Banjo help

[yesterday'seyes]

I'm currently looking for a Banjo to pick up. I'd like to try and find something with a vintage feel. Something I'll have to look for. Also needs to be fairly inexpensive. I was thinking about getting an old Harmony since that's my go to with guitars. Any recommendations would be great!

[Dan Carey]

That can be a tough question to answer because of all the variables involved.
#1, do you have a budget in mind? #2, how much do you know about banjos?

The more you know, the better your chances of getting a good instrument that needs a little work. It very easy to buy junk if you know nothing about them.

There's a lot of old Harmony's on the market. Craigslist, eBay, and other sites.
I suggest you go to the Banjo Hangout and ask around:
http://www.banjohangout.org/

[marioed]

Adding to Dan's reply, a third variable to consider is what style of banjo you want to play. For Scruggs style a 5 string with a resonator is your best bet. If you are leaning towards clawhammer or frailing an open back 5-string will be a better choice.
Regards,
Ed

[yesterday'seyes]

Thanks for the replies. I know nothing of banjos and I'm just looking for a good place to start. I'll do a little more research on the different options. Budget of about $150.

[darylcrisp]

i would highly recommend taking a tour of the zeppscountrymusic website. donald zepp is a supremely honest and very fact filled man. the site will have a ton of info, and you can hear a lot of soundclips and see video also. mostly geared towards openback, but zepp is very smart concerning all of what is banjo. he can recommend an excellent starter instrument-may have something used as well.

http://zeppmusic.com/frameset.htm

d

[Dan Carey]

Originally Posted by yesterday'seyes

I'm currently looking for a Banjo to pick up. I'd like to try and find something with a vintage feel. Something I'll have to look for. Also needs to be fairly inexpensive. I was thinking about getting an old Harmony since that's my go to with guitars. Any recommendations would be great!

Here's a couple of banjos that I own:
http://s49.photobucket.com/user/dcar...ow/Gold%20Tone

The Dean (fancy looking one that my son bought me) Backwoods 5-string is a $500 instrument, and considered a beginners banjo. The Gold Tone that I rebuilt is about $400 (both brand new prices). The Gold Tone was severely neglected and I got it for close to $100. Things were loose, dried out, hardware was corroded & rusty...but the price was right.
I replaced the head, 5th string tuner, tension hoop, hooks, nuts, tailpiece, armrest and am now in the process of re-setting the neck. I've invested about $245 in parts plus my time. (And learned a LOT in the process!)

Be careful what you buy. Learn all that you can before making a purchase.
On a brighter note, I've seen old Harmony(1950's) open backs on Craigslist that have been re-conditioned and selling for $150.

Take your time and be careful!

Did I mention that playing the banjo is a HOOT?

[BoneDigger]

$150 won't get you very far in the world of banjos. Your best bet is to keep an eye on Craigslist and try to find something in good shape and playable. The tone will likely be lacking, but it'll at least get you started. My first banjo was a Chinese open back called a Suzuki (or something similar). I later upgraded to a Harmony banjo with a resonator. Neither was very good, but they worked to get me started.

Once you know for sure that you are interested, and determine what type of playing you like, perhaps we can guide you a little more. Some of the cheaper Fender banjos can be a good start, but they may be more in the $250-300 range.

Todd

[Rudy4]

The previous posts are spot-on advice. The banjo is one of those instruments that can really effect your desire to play if you go to the cheap end of the food chain. Shear determination sometimes will get you over the initial phase. I know my initial garage sale purchase convinced me I had no interest in pursuing playing the banjo for the next thirty years or so.

The Deering Goodtime gets a high level of respect at the lower end of the price spectrum, but you'll have to keep an eye out for a good used one to get you in the $150 range.

If you do find something to your liking there is a lot of banjo set-up information available at my website:
http://www.bluestemstrings.com/pageBanjo.html

[yesterday'seyes]

Thanks for the help!

[Dan Carey]

I've been seeing a few Kay banjos from the 50's on Craigslist for under $150...

[cotten]

yesterday'seyes, this is primarily a guitar forum, so we're required to poke a little fun at banjos and those who play them. It's OK, even those of us who play both guitar and banjo have fun with this little game. I know enough about banjo to recognize one three out of four times, so that makes me an expert. Here's my poor attempt at humor:

"Banjo Help" - Isn't that an oxymoron, or at least a moron of some sort?

There, now I can go back to reading this thread and learning, secretly wishing I could figure out what to do with that short little treble string up there where bass notes belong!

cotten

[BoneDigger]

You'll be hard pressed to find a Goodtime in the $150 range. If you do, grab it as fast as you can. Most of the used ones I have seen around here, even the old Gumby head models, sell for $250 or so.

You are generally going to have to get an Asian banjo with no tone ring. These will be the equivalent of a used Ibanez acoustic in the guitar world. The notes will be the same as any other banjo, but the tone will be lacking. It can work though. Saga makes some decent open back banjos in the $200 range. Just make sure to save some money for a setup by a qualified luthier who knows banjos. If not, you may just get frustrated and give up on it.

Also, make sure to visit www.banjohangout.com. It is to banjos what AGF is to acoustic guitars. Lots of good people there to help you out and a very good classifieds section. Look me up over there. My login name is the same.

Todd

[BoneDigger]

Originally Posted by cotten

yesterday'seyes, this is primarily a guitar forum, so we're required to poke a little fun at banjos and those who play them. It's OK, even those of us who play both guitar and banjo have fun with this little game. I know enough about banjo to recognize one three out of four times, so that makes me an expert. Here's my poor attempt at humor:

"Banjo Help" - Isn't that an oxymoron, or at least a moron of some sort?

There, now I can go back to reading this thread and learning, secretly wishing I could figure out what to do with that short little treble string up there where bass notes belong!

cotten

Cotten, you don't want me to tell you what you can do with the treble string, do you?

My favorite banjo joke:

How do you get two banjo players to play in tune?

Shoot one of them.

But, I digress... I love playing banjo and have a 5 string and a 6 string. I play the 5 string in typical Scruggs style. I learned banjo before guitar.

The other banjo I play with a plectrum. To be honest, I am having more fun with the plectrum than the 5 string right now. But I truly love both.

Todd

[Dan Carey]

What do you call "Perfect Pitch"?

When the banjo lands right in the middle of the accordion in the dumpster!




It's OK, I can say that! Really! It's OK...I have two banjos

[ripper911]

My favorite banjo is a simple wooden openback I picked up at an antique store for $100 or less. It's a blue comet that I believe was made around the 50's. This banjo has a nice mellow tone that's great for picking around the house, I haven't even changed the old strings that have obviously been on it for years.

I always like to look around antique stores, pawn shops, or other places where used instruments can usually be found.