Here we have a superb, all original, 1920s banjo ukulele (or ‘Banjolele’) by John Grey & Sons of London.
With the anatomy of a banjo, but the size and string layout of a ukulele, this is a truly unique instrument. And, made in England in the early 1920s, it is also a super-cool vintage piece of musical history too!
These are incredibly rare to find nowadays, particularly with the original case. As such, we would describe it as rare and collectable.
It has a walnut neck, and ebony fretboard with inlaid mother-of-pearl position dots. It has black tuning pegs and the original vellum is still tight and in good condition (with just one small crescent-shaped hole). There is no major appreciable wear to the frets, and the neck is straight and true.
All in all, this is a superb instrument which looks incredible and sounds fantastic too!
CONDITION:
This Banjolele is in good used condition bearing in mind it is 100 years old!
There is a small crescent-shaped hole in the vellum (or drum skin that constitutes the front of the instrument). The metal resonator on the back of the Banjolele (the part of the instrument that gives it volume and resonance) is slightly dented and mis-shapen in places. Finally, there are cracks around most of the screws that secure the vellum and resonator to the wooden body. This is not unusual at all for instruments of this age and fragility.
All of that said, we have checked the instrument thoroughly and none of the things mentioned above negatively affect the playability or tone of this lovely vintage instrument. We just like to be really thorough when describing the condition of our instruments.
Please look at the photos thoroughly as they constitute part of the product description.
COLLECTION/DELIVERY:
This item is available from our store in Exeter or by post (at an additional cost of £25 due to weight, cost of packing materials and levels of required insurance).
If postage is selected, it will be packed very carefully and sent via Parcelforce48 within 3 working days of purchase.
If you have any questions, please contact us before purchasing either by email or phone.