#1
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Banjos ? Advice ?
Got a yen to try a banjo again - open back - "drop thumb" to be payed a little like this lovely couple :
I attended an early morning workshop with them at a bluegrass festival once and i ws the only one for about half and hour. They are freinds with a banjo payer guy I used to play with so I see them whenever they come to the UK. Another friend has suggested a Goldtone BC120, as it has a wider nut width than most. anybody know about this stuff and can give me any advice? Thanks in advance.
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Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom! |
#2
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Quote:
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Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom Martin D-18/UltraTonic Adamas I 2087GT-8 Ovation Custom Legend LX Guild F-212XL STD Huss & Dalton TD-R Taylor 717e Taylor 618e Taylor 614ce Larrivee D-50M/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Sunburst Larrivee C-03R TE/Trance M-VT Phantom RainSong BI-DR1000N2 Emerald X20 Yamaha FGX5 Republic Duolian/Schatten NR-2 |
#3
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That would be $0.0094. About right for a banjo.
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"My opinion is worth every penny you paid for it." "If you try to play like someone else, Who will play like you". Quote from Johnny Gimble The only musician I have to impress today is the musician I was yesterday. No tubes, No capos, No Problems. |
#4
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Shop till you drop. Here's Elderly's current inventory. Should find something to suit you. Be sure to look at the Nechville open back, modern take on the traditional design.
https://www.elderly.com/acoustics/ba...used=413%2C414 |
#5
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Banjos were huge in the U.K. at one point, as witness -
Glen's British banjo collection: https://glensbritishbanjocollection.weebly.com/ and of course R. Kipling's The Song of the Banjo: https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-song-of-the-banjo/ There ought to be a ton of British-made banjos languishing in antique shops across the land. Last edited by frankmcr; 02-19-2018 at 03:43 PM. |
#6
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“No record producer has ever said, ‘Hey, we need to turn up that banjo!’”
-Steve Fromholz
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Joe 1948 Martin D18 1999 Martin HD28 2015 Northwood R-80 MJ |
#7
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Plenty of good options out there. What's your price range?
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https://www.mcmakinmusic.com |
#8
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Quote:
https://www.ballardbanjers.com/ |
#9
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I am not a banjo player and don't really know anything about them - just to get that out of the way! - but I do see myself getting an open back one day for some clawhammer/frailing type playing so I always do a quick scan when looking in guitar stores. I've tried a few models an thought that the goodtime open back seemed ok - as far as I could tell - but recently I tried a goodtime americana model, it has a slightly bigger pot at 12" and I really liked the way it sounded and played immediately, which I thought was a good sign. Anyway a bit long winded, but try the goodtime americana!
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National Resophonic NRP 12 Fret Loar LH-700-VS Archtop Eastman E8-OM Herrmann Weissenborn Recording King RP-10 Recording King RG-35-SN Lapsteel Maton 425 12-string ESP 400 series telecaster Eastman T485 Deering Americana Banjo My Youtube |
#10
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Banjos ? Advice ?
Sit down, stay calm...
Take a couple deep breaths and a glass of water... Say to yourself: "I am in control...I can beat this...I am strong..." Remember that we're here to help you...
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#11
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SM, just say no — you don’t have to do this.
I once left my banjo in the back seat of my car. Somebody smashed the window and threw their banjo in. Last edited by David MacNeill; 02-24-2018 at 11:47 PM. |
#12
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I play banjo and perform on one as well. Have had a good few pass through my hands. For a factory item it will be hard to beat Gold Tone, Recording King, or Deering. There are a lot of luthier built options especially for.open back. Bit if I were on your side of the Atlantic I would be looking hard at a vintage Zither Banjo with a tunneled 5th string.
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Music, to do it well, is a hard and worthy endeavor.Make music you believe in. Play to please yourself. Make art and if you are sincere others may follow. |
#13
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All I can say is stay away from Deering and Vega which is made by Deering. Gold tones are fine, As are Ome and Stelling
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Classical guitars, flat top steel string A few banjos and mandolins Accrued over 59 years of playing |
#14
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Why? IMHO, Deerings are well-made and sound good. I will say that a potential buyer may get more bang-for-the-buck by buying a Pacific-Rim banjo but used they likely won't hold value like the Deering Vega and Deering models when it comes time to sell or trade. I agree American builders like OME and Stelling, and Pac-Rim builder Gold Tone are, indeed, fine banjo brands.
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Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom Martin D-18/UltraTonic Adamas I 2087GT-8 Ovation Custom Legend LX Guild F-212XL STD Huss & Dalton TD-R Taylor 717e Taylor 618e Taylor 614ce Larrivee D-50M/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Sunburst Larrivee C-03R TE/Trance M-VT Phantom RainSong BI-DR1000N2 Emerald X20 Yamaha FGX5 Republic Duolian/Schatten NR-2 |
#15
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Hi Andy,
I recently had the same yearning, it might be an age thing! Anyway I found and purchased a David Pratt handmade banjo and I am very happy with it. Handmade in Barcelona, so no issues with VAT etc. and being handmade I'm sure you can have any little details you might want. Good to support craftsmen rather than big companies, I always think. |