Looking for a 5 string resonator banjo

[posternutbag]

I play a lot of bluegrass. In the past, I have played both guitar and mandolin, but I had to give up the mandolin due to wrist/thumb pain. I love guitar, but I would like a little variation.

I play in a bluegrass jam that does not have a banjo. It is a very welcoming jam, and they wouldn't have a problem with me learning banjo on the fly, so I thought I would give it a go.

I am not looking for a professional instrument (at least not yet), but want something that is solid and playable; a budget of say $1k or less, new or used. I know that in this price range I am not going to get a banjo with THAT bluegrass tone (ie the Gibson Mastertone flat head banjo tone).

Currently, the contenders are Recording King Madison RK-R 35, Deering Goodtime Special, or a Deering Artisan Goodtime 2.

Anything else I should be looking at in this price range? Suggestions are welcome.

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by posternutbag

Currently, the contenders are Recording King Madison RK-R 35, Deering Goodtime Special, or a Deering Artisan Goodtime 2.

Anything else I should be looking at in this price range? Suggestions are welcome.

I'd go with a Deering, and actually I'd suggest an openback Artisan. Notably less money than the Artisan II. Superb banjo for the price. Made in the USA. And if you decide to continue on, and upgrade some in the future, Deering has a very nice trade-up policy:

https://www.deeringbanjos.com/pages/...banjo-trade-up

I think openback will be easier for a beginner. Resonator banjos are heavy. And yes, you can play bluegrass on an openback, here's a discussion from banjohangout dot com:

http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/96545

And of course you can try doing an archive search at banjohangout. Lots of info there. Lots.

[Steve DeRosa]

I've seen more than a few of these at bluegrass jams:

https://goldtonemusicgroup.com/goldt...oducts/bg-250f
https://goldtonemusicgroup.com/goldtone/products/ob-250

I own an OB-250, and if weight is as much a consideration as tone (these things are heavy ) go with one of the Deerings. BTW, since we're on the topic you should have no trouble finding a good used Deering Boston in your price range (paid $325 w/OHSC for my tenor - about 1/3 the brand-new price at the time) - around 7 pounds on the strap (a bit heavier than the Goodtimes, but well below the ~13 lbs. of the Goldtones), built like a tank, super-low maintenance (the pot is solid steel), and while you're not going to get "that" tone (experiment with different heads/strings until you find something you can live with) it'll cut like a machete through any parking-lot jam; plenty of guys who own big-buck tone-ring banjos pack these as their festival/campfire instrument, and you can do a lot worse for the money...

[BoneDigger]

I would highly recommend that you look into the Recording King RK R35 or RK R36 banjos. These are professional level banjos within your price range. They can be purchased new for under $1k and used in the $600-$700 range.