Banjo recommendations

Tone71

Any banjo players here?

I`m keen to muck about with one and love the sound but have no idea on what to look for when buying, thinking of a couple of hundred tops or maybe swap some gear out to get one.

Any recommendations?

Cheers

thermionic

Here's a recommendation - don't.

ToneControl

I think therapy is available, or perhaps a hypnotherapist

Seriously - they are notoriously hard to tune or keep in tune, which is one of the reasons why most guitarist hate them and more jokes will likely follow

If you want one, I recommend visiting Frailers, and spending £200 or £300, give them a call for advice

They even have tele shaped ones there with 6 strings, however, you will be asked to leave the FB I assume

thermionic

I jest, I'm quite partial to a bit of banjo.

EricTheWeary

http://thegreatbritishbanjocompany.com

Although not exactly cheap! Interesting though.

knuckleberryfinn

Whatever you do, don't get a Fender - their folk instruments are dreadful. Ozark are good and within budget I think. 

bandmaster188

I bought one of these a few years ago and it's got a good tone and stays in tune really well. They have gone up a bit since I bought mine, I think I paid about £280 for it but it sounded better than the ozarks that were in the next price bracket. It's all about the brass tone ring. Quite plain to look at but sounds good. You might pick a used one up in budget. http://www.andybanjo.com/cgi-bin/trolleyed_public.cgi?action=showprod_RBGRAFTONCLIPRB

bertie

I had the same yearning about 6 years ago,  bought an Ashbury ?   from Hobgoblin................for about £140 I think

I tell you this,  if you can finger pick guitar and think that will hold you in good stead for playing the banjo -  think again.   Its a WHOLE new ball - game, totally different rhythm and picking patterns.................I actually gave up

ROOG

Having listened to the vids I just can't resist it; "YEEEHAAAA!"

ICBM

bertie said:

I tell you this,  if you can finger pick guitar and think that will hold you in good stead for playing the banjo -  think again.   Its a WHOLE new ball - game, totally different rhythm and picking patterns.................I actually gave up

Exactly my experience too.

I even tried a 6-string banjo (guitarists' cheating version) thinking it was the different tuning and odd 5th string halfway up the neck thing that was throwing me, but it wasn't.

Lewy

Most banjo pickers I know have very positive things to say about www.andybanjo.com

Tell him what you want and your budget and he'll tell you the best banjo for you. Most importantly, he makes sure they play right before he sells them - not something you'll get if you buy from a general music shop etc.

geepers0677

Get a second hand old school variax for 200 quid. Banjo sounds great and you won't have to get your head around the instrument.

Tone71

Cheers for the replies, bertie I too have wondered about the odd 5th string

Might have a long think on this one and stick with the Uke for now whilst looking into it.

I think the inner hillbilly resides in us all though doesnt he?

Lewy

Bertie & ICBM - was it Scruggs style you tried and gave up on, or did you have a go at clawhammer/frailing too? I tried the latter and, whilst it was a challenge, it wasn't too counter intuitive for a fingerpicker.

Didn't stick with it, mind.....

bertie

no idea, I was just trying out some choons from a book mrs bert bought be - Foggy Mountain.....  the roll and thumb finger 'progression'  just wasnt anything like guitar - which because Ive been picking for over 30 years, I do in my "sub-conscious" which is why its hard to "learn summut"  new

ICBM

Similar here. I didn't try learning from a book but I just couldn't get the hang of the picking patterns. I couldn't get it to sound right either - the dynamics are totally different from a guitar, and I've spent thirty years finely tuning my hand dynamics to accurately control volume from the strings directly (I don't even use the guitar volume control normally on an electric), so the banjo just threw a massive spanner into the works. I can't get on with compressors either, for the same reason, although in the opposite direction - banjo sounds like it has an expander on it.

ESBlonde

The Tommy Tedesco method of playing 'other' stringed instruments on sessions.

Tune it like a guitar.

He would take second instrument fees for anything on sessions, lute, banjo, mandolin, bazooki, all tuned and played (rather well in his case) just like a guitar.

You have almost certainly heard him playing 'not guitar' on a TV theme of film sound track over the years. He's they guy playing the theme to M.A.S.H. for instance.

suspiciousminds

My missus bought me a nice countryman 5 string banjo about 5 years ago and i love it, but i'm far from good on it as it is a different "beast" to guitar.
I find the 5th string further up the neck difficult master so in hindsight a 4 string banjo may have been a better choice.
I would like one of those 6 stringers though - i believe they are tuned the same as guitar.

bertie

suspiciousminds said:

I find the 5th string further up the neck difficult master so in hindsight a 4 string banjo may have been a better choice.
I would like one of those 6 stringers though - i believe they are tuned the same as guitar.

I took it off completely, tuner and all

frankus

I reckon a stout pair of second hand german paratrooper boots'd see you right

Phil_aka_Pip

Put some dead strings on your guitar and fold up bits of J-cloth to put between the strings & the bridge saddles to stop them ringing and give them that nasty plicky sound. Then dial in the worst EQ on your amp that you can think of, and hey-ho you've got a banjo sound. You could probably use some kind of gate instead of the j-cloth bits.