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Deering Goodtime submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	Rick McKeon (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Janet Davis Music Company
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	379 ($US)
Sound	Great sound and volume for an open-back banjo. I have another banjo with a heavy brass tone ring. It has great sound, but is very heavy. I am not dissapointed in the sound of the Goodtime.
Sound Rating	8
Setup	JDMC did a great job on the setup. I had them put a Bart Veerman bridge on it.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	I love the look - bright and light.
Appearance Rating	8
Reliability	The dove-tail head joint scares me a little bit, but as long as it doesn't come off, I'm happy.
Reliability Rating	8
Customer Service	JDMC is great to deal with. They are always friendly and helpful.
Customer Service	10
Components	Good quality parts.
Components Rating	8
Overall Comments	Just got my Goodtime banjo yesterday, and I am lovin' it. Great sound and volume. I especially like the weight. At 4 lbs. I can pick it up with one hand without effort. It makes banjo playing fun.
Overall Rating	9

Rickard Dobson submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	mandohead (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	From builder
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	Not really loud but had a nice mellow sound -- from what I could hear With the problems of set up I could not play it
Sound Rating	8
Setup	After some initial problems on my end, I got the intonation set- where it was marked on head. The 3rd and 2nd strings would not play true around the nut > sent back to builder
Setup Rating	6
Appearance	Nice dark brown tone wood with oxidized brass hardware that was very attractive. Couple minor finish problems- A pea sized discoloration on the fret board just under 5th fret 1st string, and on the neck a couple 3cm by 1/2 cm sections where the stain didn't seem to coat homogeniosly
Appearance Rating	9
Reliability	Hard to tell
Reliability Rating	not rated
Customer Service	Builder paid for return shipping - nice/appropriate His initial inspection of it "my initial opinion is that reducing the nut slot height will probably solve the problem that you described" He was receptive but defensive discussing banjo set-up challenges.
Customer Service	7
Components	Seem fine
Components Rating	9
Overall Comments	Builder told me that this was a prototype for a kit that would be selling for 900$ - I found out afterwards that it would be selling for 600$ > disappointing >> I cancelled the sale I initially was not going to review but subsequent discussions with the builder and others led me to feel a responsibility to post
Overall Rating	7

Gibson RB3 Don Reno submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	tklassen (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Private
Year Purchased	2002
Price Paid	2500 (Canada) (bought USED) historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	Even volume across the strings, full sound. Play it acoustic or plugged in with a fisher rare earth pickup, pre-amp, and a Marshall acoustic amp. Classic banjo tone. This is not a loud banjo.
Sound Rating	10
Setup	I use a 5 star unfrosted head, moon bridge, and Price tail piece. The head is medium tight, just tight enough that there is no sag under the bridge. I use a drum wrench to make sure it is even tension at all hooks. The action is set to low about 3/16 above the 12th fret. The tail piece is level with the head about 1/8 off the head surface. Installed rr spikes at 7, 9, and 10 frets. I use light strings. Everything stays in place and does not require further adjusting.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	Flying eagle inlay, RB3 head stock inlay, classic Gibson banjo.
Appearance Rating	10
Reliability	The banjo stays in tune, does not require constant re-tuning, when using a capo. Looks as good as when I first purchased.
Reliability Rating	10
Customer Service	Not applicable
Customer Service	not rated
Components	This banjo has waverly tuners and only replaced the presto tailpiece.
Components Rating	10
Overall Comments	It is a keeper, and have no desire for another banjo.
Overall Rating	10

Deering Goodtime submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	tklassen (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Elderly Instruments
Year Purchased	2003
Price Paid	Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	It is not a bluegrass banjo, a muted sound, keeps peace in the household by not over powering all other sounds. Stays in tune, and is accurate up the neck.
Sound Rating	5
Setup	String height set to 3/16 above the 12th fret, head is tight enough that there is no sag under the bridge, the tailpiece is not adjustable. Installed RR spikes at 7, 9, 10, and 12 fret. It is a very playable banjo with little adjustment.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	Simple, it is not eye candy, you get what you pay for. I love it.
Appearance Rating	5
Reliability	Nothing much to go wrong, little hardware, guitar tuners, have carried and taken this banjo all over North America, very light it came with a fabric gig bag. Stays in tune, easy to play and will not cause the neighbours to complain.
Reliability Rating	not rated
Customer Service	Not applicable, nothing has gone wrong that would require service in 6 years
Customer Service	not rated
Components	Nothing it is cool in itself.
Components Rating	not rated
Overall Comments	Light, simple, playable, always have it at the ready. It is my main banjo inside the home and for personal travel. For the money invested it is a great value. I have never used it at a gig, but think about it once and awhile.
Overall Rating	10

Oscar Schmidt OB-5 submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	Brady (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Amazon
Year Purchased	2007
Price Paid	140 ($US)
Sound	This is my first banjo and it is great for the price. as a beginning banjo its great, eventually though my teacher let me play her $1000+ banjo and I realized that I should upgrade. I would still recomend it for any beginner pickers.
Sound Rating	5
Setup	when i got the banjo is was in a box and i had to take it to get it set up since i didn't what I was doing. you have to be careful though, a friend of mine ordered the same banjo from the same place and it had a big crack on the back and couldn't be used.
Setup Rating	5
Appearance	it's a good looking banjo, no gold inlays or anything like that, but it looks prety good.
Appearance Rating	8
Reliability	this is a tough little banjo. my case broke and I didn't had the money to buy a new one so I just carry it around w/out a case and it's held up just fine.
Reliability Rating	10
Customer Service	Amazon always has prety good customer sevice.
Customer Service	8
Components	prety much this is a cheap good beginners banjo, the prodeucs used aren't the best but it's great to learn on.
Components Rating	6
Overall Comments	this is a great banjo for people who want to see if they like picking before they spend a lot of money on a high-class banjo. for beginners it's great but you will hear the lack of sound quality when you get better and try out some nicer ones.
Overall Rating	7

Gold Tone Bluegrass Special BG-250F submitted 11/18/2009
Submitter	thomass (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Banjoteacher.com
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	739 ($US)
Sound	Really sounds great. I'm a beginner, this should last me a long time
Sound Rating	9
Setup	Had some over tones. I took it to the local music store and they fixed it up....no problem.
Setup Rating	7
Appearance	Very nice...better than I expected. Looks more expensive than it was.
Appearance Rating	8
Reliability	Looks very sturdy and has a real "expensive" appearance
Reliability Rating	9
Customer Service	Great warranty...very nice people.
Customer Service	9
Components	No complaints.
Components Rating	9
Overall Comments	I'm very satisfied.....a real value for the money. A lot better than the guy playing it !! :-))
Overall Rating	9

Romero 09206 submitted 11/17/2009
Submitter	James McConnan (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Romero work shop
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	3050 ($US)
Sound	It does everything I want it to do and more.
Sound Rating	10
Setup	It was perfect as built.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	It's the most beautiful thing I own. The instrument was custom made, the inlay is astonishing.
Appearance Rating	10
Reliability	Everything about the banjo would suggest that it would last for ever. I have another Romero banjo. #08145
Reliability Rating	10
Customer Service	Jason and Pharis were helpful all along the way. When I picked up the new banjo Jason made some minor adjustments to #08145
Customer Service	10
Components	http://www.romerobanjos.com/09206/09206.html a picture tells a thousand words
Components Rating	10
Overall Comments	I hope everyone gets to own a banjo of their dreams. I do.
Overall Rating	10

Rover RB-35 submitted 11/14/2009
Submitter	Brian Taylor (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Hex Hollow Music
Year Purchased	2008
Price Paid	Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	Loud and bright sound. An excellent beginner's banjo.
Sound Rating	5
Setup
Setup Rating	5
Appearance	Bare minimum on the extra's but they almost went out of their way to make a butt-ugly headstock. Can't fix that as any work exceeds the cost of the banjo.
Appearance Rating	5
Reliability	I play almost daily, and the finish on the head came off fairly quickly. Everything else still seems OK
Reliability Rating	5
Customer Service	Never had to deal with them. I figured my instructor at the time would help me out, as he sells them and he recommended it.
Customer Service	not rated
Components	Lose the head stock and install something more traditional, without maxing out the price..
Components Rating	5
Overall Comments	You can't beat it for a beginner instrument. I suppose as a backup it would work too.
Overall Rating	5

Vega SR II Earl Scruggs Model submitted 11/12/2009
Submitter	revellfa (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	eBay
Year Purchased	2006
Price Paid	1500 ($US)
Sound	It has a very loud, tubaphone sound. Lots of volume, cuts through a mic and records extremely well. A very, very quick decay. Awesome and unique sound. More of a Deering sound than a Gibson sound.
Sound Rating	8
Setup	I was trying to get a pre-war sound out of this banjo so I experimented a lot with it over the few years that I owned it. I made the action a bit lower, added a banjomate tone enhancer and used an Emerson Sweet Power II bridge. I used a thick-frosted five-star head which I kept pretty tight. With this setup I was able to get the most out of this banjo. I have some soundclips on my homepage.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	This was a beautiful banjo. Flamed maple, ebony peghead with Gold MOP on the headstock. "Earl Scruggs Model" in red on the truss rod cover. MOP trapezoid (kind of like a cross between traditional Vega crown and Mastertone Bow-Tie) inlay.
Appearance Rating	9
Reliability	The finish is famous for wearing on the Vega's of this era (1969) but this one held up pretty well. It was a sturdy banjo.
Reliability Rating	9
Customer Service	no longer in business as this was one of the last Vega's made in Boston before selling out to Martin.
Customer Service	not rated
Components	Kind of bare minimum. Multi-ply (9) rim, three-piece neck, four-piece flange. The tuners were pretty good, as well as the tone ring which was entirely unique. Vega used the Auto-Sonic (or some would say modified Tubaphone) tone ring on these banjos and they are HIGHLY underrated! That is the reason that this banjo gets a 7 and not a 6 in this area.
Components Rating	7
Overall Comments	This banjo was very adaptable, it was equally happy with bluegrass or with clawhammer and also was not bad for melodic/chromatic picking. Not a bad banjo, but I don't regret selling it as I am more of a traditional, hard-driving banjo player.
Overall Rating	7

Gold Tone Ot-800 long neck submitted 11/11/2009
Submitter	john bange (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	The Folk Shop
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	900 ($US)
Sound	suits a poor old folksinger as perfect as possible...set up just right, very rich and loud...lotta sustain
Sound Rating	10
Setup	set up fine as recieved...I made some changes that I needed to do myself...dealer was very helpful and the banjo is very, very easy to set up to any playing style
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	very pretty with a high gloss finish...I don't know!(panda wood?)...the inlays were really done nice
Appearance Rating	10
Reliability	seems like it is well made...never had any problems with Gold Tone products though having read some of the other reviews, I will keep an eye on the tuners and knobs...very good so far. will I use it at a gig without back up? I had 2 Vegas so I bought 2 of these...I like back up
Reliability Rating	9
Customer Service	read my review of The Folk Shop...Easily one of the best sales experiences I have had...just great people Gold Tones warranty reputation is excellent
Customer Service	10
Components	I don't see any weak parts. I would point out the excellent tailpiece...you know the case is not an American Vintage but it is fine for now.
Components Rating	9
Overall Comments	for folk music, vocal back up and playing around the campfire, I do not see how you could beat these banjos...if your looking for a long neck, you gotta try the OT-800
Overall Rating	10

Recording King ne plus ultra 036 submitted 11/9/2009
Submitter	erstokke (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Centsible Sounds
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	920 ($US)
Sound	It has a Whyte Laydie Tone Ring which makes it "medium bright". Properly setup it will sound just fine. It is an all round openback banjo.
Sound Rating	7
Setup	The banjo head was loosened so there was not much sound at all. Even worse, they hadn’t released the tailpiece first, so the tailpiece fastener was bent. The banjo was not set up. You may want a Renaissance head on this banjo instead of the supplied Fiberskyn.
Setup Rating	1
Appearance	It has a lot of inlays on the fretboard. Which would have been great if the job was properly done. I got a lemon with several flaws which just made the inlays look gaudy. The nut was also too small for the notch. There were also minor flaws in the finish. This banjo is called "Ne Plus Ultra" which means perfection.
Appearance Rating	2
Reliability	I returned the banjo.
Reliability Rating	not rated
Customer Service	I got an email from Greg Rich saying they would get me a hand picked replacement banjo. After two or three weeks they still hadn’t found one, so I returned the banjo and got my money back. They did not cover my return shipping expenses, which I found unfair.
Customer Service	5
Components	My RK-R80 bluegrass banjo has Grover tuners which are great. The Ne Plus Ultra did not have the same quality tuners. According to the specifications it should have a Kershner tailpiece, but it was delivered with a "no-knot".
Components Rating	5
Overall Comments	Most reviews here are 9 or 10 because people are excited about their new banjo. I think it is only fair to post a story about a lemon as well. Most other Ne Plus Ultras reviewed here are "Made in Korea", while mine was "Made in China". But what puzzles me most, is how on earth this banjo made it through factory, importer and dealer QC. Anyway, the lesson to be learned is to buy from a good dealer and ask them specific to inspect and set up the banjo before shipping. I bought from a small family run company that are very nice people, but they didn’t know a thing about banjos. If I should buy an asian Whyte Laydie again, I would probably get the Gold Tone WL 250 which is basically the same banjo but much cheaper.
Overall Rating	3

Ozark Eagle - Professional Range submitted 11/7/2009
Submitter	Pablo9364 (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Andy Perkins
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	Very loud
Sound Rating	8
Setup	It was set up OK. I had the action and set up adjusted on two occasions shortly after buying but now it is just right.
Setup Rating	9
Appearance	Very fancy without being over the top. gold , pearl inlay and fancy edging etc
Appearance Rating	10
Reliability	Very solid and well made. heavy
Reliability Rating	9
Customer Service
Customer Service	10
Components	No components needed upgrading
Components Rating	10
Overall Comments	Top quality banjo
Overall Rating	10

Gold Tone Cripple Creek CC-50RP submitted 11/7/2009
Submitter	Pablo9364 (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Andy Perkins
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	A little extra volume because it has a small tone ring around the outside. Sort of medium volume. nice sound.
Sound Rating	8
Setup	Set up was OK - action and setup adjusted shortly after buying but now perfect.
Setup Rating	8
Appearance	Its nice and simple. nothing fancy
Appearance Rating	7
Reliability	Gold tone are a good make. It is a quality item and seems reliable in the same way
Reliability Rating	8
Customer Service
Customer Service	10
Components	No components require changing
Components Rating	9
Overall Comments	These cripple creek range are very nice banjos. well worth the money. A good proper musical instrument for the learner.
Overall Rating	9

Vega Vega by the Galaxy Corporation No Ser. # submitted 11/7/2009
Submitter	revellfa (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	eBay
Year Purchased	2004
Price Paid	600 ($US) (bought USED)
Sound	Really had a Masterclone sound. Very nice bass. Very loud and full sound. It could hold its own in a jam. You could however tell that it WAS NOT a Mastertone on the last few frets which is totally understandable.
Sound Rating	7
Setup	Setup was excellent--better than any banjo that I have owned. It looked as though there was a shim near the heel. The action was perfect--close to the fretboard with about an 11/16th bridge on er'. I wouldn't change a thing about the setup on this banjo.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	Beautiful. I think it was mahogany, but I don't remember. There was an eagle inlayed in MOP on the resonator as I recall. Rosewood fingerboard, Ebony peghead overlay. Tube and Plate Flange. It had Martin-VIP style MOP inlay and an ample amount of that good ole' Asian lacquer.
Appearance Rating	8
Reliability	It looked like a good sturdy banjo. Dual coordinator rods, tone ring (tubaphone style I think.) It was a very tough and solid banjo.
Reliability Rating	9
Customer Service	Galaxy Corporation has been out of business for some time and the Vega name now belongs to the Deering Company.
Customer Service	not rated
Components	The neck was nice, but a bit thick. The flange could probably have been replaced. I think the tailpiece was a Waverly. All very high-quality parts. This was a heavy, well-made, Masterclone banjo.
Components Rating	8
Overall Comments	For the price it was probably a better overall deal than a Gold-Star from the same time period, so it gets a 9. I regret selling this banjo, but not every day of my life. (I sold it to take a trip to the Middle-East.) I would jump on the chance to buy another.
Overall Rating	9

Deering Saratoga Star submitted 11/6/2009
Submitter	Ansacsteve (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Eagle Music
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	Lots () historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	There is no other banjo sound to compare it to, its as simple as that. It has one of the new USA cast tone ring and I believe that the tones are of a better quality than the swiss one. It can be bright near the bridge or when further away so laid back mellow its almost horizontal. You only need to listen to a top picker to hear what she can do (I am a novice!)
Sound Rating	10
Setup	It came just as described 1/8inch at the 12th. Who am I to argue with the designer! Changes? Why bother trying to improve the Carlsberg of banjos (Probably the best banjo in the world), I know I could put on a nice new strap!
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	Its very easy on the eyes, straight of the case a beauty.
Appearance Rating	10
Reliability	It will see me in my box! Take her out? Big question, dont think so. I will keep her chained up in the house! Serious I am not sure if I would take her out to a barn dance.
Reliability Rating	10
Customer Service	Life time warrenty. Its got to be good.
Customer Service	10
Components	The Saratoga Star hasnt got cheap parts. I might consider a custom nut cover, but I doubt if I would change it
Components Rating	10
Overall Comments	A true joy. It is a beauty and more words are surplus.
Overall Rating	10

Gibson RB-3 Standard submitted 11/5/2009
Submitter	Brian (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Private Party
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	1549 ($US) (bought USED)
Sound	This banjo was made in May of 1993. It is my second, high quality mahogany banjo. It sounds a lot like the Hatfield I used to have. It is bright and hollow with a very nice growl. One you've owned a banjo in each of the 3 main woods, you can really tell what each has to offer. I think mahogany is the best all around sounding banjo. This one sounds incredible!
Sound Rating	9
Setup	The set up was fine. I tore it apart and made a slight adjustment to the tone ring fit. The neck fit is perfect and the banjo notes true up the neck.
Setup Rating	8
Appearance	This banjo has been played A LOT!! It has a massive belt buckle rash on the back side of the resonator. The neck has had some filler applied to gouges on several frets. I'm going to mark the appearance low but it is actually one of the reasons that I love this banjo. It's got a lot of character!
Appearance Rating	6
Reliability	Hardware is standard Gibson. High quality with no worries. The binding has yellowed. The headstock inlays have also yellowed.
Reliability Rating	10
Customer Service	N/A
Customer Service	not rated
Components	All parts are great! It has a maple rim with Kulesh ring. The neck is impressive given the obvious amount of play time it's had.
Components Rating	9
Overall Comments	As I said, this banjo reminds me of a Hatfield Buck Creek that I once had. It has a great open and bright sound with lots of sparkle. I love the inlay pattern which I think is called standard. It's a 1993 which is from the coveted Greg Rich era. Is it all hype? Not from what I can see! Try one, you'll like it!!
Overall Rating	9

Gold Tone cc mini submitted 11/4/2009
Submitter	Pablo9364 (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	AndyPerkins
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	Plays in key of C. It wont sound as good as a full size but it sounds surprisingly better than what you might expect from an instrument of this size.
Sound Rating	8
Setup	Was set up very nice indeed.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	Its cool because of its small size. quality built and looks like a proper musical instrument and not a toy.
Appearance Rating	10
Reliability	looks good
Reliability Rating	7
Customer Service	top
Customer Service	10
Components
Components Rating	8
Overall Comments	Quality item well made and sounds good - Cant seem to put it down - the small size and quiet sound is nice.
Overall Rating	8

Kat Eyz Cougar submitted 11/3/2009
Submitter	BRIAN MUNDAY (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	The Cougar has a rich dry sound with no overtones, great fourth string and the upper register was crystal clear. The banjo has a traditional sound to it that matches the type of music I play.
Sound Rating	9
Setup	I loved the way the banjo sounded right off the bat, it was set up just the way I like them. Head to a G sharp, not much down pressure on the tailpiece and the action was perfect. I swapped out a couple of different bridges but went back to the original one that came on the banjo, I thought it still sounded the best.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	The Cougar is a mahogany, nickel plated banjo and the fit & finish are second to none, hand crafted by Robin Smith of Hendersonville, Tn. Mike Smith designed the headstock & inlay patterns for the banjos and kept the "Big Kat" theme in mind for the creative inlay patterns. Very cool!
Appearance Rating	10
Reliability	The banjo is crafted with top of the line metal parts from a major banjo parts distributor. It is a very solid, well made banjo.
Reliability Rating	9
Customer Service	I have dealt with Mike Smith a number of years concerning his bridges & capos and he always goes above and beyond all measures needed to make sure the customer is fully satisfied.
Customer Service	10
Components	There's no upgrading needed on the banjo, everything is top shelf, ready to take out of the case and start pickin'. What sold me on the banjo, and that I thought really stood out, was the creative inlays in the headstock & fretboard & the overall great sound of the banjo.
Components Rating	9
Overall Comments	If you're looking for a great sounding banjo with top notch craftmanship at an affordable price, you need to check out the Kat Eyz banjo line.
Overall Rating	10

Recording King RK-20 submitted 11/1/2009
Submitter	JedNeedsCoffee (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	banjo.com
Year Purchased	2008
Price Paid	Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	My first impression was that it is rather harsh. loud, yes..."bright", no. After installing a fiberskyn head and stuffing a sock behind the rod, the harshness was (naturally) toned down quite a bit and I found that these modifications brought the overall sound to just about where I want it. I like a banjo that sounds well with both Scruggs/Bluegrass and "folk-style" (which, yes, I realize is a nebulous term). The new head and sock provided a sound that lent itself well to both styles.
Sound Rating	7
Setup	The first thing I noticed was that this banjo had held its tuning perfectly during transit because I didn't so much as have to fine tune it when I took it out of the box...all strings were dead-on in tune. The only thing that I found very disappointing was the fact that the lenght of the fingerboard was not matched properly to the tension hoop, in other words, it was too long and therefore the heel of the neck didn't come in full contact with the rim. This may or may not be a "set-up" issue but I can't see how the folks at banjo.com could have overlooked this...we're talking about a 1/8 inch gap between the neck and rim! I took the neck off and shaved the fingerboard down, which of course altered the overall action height, which I then had to readjust.
Setup Rating	6
Appearance	Generally, a very nice looking banjo. Well done inlays, shiny chrome. Finish itself was pretty darn good except for the cracks (in the finish) which ran from bracket to bracket...almost as if the factory worker overtightened the hooks (or the brackets themselves) although when I got the 'jo, head tension didn't seem too tight.
Appearance Rating	6
Reliability	For what it is, a relatively lower-end banjo, it seems as sturdy as one would expect for this price range. I've had it a year or so now and nothing has broken. Tuners hold good.
Reliability Rating	8
Customer Service	I had purchased banjos from banjo.com before and was always treated fairly. Still, I am disappointed that the banjo had the obviously mal-fitted neck and finish cracks. One would think that such an item would have been returned to the factory/distributor rather than sold to a customer. I didn't raise a fuss with banjo.com about this, because personally, I didn't feel it worth the hassle of returning/re-shipping the item.
Customer Service	6
Components	Personally, I wouldn't invest in any major upgrades. The cost of upgrading in relation to the value of the banjo itself would be disproportionate. I must say however that I AM quite impressed with the tuners, I can play this banjo for quite awhile and even leave this banjo sitting in the corner quite awhile and it holds perfect tune. Swapping out the head is the only "upgrade" I made.
Components Rating	7
Overall Comments	I have mixed feelings about this banjo. Other than the mismatched neck and the finish cracks and the fact that I had to change out and stuff the head...it sounds good, plays good and looks good. Were it not fo the problems mentioned, I may have been happier with the purchase. Originally I bought it as a "knock-around" banjo, for camping etc., which it works fine for. I think I paid 375 +or-. My advice though (which you may take with as many grains of salt as you wish) if you are buying this as a "first" banjo, (i.e. to learn on)....save up some more money and get one in the next price catagory up. If you're buying it as a "second" banjo, or a knock-around banjo, I would say it's probably worth the $, (as long as it's under $400).
Overall Rating	6

Deering Goodtime parlour submitted 10/31/2009
Submitter	Banjo Vern (see all reviews from this person)
Where Purchased	Andy Banjo
Year Purchased	2009
Price Paid	165 (GBP) (bought USED) historic exchange rates / currency converter
Sound	Easy to play, plunky and basic sounding but great fun and really portable.
Sound Rating	9
Setup	I baught online so the bridge was laid flat however Andy had marked the bridge location which made set up a doddle
Setup Rating	9
Appearance	I love the goodtime styling and always have.
Appearance Rating	10
Reliability	Great for the price
Reliability Rating	10
Customer Service	Quickly delivered and carfully packed.
Customer Service	10
Components	I baught this banjo second hand and it has upgrades which include duel co-ordinating rods and planetary tuners which seem like a good investment
Components Rating	9
Overall Comments	I baught this banjo for portability and quit practice. My main banjo is a Deering Sierra. Both sound great in their own completely different ways but for the money the Goodtime is superb and great fun.
Overall Rating	9

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