $100 I would try that kmise.
Thank you for the review!
Love your comments about using your ukes! I so get the need to keep them safe from elements (and am probably over-protective), but at the same time, YES YES YES, they are meant to be played! Let their character out to soothe, heal, encourage, and move us!
Great review!
Thanks for another detailed review. It seems like this would be a great purchase for someone wanting to try out a banjolele.
I completely agree about the dents and dings on a well-loved uke. It’s similar to when your kids make marks around the house. It’s a sign of a lived in house, full of memories.
Timely Uke She did do one of the better instrument reviews that I have come upon. Good job.
Great review! Thanks
Thank you for your review.
I’m 100% with you on the well-loved-uke rant. One of my most played ukes is starting to get little scratches from strumming super fast and hard (I might make/buy a pick guard soon). But those scratches show how much I love it!
Yep, I’d be PROUD to have those scratches. 😊 I’d skip the pick guard. I would suspect it would effect the sound if you attached something to the top of the uke.
Awesome review, Jodi! That old saw is so true....ignorance is bliss!! For the price, it is tough to beat! Great as a first banjolele to see if you would really like playing the instrument!
ChuckVT Good point, An appetizer. LOL
Thanks again for the review....
How fun !!! I kid you not, we have a antique (I'm pretty sure I'm spelling it wrong) "banjolin". It's a banjo/mandolin. Pretty unique sound to it, I still haven't figured out how to play it. I'm more keen for my ukes 😊
Interesting review! :D
Cool uke! I love hearing the twangle jangle. Oddly, I have no desire to play one and watched the full video. 🤣 Good review!
If you haven't put the back on yet, you can drizzle a bit of glue in the splits to help prevent further splitting. Small padded hand clamps might tighten them up just enough to give the screws some bite. Screwing into the edge of plywood like that is never the best method. Longer screws will make it worse. They probably should have glued small cleats to the inside to screw into, but at this price it's hard to complain.
I've had one of these about a year now, Bought it from Amazon. I play it all the time and actually prefer it to my regular ukulele because I like the banjo sound and because of the louder volume (my hearing isn't the best). It has held up very well over the year with the exception of the tuner that came with it, which stopped working after a couple of weeks. I just play for fun and my own amusement, rather than with a group or for an audience, so not being a higher end instrument is OK with me, though I may eventually upgrade. The strap that came with it is very good and still looks brand new after much use. Overall, very satisfied with what I got. I think the fading color on your fretboard was a flaw in the manufacturing, because mine is the same dark color all the way down. Not a big deal, but something that would probably not pass the QC people if it was a more expensive instrument.
Yeah, I'm not impressed with the cheap little tuner. I much prefer the little freebie app I've been using on my Android phone for years.
Excellent review and makes a well deserved point does a $1000 instrument make you a 10x better player than a $100 instrument - thanks again for a great review 👍😎
Just followed your link to Amazon. I really like the look of the one with the black head on it.
Yes, they have several variations of this that are pretty neat!
Great review, I'll probably be buying one as a result. I've got more expensive ukes and one in particular I play every day but I've always been after that banjo sound.
The Oscar Schmidt seems a little better but in the UK the Kmise is £55 compared to £150 for the Schmidt so for me there's no contest.
Really glad I found your channel.
I’m glad you found it too. 😊 that’s a great price and this instrument is certainly worth that and more!
@@girlmeetsuke2980 yep, it seemed so cheap I expected high action, poor intonation and it being almost unplayable like many of cheaper Amazon ukes some of my students have. This definitely looks to be a different level entirely. Can't wait until I get one now..
you can vent the back cover by putting two small washers under the plate and rim. while you are there put some wood glue in the splits wit a tooth pick and clamp it
I agree on using your Ukes I keep my Martin OXK in my truck to strum if I get held up, it's soothing!
Yep, everyone needs a car/truck uke. ❤️
Oh wow! I always leave several instruments out at home for playing, but would never be able to make myself take my Martins (Concert uke and Guitar) and leave them in a vehicle. I have lost too many items to heat damage over the years. I do keep harmonicas in my vehicle though and am a bit iffy about doing that sometimes when the temp is 110 in the shade. 😳. I have given several guitars to my grandchildren over the years and first thing I tell them is never put it away in the case or a closet. Keep it out, on a good stand, and near their favorite place to sit in the house. Pick it up every day if only for 5 or 10 minutes. As for superficial “damage” such as minor dings and scratches, they just add to the memories and build character for the instrument. Keep on playing.🎶
Hey Judy, I got my Banjo uke Kmise, wow, fantastic man love it, had it work with me last 3 nights, now on few days Holls ,to really enjoy! 😃✌true, the fret board gave a light lemon oil, and also sanded Bridge down a little fantastic at only £70 you do some groovy loving videos, and promoting these Beauty's, well done, enjoy xx
@@JohnJones-sg6hu The Martin is an HPL uke, which makes it pretty well-suited to living in a truck.
@@girlmeetsuke2980 living in Florida makes me hesitant to have a car uke.
Thank you your awesome
BY FAR this is the best review on the Kmise Banjolele on RUclips. Before I purchased mine I watched them all several times. Would have loved to have watched this when I was researching for my own. I have had mine for 6 weeks now and love it. I have to say that of the 6 ukes I own I play it the least. Just doesn’t have that ukulele sound I love in the other instruments. However none of those others can match the sound of the banjolele either. It’s special. I had a particular song I was going to play and sing to in public on March 28th and the Kmise banjolele really fit the bill. I’m glad I bought it. I’m glad it didn’t cost me very much money. And perhaps I’m even glad I didn’t see your review first because I am kind of focused on quality and I might not have bought it after seeing the little blemishes on your instrument. I learned a lot about my instrument by watching your video so thank you for that. Overall just really excellent work on your part. Again, thanks.
Thanks so much, Mark. Did yours come with any blemishes? Also, what song did you sing with it?? I play my banjolele the least too, but there are just some songs that it fits perfectly for.
GirlMeetsUke I haven’t noticed any blemishes but I realized today I haven’t looked as closely at mine as you have at yours. I have not taken the back off either. Next time I grab it I will look more closely. Here is a link to my song. We had about 150 people come to the special night of music at my church. ruclips.net/video/KlelT0qVa1g/видео.html
Are you heading up to Mighty Uke Day next week?
Mark Pierce no, May is kind of a crazy month for me, but I AM coming to the Ukulele World Congress next month. 😊
I have one and I think it's a good instrument to learn on.
I did get a damaged one, had a whack in the mail, they very quickly mailed me another back which was easy to replace. I bought one from China through Ebay, to Australia, and since have brought in 3 more for others, All direct from Kmiseus. They are not all the same quality, and the listings show different prices for the same thing. Fact is, the more you pay, the better it is. They are all great for the price. Make sure the plate at the drum end is not resting on the drum itself, that was one issue I had to address.
"The soul of the instrument....." I agree. They cry out to be played, and if they are in the case you cannot hear them. Leave it out, it is quite rugged, and you will pick it up more often.
Pop the Uke strings off and install a set of mandolin strings. Tune it to GDAE and you've got a little tenor banjo! I've done it and it sounds great. Makes up for any short comings of the Kmise. Can also be tuned CGDA Chicago .
What kind of mandolin strings? I'm a beginner...."medium"...."light"..? Seeing several different kinds of mandolin strings...
Thanks!
Thank you this was very interesting. I am confused because aother review didn't have many of the problems you mentioned.... maykbe it was a different model. I appreciated your detailed review. What I don't understand is that on Amazon I thought it came all assembled.
Ur sounding great there...I like it better than the deering and gold tone ones....I have one for old time music but play fiddle for the most part.
Great review! Love your playing. Where would I find chord soloing music for the banjolele?Thanks
With walnut, there is light sapwood and dark heartwood. In walnut it can blend together giving it that appearance of two-tone. Walnut is not typically stained either since it it naturally dark. Sometimes it's steamed before drying to push some of the darker color into the sapwood.
Has a total beginner to this hobby. It would have been nice to know the notes you played in this video. Overall a brilliant review. I really enjoyed it and will be subscribing to more. Thank you so much
Another great review! Good luck with the fret filing. Hawaii Music Supply has some videos on set-up that address fret filing, if you want some tips. Let us know how it goes :)
I ordered one of the Kmise banjoleles at the same time you were reviewing the Kmise uke. I was very interested in your review of this instrument. I have not removed the back, and the finish on mine is flawless, I was however having a hard time accepting the “pungent “ sound, especially that A string. Now that I know it should sound that way, I’ll be more open minded to play it. I received a $100 Amazon gift card, so it’s a free instrument to me :)
Steve Smith Hey, FREE is FREE nothing to loose and lots of potential to gain. I have never tried one of these instruments but am thinking about it. I do have a Martin concert uke, but the banjolele would be soooo cool. I might even like it better than my 5 string banjo. Especially the mobility aspect.
Good review. I agree with you, the Oscar Schmidt has a brighter cleaner sound over the Kmise. Curious if you are running the same strings on both
Looks like you play a lot of instruments liked the vids I play guitar and mandolin just bought a ukulele bandjo
Thank you
I’d like to hear your thoughts on the different floor stands for banjoleles.
I know this video is for years ago, but I recently got a kmise banjolele (love it) and I've notice that the strings are set up to be very close together as you get down to the bridge, so they're not really following the widening of the neck. The bridge has little notches cut into it for the strings to sit into but I'm wondering is it ok for me to go ahead and cut my own notches and spread the strings out a little?
These seem to be quite good from Amazon Jody thank you x are they same tuning as all uke G C E A think of getting one, I have A Kala fantastic never goes out of tune, love it from our Capital London 2018, and a Soprano, Andoer, I want that little jangling Banjo sound to, love your videos x thanx
Hate to tell you this but it's no easier if you buy through Amazon. I bought the Kmise tenor travel zebrano and when I tried to return it Kmise wanted me to pay the return carriage. I still have it and eventually they just refunded but not a pleasant experience 😣. However when you get a good one it's a good one, just quality control may be an alien concept to them. Oh I fixed the Uke and it makes a handy one to leave just hanging around. Yep, I took the stickers off with a scalpel.
I got a little gem gold tone bandjo sounds good
FWIW 4 years later: Just received mine. The fret edges are not sharp (I tried to scrape myself and couldn't). Maybe they file them better now. The logo is not a sticker anymore--it seems to be inlaid epoxy. Mine came from Amazon with no dings or blemishes in the finish. Mine has 8 mini screws attaching the back instead of the 6 that yours has. My back is not warped at all. No gaps in the laminated wood forming the rim. Looks like they've done their homework with respect to quality control.
have you perhaps tried out the Aklot banjo ukulele?
Thanks so much for your video ! I'm thinking about learning the ukulele and love the sound of banjolele so much :D I was eyeing this kmise one, but after looking your video and searching a little bit I found another model, a Harley Benton with a Remo drum, for 80$ (there is anothr model, the BJU-15Pro that is soooo cool, a little bit steampunk-y, but costs 110$). Did anyone tried one of those ?
Agreed. Ever heard that Simon and Garfunkel song? Sounds of Silence? Listen to that song again some time. He's saying to make music audibly. Get out into the world and play music for people. At least that's my take.
I kinda cool, I guess. I can't see myself buying one though, Its like ordering a taco pizza, like do ya want tacos or pizza? uke or banjo? But that's just me.
I like dark fingerboards too, I like the Music Nomad fretboard conditioner the best, it seems to darken the wood the best, and soaks in and lasts the longest.
Could you run some superglue into where it is splitting on the back? I know that a lot of luthiers use superglue for that kind of stuff. The runny kind, not the gel.
Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!
Thanks. I may have to try out that fretboard conditioner. I'm going to try filing the frets first. Seems easier...
I really, really, really want to see how you oil the fret board and file the frets. What kind of files? Where did you get them?
I bought them from amazon. I have no idea if they are good but they were advertised as luthier files. We shall see...
how often should you oil a fret board? What kind of signs do you look for as far as knowing when to oil the fret board? I’ve never heard of doing that before
Maybe once a year lightly. Don't soak it though. Just a quick wipe on and wait 10 seconds then wipe it off well. Martin guitar company recommends 3 n 1 oil. 3n1 oil will not go rancid.
This taught me about using 3in1 on fretboards. I don't doubt that it's effective, and functionally it's proven to be, but the juxtaposition of soft-sounding lemon oils, linseed oils, versus going for 3in1 and motor oil (!!) is pretty hilarious. I just read a forum thread about using 3in1 on food knives. Of course, there can also be environmental considerations, however vaguely they apply to such a small-scale use. I like the simplicity of the 3in1, and I do have it handy... but I wonder.
Sounds like it’s worth the price for a casual player like myself
New subscriber😊
Welcome. ❤️
How fragile would you say the skin is? I really want to get one sistead of a typical ukelele just scared on how rough you can be with it because i want to do a sorta flatpicking bluegrass style with it
The skin does not seem fragile at all. I think it would hold up fine to flat picking.
@@girlmeetsuke2980 thank you! I was just curious id never had a banjo like instrument. Definitely going to pick one up later this week :)
Use longer screws and wooden beads from Wal-Mart. Just don't use fatter screws. You'll love the new sound !
Another question....have any extra info or links for those screws/beads?
Thank you!
I will confess to being one of the people who’s kind of “scared” of the perceived delicate nature of banjoleles.
Years ago, when I was looking to buy my first kind of nice ukulele ($250 range), I picked my Gretsch resonator ukulele over the Gretsch banjolele because of the care that comes along with having a banjolele.
There were other reasons too, but that was a part of my decision.
It all worked out in the end because my mother in law gave me a four string banjo not much later. :)
I've never really thought of them as delicate. Are you referring to the drumhead and the floating bridge?
GirlMeetsUke mainly the floating bridge, but the drum head a bit too. Maybe delicate isn’t the appropriate word. Maybe...needs more fine tuning. Adjustments and whatnot.
I've had one of these about a year and don't find it to be delicate at all. It's been banged around quite a bit because I just leave it around the house to pick up and play whenever I'm in the mood. I've even knocked the bridge off a couple of times and just stuck it back in place and it was OK (after a little retuning). It's a pretty hardy instrument. More so, I think, than a regular ukulele. I don't know, maybe a more expensive model would be more delicate just because it was finer-tuned and more precision made, but this one can take some abuse.
Gosh I don't know Jodi. I suspect that you may have a counterfeit Kmise banjolele on your hands my friend.
Everything seems wrong on yours. I'll go down the list.
Mine (which you can look at on my video " Shimmy like my sister Kate") has a Remo head, has a branded Logo on the head stock, has inserts to where the back screws screw into the shell of the body, my fingerboard is uniformly colored and is really dark, mine has no sharp frets, even your fret markers are different where as mine only has one more on 14th fret and yours has two more one on the 14th and 16th. There are a few other notable differences that don't come to mind at ease he moment.
So if yours isn't a counterfeit I can't believe that Kmise has gone this bad in just a year. All of the other Kmise instruments that I have come across have been an unbelievable quality for the he money.
I have been told that the Chinese boom of manufacturing is quickly gonna come to a halt. They have all of these factories that are three miles long pumping out "good stuff cheap" with the profit margin not high enough to support the companies. First to go will be quality control for there will be no budget for maintenance. So on and so on till they collapse.
The next big boom will come from the continent of Africa. Certain countries there are being built up now for this to happen within the next four to five years. Billions and billions on dollar are being spent there.
Not to mention every other country having military bases and top secret programs everywhere across Africa.
Back on subject ..... You should try to return this instrument for those imperfections and have a new one sent to you. Try to find a representative that you can talk to and find out exactly what is going on. For what you have there is nothing like what I have.
2 years later and still Kmise uses "Kmise" heads, while the other clones roll on with Remo heads. And these screw hole inserts are a massive thing if true, but I've not seen any reports of this--I guess most people don't bother with removing the "resonator" since there are already open-backed models (I don't want to be cynical by suggesting they just screw wood plates flush onto what would be open-backed ones, but...). I really wonder what happened? Well, mysteries of the Orient and all that.
When mentioning price, it may be good to state what currency.
It's dollars, of course.
@@karenlynnkennedy6162 yes, what I meant was USD or other. Not everyone lives in the USA.
@@colincoakes3131 that's true...I forgot that Australia also has a dollar of their own...
@@karenlynnkennedy6162 and many other countries.
If the fingerboard really is walnut, the lighter colour is probably just sapwood, and nothing to do with staining.
Have you found out how to adjust the action of the strings by acting on that rod inside the rim? As far as I know you are the only Kmise banjolele reviewer that pointed out the existence of that rod below the drum head that you describe as a device to adjust the action & you carefully add "I am not sure how". I guess you have tried & not found the solution. I have never been able to lower or raise the strings by twisting that bar either way with the help of the supplied wrench. To me that rod seems useless & has no effect on the action because to change the action one must be able to modify the angle between the plan of the drum head & the plan of the fretboard & that can only occur if the rim goes away or gets closer of the heel which is that part of the fretboard that is attached to the rim & that is what is supposed to achieve the act of lengthening or shortening that rod. But for some reason that does not work on Kmise products certainly because of the way the parts are assembled. Conclusion if you cannot live with an action higher than 3 mm do not acquired a Kmise banjolele. Of course if someone can explain how that can be done I am ready to revise my judgement.
I don’t think that rod is for adjusting the action. A luthier would use it to help adjust minor bowing or twisting in the neck of the instrument... at least that is the case with a guitar, not sure about the uke. I would think the the only way to adjust the action would be by sanding the bottom of the nut (don’t try cutting deeper string groves) or by sanding the bridge (from the bottom). Use fine sheet of sandpaper on flat glass. In either case extreme care and frequent testing would be required. Or take it to a luthier or knowledgeable and skilled person to have the instrument “set up”, which includes checking the neck, string action, correct strings, etc. this might cost you $35 or so, but might be well worth it if the instrument doesn’t play well.
Strap. For. Ukulele. Banjo
Is it pronounced kuh-mee-say ?
well the only time iv bought from amazon it took litturally MONTHS TO ARRIVE
and im always complaining about how much over packaging they use on my ebay purchases though that did look like it was all cardboard and papper?
still never had any issues with damaged goods before the postmen seem pretty darn good at there jobs oh and
dosent amazon like serously missuse there employees??
if it wernt that the only place i could get that bag from was amazon, i wouldnt have ever put one step towards that company
who even uses amazon??
i keep hearing about how its a massive monopoly thats trying to take over all industrys yet Iv never met anyone who regularly uses it over say Ebay or Gumtree?
Banana Bug I use Amazon quite a bit, but not for musical instruments. My two tenors came Hawaii. My banjolele came from a flea market. I have not had any problems with Amazon until this past week (they now deliver items purchased from them through their own delivery service).
I bought one of these and even with Aquilla Nylgut strings on, it sounds dreadful. Chords are muddy sounding and single notes are not clear and resonant, and forget playing it further up the neck. Mine is going to the charity shop. It's garbage, pay more and get better.
You will probably like the Oscar Schmidt that I will be comparing this to. It has a clearer sound.
Its crap buy Aklot with remo
Yep Too good to be true. Sounds like a dead cat