There are so many to choose from…
Ladies and gentlemen, you should all go out today and spend at least $4,500 on a new banjo.
Hmmm…that’s probably not what you thought I was going to say I bet. But it’s no problem, right? I mean, more than likely you’ve got that much in your sock drawer, waiting to be spent on a rainy day. No?! Drats. Me either. Well…does that mean we have to give up our dreams of playing banjo? The answer is: of course not. And it’s a good thing for me that I don’t have to buy a big ticket item like that right now, because I devoted my life to bluegrass. Devoting your life to bluegrass means that you aren’t going to be making millions. In fact, do you know how to make 1 million dollars playing bluegrass? Start with 2 million!
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I get asked all the time by prospective pickers: “What kind of banjo should I get? How much should I spend?” The answer I used to give is a bit different than the answer I’d give today.
I used to encourage people to buy the $175 banjo hanging in the pawn shop or the second-hand store. “It’s perfectly fine for learning on”, I’d say. “If you decide not to stick with learning banjo, you can easily resell it”, I’d say. “My left arm hurts when I raise it above my head”, I’d say. Uh…wait, no…hold on….wrong story. That arm comment was given whenever I’d play banjo at the doctors convention. Never mind that last comment.
Buy the absolute most expensive banjo…(that you can afford.)
As an experienced picker (banjo, guitar, nose, butt…) I know that while a low-end banjo is fairly painless on the wallet and easier for a new person to consider getting into, in reality it can be a painful experience. I mean that figuratively of course, but the wrong banjo certainly can border on causing physical discomfort, or at least lend to making the job of learning the banjo much tougher than it needs to be.
It’s a fact that a higher-end banjo is much easier to play. Not only do they look better and sound better, but you can manipulate the banjo easier. This is critical when you are trying to develop muscle memory and skill and ability on the banjo…you don’t want your banjo fighting you. It’s bad enough that you’ll be fighting at every gig or picking party you go to the for the rest of your life when people see you carrying a banjo into the room.
Banjos hold their value very well, and so the myth of “the cheap banjo is easier to sell again” doesn’t really hold water. If you really must sell your banjo, you can still get good money for it in resale, provided it’s still in the condition it was when you bought it. And provided you didn’t pay way too much for it.
It’s also a fact that low-end, cheap banjos are just tough to play. Tough to play, tough to get tone out of, and they make the job much harder. Some of the really crappy banjos can’t even be setup to a point where they are halfway manageable.
Brands, brands, brands…
“What type of banjo should I buy?! This is all so confusing!! There’s so many!!” Don’t despair, fellow banjo maven. I can suggest a method to the madness that might help out some. When it comes to brands, I think most banjo players would agree on “the big 3″…then beyond the big 3, there would be lots of debate as to how the rest of the brands rank. *Editors note: no nasty hate mail if I don’t mention your favorite brand in the big 3. It’s all personal opinion anyway, and we can’t mention EVERYONE’s personal favorite…
Here’s what I think most people would safely call “the big 3″ when it comes to banjos…but not necessarily in this order:
- Gibson
- Deering
- Stelling
I think it’s safe to say that if you can find a model of either of these three brands, in good shape, in a price range that you can afford, you can feel comfortable buying it. Now, it’s not likely that you are going to find much for less than $500 with these three brands. The lower we go with these brands the more likely we’re talking of a used banjo. BUT USED IS O.K.! Used banjos in good shape hold their value. Do you need to spend $3500 for any of these three banjos? Nope! Shop your budget; if you have $700 and can find a used one of these for $700, grab it!
When in doubt…
Aside from these three brands, you’ll find many others: Wildwood, Saga, Gold Star, Recording King, Fender, Louzee, etc. etc. (There’s more yet but they aren’t coming to mind.) So, no matter what banjo you find on offer somewhere, be sure that you seek out some knowledgable resources to make sure you are paying a fair dollar amount for the banjo you are considering. Buy the most expensive banjo you can possibly afford. (You’ll be happier.) Remember this too: a better quality banjo is heavy. That’s because it has a tone ring on it. Tone rings are heavy. If the one you are looking at is light, it’s lower quality.
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One of the best tools you have is the internet. There are many forums that you can sign on to, where you can ask the knowledgeable banjo pickers what they think. You could approach the various online music stores like First Quality Music or Elderly Instruments, or you could sign on to the Banjo Hangout and visit the forums there. Likely, the Hangout will be your best place to get some answers. But, when in doubt, utilize the internet to do a little research and find out if the banjo you are looking at is overpiced.
Shop according to your budget
In closing, I’ll say that when considering a banjo, buy the most banjo that you can afford. Don’t settle for the $150 pawn shop banjo. You’ll hate it. If you go that route, you’ll be amazed…and mad at yourself…once you finally have a nice banjo in your hand. Don’t get hung up on brand so much…until you develop a preference and a knowledge base. If you like the sound, think it looks nice, can verify it’s not overpriced, if it’s heavy, and if it’s the most banjo you can afford, then go for it. You’ll be happier in the long run.
“Banjo Paul” Pope
“Wunse, I coodn’t even spel bango pikker…now I are one!”
www.banjosrule.com