Alvarez 4280 Minstrel Reviews

Alvarez 4280 Minstrel submitted 2/2/2007 Submitter cdollar1 (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased The Guitar Gallery Year Purchased 2006 Price Paid 450 ($US) Sound Sounds great for what it is...i.e. a mid level import...but it is a great instrument to learn on. It has a small brass tone ring so it sounds a lot better than the cheap Sigma I started on that has no tone ring. Update: I recently converted this banjo to an openback. Wow....what a difference. I changed the head to an Elite Amber from StewMac and changed to a No-Knot tailpiece and Vega-Style armrest. This combination, along with the simple diamond neck inlays give the banjo a really attractive "old time" look. Also, the banjo sounds great now. The simple brass "tone hoop" is much better suited to the openback configuration. Sound Rating 7 Setup Reasonably well set up.....the remo head that came on it pulled loose when I tightened it up so I replaced it with a 5star from Stew Mac. (Update: it now has an Elite Amber head on it.) I also added a Shubb 5th string capo. It only has one coordinator rod so the neck angle can't be changed without a shim, but the angle is fine. It does allow for the neck heel to be adjusted vertically. Setup Rating 8 Appearance Nice looking banjo...simple appointments....basic Masterclone... does have concentric rings on resonator. Update: As noted above, the banjo is now an openback with an Elite amber head and No-Knot tailpiece and Vega style armrest. Simple diamond neck inlays, shoe-style lugs, notched stretcher band with round hooks. Dark finish. Really looks good as an openback. I also have the option to reinstall the flange and resonator if the urge hits, or if I decide to sell it. This has really turned out to be a great little banjo! Appearance Rating 8 Reliability Tuning pegs are planetary but a little sloppy....stays in tune, though. The neck feels great and sounds pretty good up to about the 10th fret, then thins out a little. The rest of the hardware seems pretty sturdy. I did have to tighten a few of the lug screws. Update: After making the changes noted above, the banjo sounds good all the way up the neck. The tuners seem to have stabilized somewhat....not quite as much "slop" as there was at first. Reliability Rating 9 Customer Service Have not dealt w/ them Customer Service not rated Components Could replace tuners....but not really necessary. Components Rating 8 Overall Comments Great beginner to intermediate banjo.... Update: Did I mention this banjo makes a really good openback? Overall Rating 8