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#1
03-13-2012, 07:58 PM
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5 string banjo?
Im a pretty good finger picker at guitar(been playing for 5 years, 10 years on bass) and would love to get a banjo, leaning towards the real deal 5 string banjo. The problem is I dont have an idea who makes a good banjo, my friend had a fender that I thought was nice. I dont want to break the bank, would like to stay under/around 500 unless I can get something amazing for under 1000. I would like to play them but my samash and guitar center always have limited selections.
Any input would be amazing. 
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#2
03-13-2012, 09:36 PM
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Banjos are fun! Two brands come to mind for decent "beginner" banjos, the Deering Goodtime or one of the Gold Tone Cripple Creek series. Unlike guitars, you have to spend some money to get a decent entry-level banjo.
The Deering Goodtime is kind of like the Taylor GS Mini on this forum, very popular with players and a easy to mod, lightweight for easy carry or travel. US made, and the open back version is within your budget. It's easy to resale a Deering if you decide the banjo isn't for you. They are quality instruments. The Goodtime Special is the resonator version like the kind used in bluegrass music. The Goodtime Special 2's, both open back and resonator, have a steel tone ring, making them heavier and louder. There are two peghead shapes with the Goodtimes, the older "Gumby" shape, and the newer "classic" shape that looks like a regular banjo peghead. The Gold Tone Cripple Creek series is the other I'd suggest you look at. they are available in both open back or bluegrass (resonator). I have a Cripple Creek open back CC-100+ and it is a very nice instrument. Check out the classifieds on www.banjohangout.org for good deals. Regardless of the brand chosen, take it to someone who knows how to properly set-up a banjo. Have fun!! Last edited by kabulrocks; 03-13-2012 at 09:47 PM.
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#3
03-13-2012, 11:58 PM
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Thank you very much for the detailed reply
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#4
03-14-2012, 01:49 PM
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I have had 2 banjos ... my first was a pretty nice Fender that I sold when I thought I could live w/o banjo and wanted another acoustic guitar ...
 Right now I have a very enjoyable, nice playing and sounding Deering Goodtime Banjo. These banjos are surprisingly good for the price IMO ... with banjos, you usually have to spend some money for quality ... the Deering Goodtime is sort of a no frills, good quality instrument with attention in the critical areas that make it a good player ... if mine fell off a truck today, I'd be getting another one by no later than tomorrow ... 
__________________
-- Scriptor For some very simple demos of original music: https://soundcloud.com/rick-langdon -- Play on!! 
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#5
03-14-2012, 06:00 PM
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If you can move toward $1000, you might want to look for a used Gold Star. If you can find one of the early ones made in Japan in the 1970s, they're fantastic instruments. They appeared at a time when Gibson's banjos had really slumped into mediocrity. Gentlemen from Japan bought up pre-war Gibsons and studied their dimensions and construction. Japan has always excelled at metallurgy and they were able to craft some excellent tone rings to mate with the other parts they built. The result was Gibson copies that were much better than the then-current Gibsons and not beyond comparison to the vintage models (but not as good as the old ones, by any stretch). These sold for $500-600 when new and they've appreciated. The fact that they're Japanese rather than American has held that appreciation in check, but these are seriously great banjos. Ralph Stanley played a Gold Star copy of his Gibson archtop in concert and other pros have used Gold Stars as their primary instruments. They're not that easy to find but worth looking for.
__________________
Bob DeVellis
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#6
03-14-2012, 10:10 PM
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Good points on the Gold Star, I should have mentioned them.
I started out with a $150 Stagg banjo, decided I liked playing banjo and began a search for a "good" one. Already mentioned in above posts, but you have to spend money to get a decent banjo. I was ready to spend $1K for a new Gold Star, and then met a banjo maker at a local bluegrass jam just in time. For a tiny bit over the cost of a new Gold Star GF85, I now have a professional-quality banjo made by a local-ish luthier that I really like. http://www.ridgeinstruments.com I still want to add a Deering Goodtime to my collection though, they are that good. http://www.janetdavismusic.com/goodtime.html Last edited by kabulrocks; 03-14-2012 at 10:22 PM.
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#7
03-19-2012, 03:33 PM
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http://www.banjohangout.org/classified/27413
This is a good banjo and Big Joe is a great guy, ex Gibson production Mgr that has his own shop in Nashville now. I have no skin in this but notices this yesterday while perusing the classifieds at Banjo Hangout. Look at the Recording King and Craigs List too.
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