Banjo Ukulele, AKLOT Concert 23 inch Remo Drumhead Open Back Maple Body 15:1 Advanced Tuner with Two Way Truss Rod Gig Bag Tuner String Strap Picks

Some 50+ years ago, I played an old ukulele and have great memories of the fun. I recently had an urge to play one again, but with a twist. I have always appreciated the sound qualities of banjos. When I realized that a banjo ukulele was available and within financial reach for a casual, fun instrument, I elected to get one.After researching the market, I settled on the AKLOT, which is the higher grade instrument in the Kmise line. Both trade names were favorably reviewed, but the AKLOT was generally preferred for it's louder projections and excellent fidelity for an affordable uke.I have been very please with the AKLOT product! It arrived in two days in a double-packed shipping box. I think it was packaged to survive importation as well as UPS! Well done, AKLOT!I unwrapped it, inspected the contents, and everything in the kit was pristine. The banjo uke was strung, but not tightly. I checked the location of the bridge using the supplied gauge, which proved to be a great method of checking the setup. The bridge was right on!The electronic tuner made it easy to bring it up to the "my dog has fleas" tuning. Over these past weeks, retuning has been needed less frequently as the strings and neck settled in to their longer-term stable positions. I still check it often, as it's quite a lot of fun to use the tuning tool!!It has a great sound! No, not as abrupt as steel strings on a full-sized banjo, but also much sharper than a ukulele, with that great banjo twang!It has a fine, uniform and blemish-free finish, and great workmanship all around. No burrs on the metal parts, especially the frets, and no hint of roughness or splinters anywhere. The banjo head has a consistent tension over all sections, and I haven't had to touch the neck or head tensioning.After a couple of weeks, the electronic tuner became intermittent, so I called Amazon and emailed with the supplier. A couple of days later, a new tuner showed up in the mail. No muss, no fuss, no disagreements. They just took care of me with great customer service!The strap is very comfortable and has a silky consistency. Much better than I expected. I planned to buy a new strap, expecting a pretty cheap crap strap, but I had a great surprise with the strap included in the package.The bottom line is this: It's been a great purchase and I'm having fun with my new banjo uke! It sounds great, easy to tune, and I have a great supplier behind me if I should need additional assistance. It doesn't get much better than this in today's rather mixed up market. Thanks, AKLOT!

Opening the big box to behold this banjo is like being introduced to someone for the first time yet feeling as if you've known the person your whole life. I'm newly meeting an old, old soulmate!Just initially bridging and tuning this AKLOT 5-string, open back banjo is an overwhelming experience. I'm shocked at the beauty and substantial heft of the instrument as well as the ugly import of its cultural weight.This AKLOT feels sturdy, solid and well-crafted. At 38" from top to bottom, the banjo is slightly longer than many other models -- which works for me, since I have long arms. The tiger stripe maple wood head, honey-colored maple body and distressed REMO drum head give the instrument a bright, new, clean yet old-timey vintage look.While the thin carrying case, bizarrely colored neck strap and other accessories aren't much to speak of, that doesn't diminish the excellent price -- or the elegant sound quality of this beauty.Unlike the tinny, jangling twang of most inexpensive banjos, this model has a modest, mellow and almost muted sound. Perfect for late-night playing at home. Although I've only had it for a few weeks, the banjo seems to hold its tuning well -- and its solid construction assures me I'll have many years of strumming, stroking, plucking and playing around. To say that I'm happy with this baby is a big understatement. I'm beyond thrilled with my new banjo!

This little thing is so much fun! I’ve played the ukulele for years and have wanted on the these banjos for a long time. This one plays great, looks great, sounds great! Set up took about 5 minutes. It’s stayed in tune just fine. The tuner is comes with is really nice too…an unexpected surprise. We play Martin and Gibson Guitars…so we’re used to high quality instruments. The Aklot doesn’t look or feel cheep. All the little wood joints have a good fit and finish. For under 100 bucks you can’t beat it.The open back design is good too…it allows flexibility for volume and tone. When I’m playing indoors or want a quiet practice I put a small towel in the back behind the truss rod. When you want to crank out the sound take the towel out and be prepared for your neighbors to hear you!