The Latest from Duke Banjo Ukuleles

One of the most remarked upon and highly valued features of our DUKE10 Tenor Banjolele is the intonation. Here's a brief explanation of what that means.

Ni hao from Hanzhong in Shaanxi province in the north of China, where it is cold! Owner Jamie Houston has made the trip from his home in New Zealand to personally visit the factory where 'Season 3' of the DUKE10 is being manufactured. 

Over the last couple of weeks we have had many photos and videos of the DUKE10 as it progresses through the production process. Owner Jamie Houston has had his hands full checking details and ensuring specifications are met and requesting extra images if something has not looked up to par.

We were surprised to receive these updates from our factory in China today, right in the middle of our Christmas celebrations, until we realised th...

Watch an interesting behind-the-scenes sneak peek video that shows you some of the processes the drum of our DUKE10 Tenor Banjolele goes through, to transform from a simple wooden cylinder into an integral part of a completed banjo ukulele.

Here is the latest information on what is happening and where things are at with the production of the new 'Season 3' DUKE10 Banjo Ukulele and hard case. Showing progress through November and December 2023.

We have placed the order for the DUKE10 Hard Cases, and, based on your votes the winner was....TWEED! So from now on, all orders placed will be shipped in a very stylish yellow and brown Tweed Hard Case. The perfect vintage match for a DUKE10 Banjolele.

We are so excited to share this update with you! The new enamel nameplate that will be attached to each of our awesome new hard cases has just been finished and we wanted to show it to you.

After an 'educational' trip to visit our manufacturing facility in Dongguan city in December 2018, I came away with a bit more knowledge about what it means to be a manufacturer in China, or maybe I should  say to... 

Hi everyone, its was very hard to get connected to certain western websites when I was in China, but here are a few photos of me (Jamie Houston) at the factory checking on the production of the DUKE10 banjolele. 

These photos just arrived from the manufacturer today. They show the DUKE10 drum rims and necks being sprayed with a clear sealant and the drums being assembled.

More photos today showing the DUKE10 Banjo Ukulele drum rims and necks / headstocks ready to be assembled.