The banjolele (banjo ukulele or banjo uke) has a banjo-style resonator body and a fretted extended ukulele-style neck and was derived from the banjulele-banjo, introduced by Alvin D. Keech in 1917.  The banjolele hybrid combines the unique construction and distinctive tone of the banjo, with the small scale, tuning and playing style of the ukulele.  Although the banjolele achieved its greatest popularity in the 1920s and 30s, thanks to the endorsement from the British singer and comedian George Formby, due to its relative simplicity and portability, there has been a recent increase in demand for the instrument.

The small, light-hearted music often associated with the ukulele and in particular, the banjolele is that of George Formby, who developed his own style of playing in accompaniment to his comical songs.  However, the banjo, ukulele and banjolele hybrid have seen a resurgence in popularity since the birth of indie folk music over the last couple of years, with folk rock bands, such as Noah and the Whale featuring a ukulele and Mumford & Sons featuring a banjo in their most popular tracks.  Therefore it came as a complete and utter shock when TfL (Transport for London) banned buskers on the tube from playing not only the banjo, but now also the banjolele.

Officials at TfL have now labelled the banjolele an “undesirable” instrument and have blacklisted it alongside its larger cousin, the banjo.  Yet it seems highly unreasonable that officials can make such a blanket assumption that all London Underground customers will not want to hear a certain instrument, particularly as it depends on the level of professionalism at which the instrument is played.  Surely we all have different musical tastes and many of us would much prefer to hear the light-hearted sound of the acoustic banjolele played well, than a deafening electric guitar played with little finesse.

Originally this ban also applied to our beloved ukulele, however TfL have changed their position on the uke and as such, it is still a permitted busking instrument.  We at Ukenique want to ensure that this remains the case and that there is an end to such musical instrument discrimination.  After all, the ukulele has been wrongly stereotyped by many as a poor man’s guitar, and it would be such a shame to see this discrimination upheld by enforcing bans on buskers using them, after the instrument is finally starting to get the attention and recognition it deserves.

Mario Maccaferri, born in Centro, Italy in 1900, trained as a classical guitarist and a traditional instrument luthier from the age of 11, under the guidance of Luigi Mozzani.  He later moved to Paris where he invented the warp-resistant Isovibrant reed in 1935.  In 1939, Mario, his wife Maria, and their daughter visited America and while in New York, they attended the World’s Fair, where Mario was first introduced to a brand new material known as plastic.  He decided to stay in America and set up a small factory in the Bronx, naming his new business the French-American Reed Company.

He became fascinated by plastic, and once he got hold of an injection-moulding plastic machine, Maccaferri realised the full potential of this newfound material.  He was able to create plastic reeds and later, plastic clothespins at a rate of more than two million each day.  This was the birth of his plastic empire: Mastro Plastics Company, in which he went on to create fishing lures, tape dispensers, clothes hangers, acoustic ceiling tiles etc.

In 1949, Maccaferri was inspired after watching Arthur Godfrey’s variety show on the television, which saw Godfrey singing and playing the ukulele.  Maccaferri realised he could create an inexpensive musical instrument out of his new favourite material, plastic.  He experimented with all different types of plastic, in order to come up with a playable instrument, rather than just another cheap toy.  He settled on a plastic called Styron, as he felt it offered the best tone for the ukulele.

Maccaferri’s first plastic ukulele was the Islander, which he modelled on the Martin Style 0.  He was extremely concerned with playability and wanted to ensure the plastic uke still had clear intonation and so he meticulously moulded the frets accurately in the correct positions on the fingerboard and ensured he had the optimum thickness of plastic and bracing for the instrument.

The original Islanders were designed with a cream coloured top and a rosewood coloured back and sides.  It was first introduced to the world at a trade show, where Maccaferri demonstrated just how durable a plastic ukulele was by displaying it in a fish tank.  The Islander became an instant hit, and even today it’s difficult to find a uke that plays in better tune than a Maccaferri.

The Mastro Plastics Company made 10,000 plastic ukuleles a day at their peak and went on to make over nine million.  Once thought of as inferior to the wood models, Mario Maccaferri plastic ukuleles are now finally earning the respect of musicians around the world and he is being recognised for his revolutionary use of an alternative material.  We certainly appreciate what a genius Mario Maccaferri was, pioneering the plastic ukulele.  You only need to pick one up now to heat just how great these vintage classics sound.

Strings are one of the most important factors in creating a great sound and a good set of strings can make all the difference to even the cheapest of ukuleles.  It is extremely difficult, as any uke enthusiast will tell you, to find the perfect strings for your ukulele.  Getting the balance right between power (volume) and tension of a string is almost impossible.

Made in Japan, from Fluorocarbon, which is the same material used to make fishing lines, Worth Strings are incredibly flexible and strong.  Worth Strings are arguably the closest you can get to perfection.  They have a unique bright, loud and clear sound, with easy string action and they settle in very quickly.  They are temperature and humidity stable and seem to last much longer than their competitors, such as Aquilas.

Worth Strings are renown for producing an exceptionally precise intonation and an unbelievably clear tone.  Some liken them to a skinnier version of D’Addario strings, but as far as playability goes, Worth Strings offer a dynamic unrivalled by other brands, with their clear, sharp tones.  Also, unlike a number of other strings (not to mention any names), Worths do not produce any highly irritating “string noise.”

The bonus of buying Worth strings is that they come in double length sets, so each string is actually twice the length you require, so you can either keep the spare set, or use them on another uke if you own more than one – and let’s face it – which ukulele player doesn’t?  So, if you want to make your uke sing, we recommend a set of Worths. We have the Brown and Clear strings in stock, in both Light and Medium, which you prefer is down to personal taste.

So, I decided that I wanted to get hold of a Favilla uke for the store as I know they are good quality and are tremendously good value for money – especially when compared to Martin, which command high prices, without exception.

It arrived today and I just had a good look at it.  Well.  What can I say.  I love it.

In fact, I’m almost loathe to say that I prefer it to the Martin Style 0 we have in stock.  It just sounds phenomenal and is in fantastic condition, with just a few minor scratches.  I am very, very tempted to keep it to myself; especially since it has been delivered in the cutest case with what feels like the softest rabbit fur (it’s not, for all your animal lovers out there).

What can I say, I am just bessoted.

If we do decide to put it online, I can promise you.  It will not hang around for long.  I will try and get a sound sample online for you all to hear just how amazing it sounds. (And pictures too; just realised we don’t have any ready just yet).

What this means for you is that the product selection is fully viewable now with all images etc and we will be looking to enhance the image selection to ensure that it is as close as possible to you viewing the products as if you were holding them in your own hands.  All prices have also now been adjusted to reflect each product’s true value.

Please feel free to peruse our selection of ukuleles and hopefully we will have many other unique ukes and accessories for you soon!

It’s no secret that Kala are storming the ukulele world with their incredible ukuleles; although ‘Made in China’ – and even stickered as so – their ukuleles offer a level of value and quality never really seen before.

Now, having recently been flirting with classic plastic ukes, as were popularised in the 50′s primarily by Maccaferri, the Makala budget line from Kala has recently brought a new plastic ukulele to the plastic ukulele table.  They call it ‘The Dolphin’ or the MK-SD for trainspotter-types and is made with a plastic back-piece which makes up the back and sides of the uke.

Even at roughly £30 RRP, the build quality is maintained from the Kala range and the plastic back and sides really help to resonate the soundboard in order to achieve the biggest, punchiest sound from the cheap materials used.  Cheap strings are supplied as standard from GHS and if you have ever played on a uke with these previously, you will be familiar with the plasticky, cheap feel they have – especially when sliding up and down the fretboard.

Immediately switching these out for fluoro-carbon Worth Brown strings made an immediate and distinct difference; the ukulele really came to life and I have yet to come across a sub-£100 ukulele to really sound better.  Obviously, different folk will have their preference when it comes to the strings selection and whether it be Aquila or D’Addario strings that tickle your fancy, rest assured you really won’t be disappointed stringing up one of these as your backup or throw-around instrument.

We are hoping to start selling these with an improved strings setup, sometime in the near future.  Please let us know below, if this would be of interest to any of you!

RRP £30

It took a while for me to stumble across this bag (obviously, this looks bad since we are closely tied to the fashion industry too) but I must say that this collaboration between Peseta and Marc Jacobs is quite an appealing accessory for the ukulele lover.

For me, I was simply looking for a bag – and not a case – that I could actually travel with and would cope with the needs of lugging around a diminutive instrument, but offer the protection it needs.

Now, to be honest – it isn’t the most robust bag, and the selection of reverse denim and beige/off-white canvas isn’t exactly the most dirt-repellent combination of fabrics ever chosen. It also lacks padding, so the ukulele will probably need a gig bag or lots of weekend clothing to keep it safe and snug inside.

But what this bag lacks in practicality-of-padding, it more than makes up for with looks and styling. When full, it really does look smart and the innards of the bag are lined with a gingham check of red or blue (to match the handle detail on the outside, depending which option you choose) with a few pockets for storing random other items like your cleaning rag, tuner, capo, fast fret etc.

We would love to sell these in the future, but it is probably fairly unlikely.

Currently available from Marc by Marc Jacobs – 56 South Audley Street, London W1 in Red or Blue.

£88

On this, our homepage, we will be writing about anything ukulele-related that tickles our fancy and give you sneak previews of upcoming acquisitions.