[Folkstrum]

All great suggestions/makers. You can see my pref by my sig lines. I had the extraordinary privilege of hanging around with Ron Block at the Mayville Bluegrass Festival 2 years ago. He was giving a "lesson" (too advanced for me!!) on his Huber "Ron Block" custom. That is one FINE banjo!

While there are lots of great banjo makers around now, a lesser-expensive line, the equivalent of Blueridge guitars, is another company: "Gold Tone." The parts are fabricated in the Pac Rim, but shipped to Orlando, where Gold Tone assembles and voices them. Some excellent bargains and buys, and often recommended to those who don't have the biggest budgets.

I haven't confirmed this by sales figures, but based on anecdotal evidence, I'd say Deering is about the biggest sales-wise right now. None of their banjos are "cheap," but for under 2k street, the "Sierra" is truly professional quality, and considered a good buy.