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Old 05-30-2010, 07:05 PM
Bob1131 Bob1131 is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Georgia, USA
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Like guitars, it is a matter of personal preference, but generally speaking, Gibson, Deering, and Stelling top the list. However, there are other lesser known brands that are great as well, such as Huber and some custom builders. Top brand models will cost from around 2.5K and up. You can Google banjos and find Gibsons in the 55k neighborhood. Bling is a big deal in banjos, and it can really add up!

Mid-range brands today include some decent Asian makes that include Gold Star, Morgan Monroe, Recording King and Gold Tone, and range from 1K to 3K (give or take a couple of hundred). I tried many brands and models, and bought a Gold Tone OB-250 that is very quality built, plays great and sounds very good. To me, the Gibsons and Deerings did not play any better and didn't sound better either, although they did sound a little different. However, to my ears, that difference wasn't worth the $$$$ difference. Again, tone and playability are highly subjective, so your ears and hands may steer you in a different direction.
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