Check out Dave's site for more info on banjo ukuleles: "Echo Uke" was a brand name of the Hawaiian Mahogany Company, a Honolulu ukulele manufacturer in the 1920s. After reviewing many Slingerland banjo-ukuleles, we agree with Dave's assessment - it is most likely that this banjo ukulele is a product of the Slingerland Company.
Update (): Thanks to Dave S., who wrote in to point out that this banjo-ukulele looks a great deal like other banjo ukuleles produced by the Slingerland Company.
Yours, however, looks like a well-built musical instrument and it appears to be in great shape too. Many banjo ukuleles were very cheaply made and not much more than toys. One way or another, it looks like a good quality instrument. An expert on Vega instruments could probably tell you whether your banjo ukulele appears to have been made by Vega. However, there are other instruments with the star inlay that were not made by Vega. The star inlay on the headstock is something often seen on instruments made by Vega, a well-regarded Boston-based manufacturer of banjos and other instruments. However, Jenkins sold instruments made by many different manufacturers. so it is quite possible that your banjo ukulele was sold by Jenkins. The "Washington" brand was a name used by J. I can't say for sure who the manufacturer is. You have a nice quality banjo ukulele, probably made in the 1920s or early 1930s. I recently purchased this banjo ukulele and was told that it is a "Washington Brand" model from the 1930's. So, all-in-all I guess I can't tell you much - just that it looks like a nicely made and unusual ukulele. The headstock is similar to the shape used by Oscar Schmidt, but not quite the same - and none of the other characteristics look like Schmidt. The headstock shape is unusual and is unlike any of the well-know manufacturers in Hawaii or on the mainland. It has some characteristics of a Hawaiian-made ukulele (including the bridge and the arched back), but most of the Hawaiian-made ukuleles were made of koa wood. It looks professionally made, but it doesn't remind me of any specific manufacturer that I have seen. It looks like a pre-WWII instrument and I too would guess that it is made from mahogany. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't tell you a whole lot about it. That is an interesting ukulele you have there. In any case I intend to enjoy playing it for a long time to come. Any more info you could provide me with would be greatly appreciated. I can find nothing that might be an identifying mark of any kind. I would just like to know a little about it's history and heritage. I honestly don't care what it's monetary value might be. I really like it and have no intention of selling or getting rid of it. The guy I got it from had no idea where it came from or who might have made it.
The design on the headstock was probably added by a former owner on the ukulele, I don't think it would detract substantially from the instrument's value. You also have the top-of-the-line plush-lined hardshell case. Based on the tuning pegs on your ukulele I would date it to around the first half of the 1920s. Martin made the 2k model like yours from the late teens through the early 1930s, when they started using a decal on the headstock. The style 0 was a plain mahogany model, the style 2k is a fancier model made from Hawaiian koa wood. You have a very nice Martin ukulele there. Can you tell me what year it was made? The front pegboard has a design where the decal should be. Martin Style O? I'm trying to find information about this uke that I recently acquired. Or just email your question and photos to us at: history (at) ukulele (dot) org