Hi there! Excellent video! Thank you for your honest first impressions! We hope that you enjoy the Béla Banjo! Yes, that is his real hand-written signature!
My wife got me one for Christmas, and I'm so pleasantly surprised. I was a bit anxious about how unique this banjo is (worried about comfort and tone), but I had no reason to be, because I personally find it more comfortable than a standard setup and the tone is butter. I love it. By the way, she ordered it around December 15th or so, and they had it shipped out within a week, which is impressive around the holidays. No delays, so I guess they've got most of the issues ironed out.
Oh yeah, after their first or second batch, it seems like they've produced plenty of them. They're widely available now. I actually wish I would have waited to get mine so I could pick one out from a shop. Oh well!
I played the OB-300 Gold Plated and those GoldTone ''Mastertone'' serie are just simply awesome instrument. Same categorie as the the Bella Fleck version. Don't hesitate and buy yourself one of those awesome ''Mastertone'' serie.
Looks good, different ideas put into it but happy you are pleased with it. I ordered a banjo from gold tone and in the end cancelled it due to it taking over six months with no details for the delay. I got one custom built in the end. The bluegrass heart banjo could be a good seller though.
I think it's been selling well...I'm not sure what the numbers are. I still like playing it almost a year since I got it, though it's definitely not going to be my "forever" banjo.
Thank you. I just haven't experimented with anything besides the Dunlop thumbtacks and National fingerpicks. They're all modern and cheap. There are plenty of other picks out there and they are well endorsed by the "big" players. If I go down that rabbit hole, I may find some picks I like a little better than what I'm currently using.
thanks for the review, but that truss rod cover is a very visable flaw, kind of put me off Gold Tone, just my thought, i was going to buy the Twanger, but il just stick with my Deering MB archtop.....been with me where gibsons came and went (its only a cover...but if thats a visable mistake...what lies beneath?)
Yeah, I hear you. It's definitely something that should have been seen in their final quality checks. Everything else, for the most part, has been pretty good though from my experience playing it almost a year now.
Unfortunately, it is made in China and set up in the USA. The slight exception to this are a few of the components, like the tuners and tailpiece, which are made in USA and Czechia, respectively.
Correction...$3,699! Now, it does play nicely, and I've enjoyed playing it. But yes, it's expensive, and probably a bit more than it should be. Unfortunately for me (and I should have known better), resale value of these has certainly taken a plummet. Used ones seem to be going for under 3k...some less than $2,500 or so (which in my opinion is right around what I think this banjo should be priced at brand new). Those who are on the market for one of these now may wish to seek out a used one to save quite a few pennies! Buying one of these brand new is just like driving a brand new car off the lot, unfortunately...the value will drop by about 1/4 to 1/3 by my estimation (which should be taken with a grain of salt).
for what this cost you can buy a much much better-quality banjo. you would have to really like Bela to buy this. Gold Tone quality and attention to detail is suffering. they have to many pots in the fire right now.
You got me...I do really like Bela, so I had to give this a try. After now owning it for almost a year, I am still satisfied with the playability and how it sounds generally. Some of the attention to detail, as you mentioned, does still bother me. It does make me think that, perhaps, I might have been a bit happier if I spent a bit more money and invested in, say, the Davis version of the Bela banjo (I haven't had an opportunity to play one of those). I do like Gold Tone, but I also think you're right...a little more attention to detail, especially for an expensive instrument like this, is something that they probably should invest more time into if they want to continue to be a thriving company.
Bela doesnt play a goldtone so you bought a chinese knockoff. He is doing it for the money and there is nothing different about this banjo and any other goldtone.
There is definitely a difference, but I would say that this banjo seems a little bit overpriced versus their other models. Bela does in fact play this model...he has been using it to play tunes that utilize the Keith tuners. Of course, he plays his Gibson Style 75 almost exclusively, but I can't afford to buy anything like that right now. This Chinese knockoff does a nice job emulating Bela's Gibson for a fraction of the price, though I would agree with others who will still say that this banjo is a bit overpriced for what it is.
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Hi there! Excellent video! Thank you for your honest first impressions! We hope that you enjoy the Béla Banjo! Yes, that is his real hand-written signature!
Thanks for the note! It has been treating me well for almost a year now.
My wife got me one for Christmas, and I'm so pleasantly surprised. I was a bit anxious about how unique this banjo is (worried about comfort and tone), but I had no reason to be, because I personally find it more comfortable than a standard setup and the tone is butter. I love it.
By the way, she ordered it around December 15th or so, and they had it shipped out within a week, which is impressive around the holidays. No delays, so I guess they've got most of the issues ironed out.
Oh yeah, after their first or second batch, it seems like they've produced plenty of them. They're widely available now. I actually wish I would have waited to get mine so I could pick one out from a shop. Oh well!
Great review!
I played the OB-300 Gold Plated and those GoldTone ''Mastertone'' serie are just simply awesome instrument. Same categorie as the the Bella Fleck version. Don't hesitate and buy yourself one of those awesome ''Mastertone'' serie.
Beautiful instrument!
Looks good, different ideas put into it but happy you are pleased with it. I ordered a banjo from gold tone and in the end cancelled it due to it taking over six months with no details for the delay. I got one custom built in the end. The bluegrass heart banjo could be a good seller though.
I think it's been selling well...I'm not sure what the numbers are. I still like playing it almost a year since I got it, though it's definitely not going to be my "forever" banjo.
Thank you for the review I really enjoyed it i would like to get one of these someday as ime a big fan of bela fleck best regards from lreland
Thanks for watching!
Great review, you’re playing was fine. What would your idea of better pics be?
Thank you. I just haven't experimented with anything besides the Dunlop thumbtacks and National fingerpicks. They're all modern and cheap. There are plenty of other picks out there and they are well endorsed by the "big" players. If I go down that rabbit hole, I may find some picks I like a little better than what I'm currently using.
Good review. I commented on another video about my Tim Davis banjo which is similar, I’d love to hear both together
I would too!
Will they customize to a wider nutwidth. 1-9/32 is really not wide.
thanks for the review, but that truss rod cover is a very visable flaw, kind of put me off Gold Tone, just my thought, i was going to buy the Twanger, but il just stick with my Deering MB archtop.....been with me where gibsons came and went (its only a cover...but if thats a visable mistake...what lies beneath?)
Yeah, I hear you. It's definitely something that should have been seen in their final quality checks. Everything else, for the most part, has been pretty good though from my experience playing it almost a year now.
Is it made in China ? Is it American made or just assembled in the USA ?
Unfortunately, it is made in China and set up in the USA. The slight exception to this are a few of the components, like the tuners and tailpiece, which are made in USA and Czechia, respectively.
3600.00 and made in China. OUCH!
Correction...$3,699! Now, it does play nicely, and I've enjoyed playing it. But yes, it's expensive, and probably a bit more than it should be. Unfortunately for me (and I should have known better), resale value of these has certainly taken a plummet. Used ones seem to be going for under 3k...some less than $2,500 or so (which in my opinion is right around what I think this banjo should be priced at brand new). Those who are on the market for one of these now may wish to seek out a used one to save quite a few pennies! Buying one of these brand new is just like driving a brand new car off the lot, unfortunately...the value will drop by about 1/4 to 1/3 by my estimation (which should be taken with a grain of salt).
for what this cost you can buy a much much better-quality banjo. you would have to really like Bela to buy this. Gold Tone quality and attention to detail is suffering. they have to many pots in the fire right now.
You got me...I do really like Bela, so I had to give this a try. After now owning it for almost a year, I am still satisfied with the playability and how it sounds generally. Some of the attention to detail, as you mentioned, does still bother me. It does make me think that, perhaps, I might have been a bit happier if I spent a bit more money and invested in, say, the Davis version of the Bela banjo (I haven't had an opportunity to play one of those). I do like Gold Tone, but I also think you're right...a little more attention to detail, especially for an expensive instrument like this, is something that they probably should invest more time into if they want to continue to be a thriving company.
Bela doesnt play a goldtone so you bought a chinese knockoff. He is doing it for the money and there is nothing different about this banjo and any other goldtone.
There is definitely a difference, but I would say that this banjo seems a little bit overpriced versus their other models. Bela does in fact play this model...he has been using it to play tunes that utilize the Keith tuners. Of course, he plays his Gibson Style 75 almost exclusively, but I can't afford to buy anything like that right now. This Chinese knockoff does a nice job emulating Bela's Gibson for a fraction of the price, though I would agree with others who will still say that this banjo is a bit overpriced for what it is.