Y’all I’ve finally graduated and I’ve been blessed to have the chance to attend The Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Folk Music. It’s time I bought my own banjo but don’t know what to look for. Any ideas on what I should get? I apologize if this is in the wrong category.
A New Banjo
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Welcome to the forum! If you’re just getting started I’ve heard lots of people recommend the Recording King Dirty 30s banjo. I started with a Rogue b30, which worked just fine, it was solid and honestly sounded pretty good.
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Not sure what your price range is but I sure do love my Gold Tone Twanger! The folks at the general store could help you pick one as well.
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That’s the one I’ve had my eye on. Sadly the only way I could afford it at the moment is through payments. The most I could go is 1k in cash.
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I’ll look into it I’m trying to find something that has good tone since I’ll be playing with Dean Osborne I want to sound like a decent player lol.
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In that case you could go way better than my recommendation. Consider looking at used ones as well, sometimes you can find an RK 35 or one of the Gold Tone OB models for well under $1000 in good condition. Those are all good banjos.
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I hear deering goodtimes are real nice for the price.
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Any recommendations for where to look for used ones online?
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I see good deals on Facebook Marketplace sometimes, you just gotta make sure they’re in good condition. Also Reverb. You could also let Banjo Ben know you’re looking for one, he has a lot of connections. He found my mandolin and I love it.
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Is there a way I can make him see this?
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He will likely see this as it is, he comes around pretty often. @BanjoBen. You could also pm him.
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I would get any banjo with a tone ring (some Gold Tones, some Recording Kings, etc.) over the basic Deering Goodtime. In my opinion many of the Goodtimes are just not worth it.
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You’ll get a ton of suggestions to this query. Every banjo player has his/her own preference. I have a Fender FB 58 (my first real banjo) no longer in production, Stelling Master Flower no longer in production and a Gold Tone ‘Twanger’ I love them all, they are all different. Most newcomers to the banjo will rush out and buy the cheapest banjo and quickly become dissatisfied with the quality and sound, @BanjoBen stocks some great banjo’s in the General Store. https://store.banjobenclark.com/collections/banjo
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If your looking to buy a used banjo you might care to check out Jim Britton. @BanjoBen has recommended Jim in the past for high quality second hand instruments.
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One of the boys in my church bought a banjo from Bro. Britton. It’s some kind of vintage Alvarez. He loves it.
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That’s what I was thinking, the Goodtimes seem a little expensive for what they are.
I have an Alveraz Whyte Eagle arch top. It was my first banjo. It still plays well and frets easily.
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So Alvarez is a good brand to look for?
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I purchased my Alveraz in 1976 or 77 used. I had been playing a hand me down no name banjo for three years before I saved enough $$$’s.
I wouldn’t get locked into any particular banjo. If you have the opportunity to play several, you’ll find one that plays well and sounds good.
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