There's something about buying the least expensive instrument and taking good care of it and learning to get something good out of it that just satisfies me
The older Japanese banjos from 70s/80s are also great banjos for that you can find for under $400. And are comparable quality to the $1000 Chinese ones today. I found an old saga metal rim banjo for 300 dollars with d tuners. And surprisingly very bright and clean sounding. So cheap doesn’t have to be junk. Haha
I was given a $100 banjo last Christmas. I fell in love with the instrument. Last month I tried some "real" banjos in a music store. I almost cried when my fingers landed on a simple Deering goodtime. My fingers were flying on that fingerboard. It was in that moment I realized what a piece of junk I am playing now. I will upgrade soon. Unfortunately I'm still on a budget but I put my eyes on a RK-35. Not the best but still better than whatever I'm using now.
Great video. Is that an old-school Gumby peghead Deering Goodtime behind you? If you have any insight on this, could you do a similar video on the pros and cons of buying new vs used (both for affordable and higher end banjos; and buying from a private party vs from a company like Reverb)? I'm still a ways off from buying my next banjo, but my eyes are kind of set on a Nechville...buying one used would take some of the sting out of their full-priced ($$$) models.
great video! as a person with many hobbies some not cheap, i have always felt buy the best you can afford. that being said, so many people get these great ideas "i am going to be a banjo player" and never put in the time or follow through. if you are one of those people i say definitely buy a cheaper model. my problem was there were no music stores that carried open back models in my area and few resonator banjos. so "trying out" a banjo was a joke. so i researched online and prayed i would like the banjo i ordered. my first was a Deering Artisan Americana which i still have. it was a good beginning choice. i since have 8 banjos (Deering, Pisgah, Gold Tone, Sylvan, Stone, Mulheron) with different heads and tone rings. No one told me banjo's are addicting! LOL
there are a lot more resources for the 5 string to learn it. But it ultimately it depends on your taste. The 4 string tenor banjo is the most commonly played banjo in traditional Irish music. Where the 5 string is more associated with traditional bluegrass.
There's something about buying the least expensive instrument and taking good care of it and learning to get something good out of it that just satisfies me
The older Japanese banjos from 70s/80s are also great banjos for that you can find for under $400. And are comparable quality to the $1000 Chinese ones today. I found an old saga metal rim banjo for 300 dollars with d tuners. And surprisingly very bright and clean sounding. So cheap doesn’t have to be junk. Haha
I was given a $100 banjo last Christmas. I fell in love with the instrument. Last month I tried some "real" banjos in a music store. I almost cried when my fingers landed on a simple Deering goodtime. My fingers were flying on that fingerboard. It was in that moment I realized what a piece of junk I am playing now. I will upgrade soon. Unfortunately I'm still on a budget but I put my eyes on a RK-35. Not the best but still better than whatever I'm using now.
Great video. Is that an old-school Gumby peghead Deering Goodtime behind you? If you have any insight on this, could you do a similar video on the pros and cons of buying new vs used (both for affordable and higher end banjos; and buying from a private party vs from a company like Reverb)? I'm still a ways off from buying my next banjo, but my eyes are kind of set on a Nechville...buying one used would take some of the sting out of their full-priced ($$$) models.
great video! as a person with many hobbies some not cheap, i have always felt buy the best you can afford. that being said, so many people get these great ideas "i am going to be a banjo player" and never put in the time or follow through. if you are one of those people i say definitely buy a cheaper model. my problem was there were no music stores that carried open back models in my area and few resonator banjos. so "trying out" a banjo was a joke. so i researched online and prayed i would like the banjo i ordered. my first was a Deering Artisan Americana which i still have. it was a good beginning choice. i since have 8 banjos (Deering, Pisgah, Gold Tone, Sylvan, Stone, Mulheron) with different heads and tone rings. No one told me banjo's are addicting! LOL
What banjo would you recommend for a beginner? 4 or 5 strings?
there are a lot more resources for the 5 string to learn it. But it ultimately it depends on your taste. The 4 string tenor banjo is the most commonly played banjo in traditional Irish music. Where the 5 string is more associated with traditional bluegrass.