Gold Tone Little Gem Ukes, 4-String Ukulele, Right, Clear (LG/D)

First off, to give this review some context, I consider myself a fairly talented amateur at the ukulele. I'm no Jake Shimobukuro but I'm also a couple levels past the simple 3-chord stuff. I consider this ukulele to be a fun little addition to my collection but I wouldn't recommend it as a primary instrument.First of all, the tone is really limited. I can't get chords to sound very good. If I play up the neck, I get a passable ragtime sound, but playing where the soundhole would be sounds terrible. But fingerpicking is another story. It really sounds very close to a banjo if you get the picking right. Single notes sound far superior to chords, that's for sure.The playability is hit or miss. The action was low (which I like) but I had a tough time getting bends to sound good.Having said all that, the price is right and I don't reret the purchase. If you're looking to try out a banjo-lele for the first time, I'd recommend it. But if you're new to the uke, start out with a traditional one from a company like Cordoba instead.

We bought this from Amazon. It arrived with 2 flaws. First, the bridge setup ruler was missing from the box. Amazon was no help at getting a replacement, so we called Gold Tone and were able to get one from them. Second problem is that the bridge was uncomfortably high, making the instrument hard to play. We took the instrument to a local music store and they confirmed this problem. They fixed it by sanding down the bridge; a standard fix that they did while we waited for $15. We could have avoided both of these problems by buying from a local retailer who would have inspected and setup the instrument for free. Unfortunately, this is a new product and no local store is selling it yet. If you can, I advise that you buy it (and all stringed instruments for that matter) from good local dealers.After we fixed these two problems, the instrument plays wonderfully. It is tuned like a ukulele (GCEA) but sounds like a banjo and is very loud. You can play either ukulele or banjo music on it. Traditional banjo strumming technique is different than ukulele strumming, so we're trying to learn banjo style playing (clawhammer) to get the most out of this instrument. If you already play ukulele, the chords and fingering on this instrument are exactly the same.The Gold Tone Little Gem comes in several different models, differing only by the color of the body. We like the "diamond" model the best, which has a clear body. I believe this is also the best selling model. If you're more playful, you may prefer one of the bright candy colors.The instrument should come with 3 metal wrenches for adjusting it, a setup ruler to set the bridge location, and a thin gig bag. I'm glad that the tools were included. I wish that the gig bag had more padding since this instrument is an odd size and finding a many products will not fit.

Great sound and quality for the money. It is a relatively inexpensive instrument, sure: frets could be a little smoother (easily fixed) and the strings it comes with are nothing remarkable, but it is very nicely made, especially for the price. Construction is solid, tone is good, excellent projection and stays in tune better than I would have expected.Some reviews I read mention issues with tuning etc ... I have not had any issues at all. Folks should consider it is a banjo. Compared to "regular" ukuleles or guitars, banjos have floating bridges. A floating bridge can be a lil tricky, so far as tuning, tone and intonation but as long as it is set-up properly it sounds great! fOverall, very fun to play and I reach for it often. Has been a really enjoyable addition to my "stable".

Awesome little item. Great sound, esy to play. You do need to set it up, but there are good videos on Youtube. I wish Amazon carried the Little Gem Miners kit...which includes a strap, tuner, strings and an arm rest.My only complaint revolves around the shipping packaging. The banjo box was inside of a cardboard box that had paper packing. But this box was placed inside of ANOTHER larger box, with paper packing. What a waste. The first box would have sufficed...just slap an Amazon sticker on it.

This is an amazingly well designed instrument. As an instrument maker for 40 years I was happy to see that this manufacturer has made a worthy product for a reasonable price. This does't happen very often sorry to say. It is a well-constructed instrument with a bright crisp banjo sound . . . a fun alternative to the standard ukulele. The support materials that come with the banjo package are also well thought out and useful. Congratulations to the designers.

There is no manual on how to put the bridge on this banjo Uku. The website is no help either. I will be sending this back. No customer help line. No manual. Terrible!!!!

I would have given a higher rating, but the banjolele came in with sharp fret edges, and the bridge was high, the set up lifted the strings too high, i had to get my belt sander and sand down the bridge so the action was reasonable, then get my files out and smooth down every single fret edge. After that, its a nice uke, louder and brighter than the other banjoleles, sold by the major brind, althought the tone is a bit brittle from the polycarbonate. If you buy this, you'll have to do some work, or turn it over to a luthier to set up.

I purchased this item because I thought it would be higher quality than some of the cheaper alternatives. I own a gold tone resonator guitar and like it a lot. However, this instrument was like playing a cheese grater. I played it for two minutes and my fingers were getting chewed up by the rough fret edges. I’ve had guitars with rough edges before, but this was actually dangerous. In addition the tuning machine screws were loose and the back was not screwed on tight. They did tighten up. I ordered a replacement. I guess we will see.

I seldom leave reviews... but my new best friend The Diamond version of the Little Gem Banjo Ukulele has prompted me. What a riot is this instrument... loud and banjo sounding and ultra easy to play. Simply has put a very big smile on my face. Even took the back plate off and installed 100 mode multi-colour led lights. Remains to be seen how popular am I yet to be at my Ukulele Group in the future though.