I’m almost fearful of posting this due to the anticipated “onslaught” of responses (or not) !!!
I’m a current beginner of a few months and have a concern with the tone/sound of my banjo.
I’m well familiar with the adage of “it’s not the banjo, it’s the player” but, even as a beginner, I’m questioning that validity.
I own a Gibson ES Standard (2007 vintage) that has recently been expertly setup by Jake at the BBC store.
He did a fantastic job and made quite a few needed adjustments/modifications/improvements.
Problem is, basically, it does not have that “twangy”, banjo tone similar to Ben’s banjo and other professional players on the site. Jake was very thorough and was totally satisfied with the setup prior to returning the banjo. And, as such, I’m now wondering if it’s the banjo and not the player. Perhaps it’s simply the sound quality of the Gibson brand? I’m seriously considering a different manufacturer !!!
Any valid helpful advice, thoughts, ideas, suggestions, etc. would be appreciated before such a drastic move.
Thanks so much.
Here Goes Nothing
I would recommend trying in any way possible to play comparable banjos of different styles/woods and perhaps pots. It would be hard to play a large number of banjos with the setup held constant, but hopefully as you continue to go around and play them you may notice a consistent trend based on woods, manufacturer, etc. You may even be able to find another Scruggs Standard and compare it to yours.
What @Michael_Mark said. People like different tones, and the only way to find what suits you is to play a bunch of them. Also, strings and head tension can make a pretty significant difference (and are easily changed).
But DO keep searching to find the tone that suits you. That will involve the instrument, the strings and setup and how you interact with it. It’s a fun journey!
Welcome to the crazy world of trying to find “just the right sound!”
So often it’s in the ear of the beholder.
As for the twangy sound you’re looking for, let’s try an easy solution first: Play closer to the bridge.
A more subjective solution: Try a different thumb pick. I love my Blue Chip JD Crowe model, but if I want a more twangy sound I will use a ProPik. It sounds twangier to me!
A spookier solution: Start messing around with head tension. I would trust your setup 100% based on who set it up, but his standard may not be right for your ear.
A less spookier solution: Tweek the tailpiece tension behind the bridge. Again, I would trust Jake’s setup 100%, until my ears wanted something different. Stupid ears. They’ve been fooled before.
A speculative solution: Try a different gauge strings. Who knows? What good is owning a banjo if you can’t buy toys for it?
What good is having a banjo if you can’t buy another one?
FULL DISCLOSURE: I cannot speak for your specific model, but I went through a couple banjos until I found the one that was “just right.” Turned out to be a Deering Sierra Maple. I discovered you have to listen with your soul as well as your ear. When you hear the right sound, your skeleton vibrates.
It could just be head tension. I am sure @Jake had set it up just fine but change in temp / humidity can alter head tension. Get an experienced banjo player to try it out for you they will know right off the bat if the tone is off.
WOW !!! Thank you sooooo much for the fantastic advice.
Unfortunately, I’m in an area where I can’t try different models … wish I could.
When I started initially, some years ago, I had a Deering Good Time and thought it was the greatest
sounding banjo I’ve ever heard. My (teacher) … had a Gibson Granada and let me play it. That’s all it took and I was hooked on Gibson and traded my Deering GT for a Gibson I could afford at the time. I did have to give up eating 3 days a week to pay for it but it was well worth it. Fast forward … instruction not structured and going nowhere = frustration = banjo journey halted = banjo stored. Amen.
Until retirement yrs. later = rekindled banjo flame = found BBC site = currently motivated and hanging in there.
Again, thanks for the great advice. Much appreciated and I look forward to buying banjo toys and enjoying the journey.
Man, I can relate to that. I usually try to take as much advantage as possible to hunt and try out instruments when I’m in different areas (just to get an idea of what they feel and sound like), but it would be hard the less you travel. It’ll probably be 10+ years before I buy another acoustic guitar 
Incidentally I’m looking to sell my '05 Scruggs model. I just don’t have very much of an idea yet as to what to replace it with… haha!
I live in Scotland it’s like living in a banjo desert the only hum banjo’s on the shelf are cheap bottle top Asian banjo’s. I had to travel hundreds of miles down to England to buy my Stelling. I also bought a great Goldtone OB3 “Twanger” from the Banjo Ben General store had it shipped to the UK.
Wonder if Ben would consider opening more stores aross the US & Abroad ??? 
I wouldn’t rule it out. I stumbled on a YouTube video of @BanjoBen teaching banjo back in 2011/12 before he got started I liked it so much I joined as a Life Member in 2013. I have watch him grow his business and his craft and I am honoured to have been part of his journey.
Hi @kooseman Steve I almost forgot to mention every banjo has a "sweet spot" an area where the banjo really sings. It sits quite close to the bridge, between 1 and 3 inches in front. Find that and you’ll find the twang your searching for I am sure.
Thanks for the advice. I’ll do the step by step options and see what develops.
I need to proceed slowly as I’m very leery of doing something irreversible and compounding any problem.
It’s sort of frustrating as I would think there would be little or no issues with a Gibson.
Thanks again. Fingers crossed.