Firefly 5-String Short Scale Travel Banjo from Magic Fluke

Description
Customer Reviews
Instrument Specs

The UPDATED Firefly 5-String is a lightweight 21.5" scale travel banjo, tuned to standard banjo G scale (G,D,G,B,D) with Steel strings. The 5-string features the same solid maple components & internal drum head tensioning as our Tenor Firefly Banjo Ukulele. Taking a cue from traditional banjo construction, this model incorporates an adjustable coordinator rod to control neck angle. Comes standard with out Gotoh geared tuners. Now available as a left-handed instrument.

Solid hard maple neck & fingerboard; laminated maple pot
21.5" scale; overall length 30"; rim diameter 9.75", weight 2lbs
Available set up for Bluegrass or Claw Hammer - please specify in custom comments. Claw hammer bridge has a wider (1.7/8") string spacing and higher action vs. the standard Bluegrass (1 11/16") spacing

The original 19.5" scale length Firefly banjo is still available upon request, either with steel strings or Nylon/Steel combo. Send us an email and we can put in a custom order for you!

A note about our materials: Due to the natural variations in wood and our finishing process, the wood used in each instrument is unique in grain, color, and texture, which adds to its individual character, and speaks to our small-batch approach to manufacturing, and use of local materials. If you have a strong preference for any particular characteristic of the wood in the instrument you are ordering, please let us know. We will do our best to accommodate and will send pictures for approval.

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5.0

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So much fun!

I've been playing my 5-string Firefly banjo for about 6 weeks now. It's so much fun! With its 19 scale length, its zeroth frets sits between the fifth and sixth frets of my standard-sized banjo (26.25 scale length). But unlike other mini 5-string banjos I've seen, the Firefly is actually tuned normally (e.g., gDGBD) -- not up a fourth (e.g., cGCEG). It has every bit as much volume as a standard-sized banjo, too. And I love that the Firefly is light enough that I can stand and play it without a strap (like a ukulele). To this end, it was a good decision to request the clawhammer scoop. When standing and cradling the tail end of my Firefly with my forearm, my right hand positions quite naturally over the scoop.

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Reviewed by: Eric Tisdale from Ventura County, CA on 2/6/2021

Firefly 5-String and clawhammer old time music

I just stopped by to have a look and see what others had said about the Firefly.. I didnt realize I haddn't written anything yet .. Dale made me one of these last year and I have been enjoying it every since ..First it is my mortorcycle banjo and also the one I can take on the plane and throw under my seat on the plane .. Even on United that has no room for anything I can take it on as my boarding bag (unheard of on planes) .It has a clean tone that can be set for many different sorts of playing ..Being a Clawhammerist I made a much wider bridge for mine ... It has the peghead tuners (that I love ) and again for any old timey players who use a lot of tunings I would go for the best tunners you can get .. This is a lot of banjo for nit a lot of money ... THanks Dale for this wonderful banjo

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Reviewed by: Guy Wolff from Bantam Ct. on 6/17/2019

Love the Firefly Banjo!

I just got this from Guitar Gallery here in Singapore as I'm hopefully going to be traveling again post Covid and always missed my banjo when on the road. This little instrument is absolutely perfect for a hotel room - even one with thin walls if you don't use fingerpicks! And it's just a lot of fun for practicing at home too. Great sound, wonderful craftsmanship, easy to play and weighs next to nothing. Very impressive!

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Reviewed by: Kelly Olafson from Singapore on 10/14/2020

Firefly Banjo

Went to Guitar Gallery in Singapore and fell in love with all the Firefly Banjo and Banjolele! There are the Soprano, Concert and 5-strings (Tenor size), and all sounded so unique and resonates like a real banjo without the heavy weight! Took me a while to decide, itâ€™s like torn between 3 lovers. I ended up with the 5-string and the soprano! Both come with a custom gig bag by MagicFluke! Great banjo to start with!

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Reviewed by: Robin from Singapore on 4/3/2021

Banjo

This banjo is really great for the size! I replaced the nylon strings with metal ones and it sounds awesome. It packs quite a punch for the size. It can be difficult to tune with the default tuners, but I guess that's my fault for not ordering the upgraded ones. The folks at Magic Fluke went above and beyond to get my banjo shipped to me before a backpacking trip and I'm glad they did, it was awesome being able to play this great instrument up there!

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Reviewed by: Connor from Utah on 7/6/2020

Firefly 5-String Bridge

$12.00

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Feed N' Wax + Microfiber Cloth Bundle

$13.95

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Firefly 5-String Banjo & Timber Bass Gig Bag 2.0

$59.00

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Snark Clip-on Electronic Tuner

$23.00

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Strap for Firefly

$18.00

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5 String Firefly Banjo

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