Kmise Tenor Banjolele Review and Concert Banjolele Comparison

[@Neuroplastea]

Thanks so much dude! I was looking for one and wasn’t sure if this was “legit”, this was reassuring and super helpful! Awesome job 👍

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! I’m glad you found it helpful! Check out my other reviews as well! Subscribe to see more! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@bobjohnston4325]

I'm liking this one a bunch! Thanks for the review.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks!

[@congerscott6064]

Excellent review thank you, i have made my decision, it's going to be a tenor for me, i'll be ordering one soon, thanks again 👍🏆.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! I’m glad you found the review helpful! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@stanleyeisel8883]

Great review , VERY informative!

[@stevesstrings5243]

I'm glad you found it useful! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@dbird1356]

Lots of good info. Thx. One thing I may have missed… what is the tenor nut width vs the concert ? Thx

[@gneveln]

Thank you for another fine review. I too prefer to play tenor ukuleles and while I like my Kmise concert banjolele, I think I'd prefer a tenor.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I’m glad you liked the review!

[@fourstringstrummer]

Hey Steve - I like the look of this new tenor banjo uke. I also prefer the longer scale length. I've had a couple of different banjo ukes - concert scale but have always thought it would be good to have a tenor. The concert scale has a bit more of a "plinky" kind of sound which can be desirable in some ways - but that extra room of the tenor scale looks pretty appealing...they both look like nicely appointed instruments with the inlayed position markers, binding etc too. Kelly

[@stevesstrings5243]

Hi, Kelly! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@musicalmiscellany]

I really like this one. I also like the idea of having the banjo uke format in tenor scale. If you put low G strings on it... it'd be kinda like a mini Irish tenor banjo. I like the way you compared the concert and tenor models. I have to say... I do like those fret markers on the concert.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! I definitely like the longer scale. The beauty of the banjo is you can string it any way you want!

[@bumparick4148]

Good morning. I love banjo ukuleles, but I want a soprano-sized banjo-uke. If Kmise/Aklot offered one for less than $100, I would probably buy it. Thank you for another excellent review. Rick

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks, Rick! I haven’t seen a soprano banjolele before. I like the extra room on the fretboard with the tenor. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@Cascade47]

I have a Kala Soprano Banjo Uke før sale if interested...

[@uptotuan]

I enjoyed your review Steve. I already have a Concert Kmise banjolele but have ordered a Tenor as I play a Tenor Uke. Whereas the Concert is readily available at various price points, the Tenor only seems to have become recently available to buy online in the UK and there are only a few sellers. You said that your Concert has no truss rod well the one I bought does have a truss rod and the fret markers are in the form of a skull and crossbones. I ordered my Tenor from Kmise direct which turns out to be a company called 'Miaoyin Technology Industry Limited'. I ordered over a month ago, they took the payment, there has been no communication whatsoever from the company despite a couple of emails. I wait to see if it will turn up before I set the PayPal police onto them. Also you point out that the only difference between the Concert and the Tenor model is the length of the neck. The Concert is available to order online in the UK for £56 but the Tenor is at least twice that price. That's quite pricey for an extra 3"" of neck. Brass neck or what?

[@stevesstrings5243]

I’m glad you enjoyed my review. I’m sorry to hear about your purchase experience. I’m surprised there’s such a price difference between the two instruments. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@johncalkin7423]

Nice comparison, Steve. They sound quite similar to me. It is strange to see the direction of the figured veneer back run across the instrument rather than following the line of the strings. Do the screw holes look like they line up if the back is given a quarter turn?

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks, John! I thought the same thing about the grain on the back. I haven’t removed the back yet. When I do, I will probably change the grain orientation. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@seanhartman6496]

It sounds like you have it tuned the same as a soprano or concert ukulele with that reentrant high G for your fourth string (often tenor ukuleles have the 4th string tunes to “low G”) Is this how it came or did you retune it that way?

[@stevesstrings5243]

Yes, it has reentrent tuning (high g). It came that way. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@TempleOfTheMartyrs]

fantastic

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@seanhartman6496]

Thanks so much for the review! It’s a little disappointing that Kmise didn’t go with a larger rim on the tenor version as opposed to the concert, which is how most makers would approach it. The larger rim along with the longer neck and truss rod would really set this apart more as a separate model from their other offerings.

[@stevesstrings5243]

I agree! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@josephwright6154]

I've just bought a 4 String banjo for my grandson. Can't work out why the third string is thicker than the fourth string. Can anyone explain this please

[@stevesstrings5243]

If it’s a banjolele, like this one, it is tuned gCEA. The g string (4th) is tuned higher than the C string (3rd), so it has to be thinner. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@josephwright6154]

@@stevesstrings5243 Concert 23" Resonator Banjo Uke 4 String Banjolele Sapele Body Okoume Neck G9T7

[@josephwright6154]

Thanks for reply and help. It is a Banjolele. What are string gauges 4th,3rd 2nd 1st

[@josephwright6154]

What are the string gauges 4th to 1st thanks

[@stevesstrings5243]

@@josephwright6154 The string gauges vary by brand, material and scale. These are Aquila nylgut tenor ukulele strings. You can search for them easily.

[@johnaustin1825]

How many frets on each? Can I buy a Concert Banjolele and tune it to a Baritone uke? ie E B G D (1 2 3 4)

[@stevesstrings5243]

This instrument has 20 frets. Yes, you can tune it to DGBE, but it might be an octave higher than a baritone ukulele. Check out Aquila New Nylgut AQ-11 Tenor Ukulele Strings - High D & DGBE. You can find them on Amazon. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@stoneyrunva]

Great review. Isn't a transducer pick up intended to be placed on the face of a stringed instrument? Thanks.

[@stevesstrings5243]

The piezo typically goes on the resonating surface. So it could be on the top, or on the inside if you take the back off. Guitars typically have them on the underside of the soundboard. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@myersukulele]

You do not refer to the lack of arm protector.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for pointing that out! Since it's obvious that it does not have an arm rest, I did not feel I needed to point it out. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@seanhartman6496]

I can’t say I have ever seen a banjolele with one…

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

Are you sure it's a real bone nut? Those usually require shaping which increases labor costs. And they're expensive. They make bone alternatives now. Maybe it's that? Also, .2 something millimeters? So a small fraction of a single millimeter? That also doesn't sound quite right. Do you mean .2 something centimeters?

[@stevesstrings5243]

I'm not sure. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@marvinthemaniac7698]

I bet I could turn one of these into a proper tenor banjo by replacing the ukulele strings with classical guitar strings and tuning them to GDAE.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Definitely! It has a truss rod in the neck so it should also be able to handle the tension of steel strings for either standard CGDA tuning or Irish tuning. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@marvinthemaniac7698]

@@stevesstrings5243 you're very welcome, but does the truss rod really help it sustain the tension of metal strings?

[@stevesstrings5243]

@@marvinthemaniac7698 It should make the neck stiffer than a neck without one.

[@marvinthemaniac7698]

@@stevesstrings5243 is that good?

[@stevesstrings5243]

@@marvinthemaniac7698 Yes. Necks under tension from steel strings tend to develop an under bow without reinforcement. The truss both decreases the probability of this and enables some adjustability to flatten an under bow.