Deering Goodtime Classic Reviews

Deering Goodtime Classic submitted 4/11/2008 Submitter flashover604 (see all reviews from this person) Where Purchased Signature Music Co. Year Purchased 2008 Price Paid 425 ($US) Sound I'm new to the banjo, so I can't really give a comparison, but I like the sound. It's pretty loud to me, and I like the open back design. I can take a soft cloth and stuff it under the head and quite it down substantially if I don't want to bother anyone. I know that after a week of playing, (probably 7-8 hours total), it was still really close to being in tune when I finally got a tuner. Sound Rating 10 Setup Once again, I'm new here. I picked it up, the guy tuned it, and I took it home and I'm playing the heck out of it. Nothing has worked loose yet. Setup Rating 10 Appearance I originally wanted the Goodtime because of the lighter wood and not very fancy styling. The only thing I didn't like was the "Gumby" pegboard. I saw the Classic and liked the pegboard alot. I like the solid wood rim look. The finish is kind of a matte finish, ie, not too shiny. It doesn't look like it's as dark as a lot of the dark banjos I looked at. One thing I have noticed is the fret markers. On Deering's website, they are a pearl color. On mine, they are black. I can handle that. The armrest is nice and shiny, as are all of the metal parts. I haven't found a flaw yet. Appearance Rating 10 Reliability Everything looks well made to me. It seems very sturdy. The rim is probably 3/8ths to 1/2 inch thick. I don't worry about knocking it over, that's for sure. Reliability Rating 10 Customer Service Deering has a one year warranty for the Goodtime banjos. I'd like to see them stand behind their entry level banjos like they do their higher end banjos. I haven't had to deal with them yet. They are an American Made banjo, and that was a major selling point. Customer Service 8 Components Mine has open geared guitar style tuners, with a sealed fifth string tuner. I believe the Goodtime's now come with sealed tuners, but you'd have to check with the dealer or Deering. Components Rating 8 Overall Comments I was looking for a Goodtime open back, as I am new to banjos. I'd seen them for around $300. I went into Signature Music because they were having a moving sale, and they were a Deering dealer. The only Deering they had was a Goodtime Classic. I liked the darker finish and the more traditional pegboard. It retails for $629, but I got it for $425 with a Deering gig bag, as they are moving in a couple weeks. I wanted an American made instrument, and I'm not dissapointed. Overall Rating 10