Mastercraft: Classic

Submitted by old al on 2/3/2007

Where Purchased: Banjo Hut

Year Purchased: 2007
Price Paid: 419.00 ($US)

Sound

Beautiful sound with good sustain for plqaying bluegrass Scruggs style. Set up head for rich full sound. Bass and treble notes very well balanced. Not too punchy.

Sound Rating: 9

Setup

Action set low with no buzzes. Bridge placement and intonation were perfect. Head bolts were loose on one side of head, but I tightened them to match the other side. Great sound after that. Armrest was loose on the banjo. I later got a Drum Dial, tuned the head to between a G and G# and evened off the tension. This really brought out the sound and minimized wolf notes.

Setup Rating: 7

Appearance

Finish was beautiful . Mahogany rim and resonator had no flaws that I can see. Hearts and Flowera neck inlays look fine.

Appearance Rating: 10

Reliability

It seems like a beautifully crafted Korean banjo that should be reliable for years. Armrest is nickel plated. Banjo made of quality parts.

Reliability Rating: 9

Customer Service

Paul was great at Banjo Hut. Took back another model that I didn't like and exchanged for the Classic no questions asked. Will probably buy from him again when I upgrade.

Customer Service: 10

Components

Banjo came with rolled brass tone ring and one piece fllange. The neck and headstock were inlaid with Hearts & Fllowers . Resonator,was bound with white trim. Briidge appears to be rosewood tipped maple(I might be wrong.). I might replace it with a maple-ebony tipped bridge, but the rosewood sounds wonderful for now. Planetary tuners work well. On 2/12 replaced bridge with Snuffy Smith Type 1 and put on medium guage strings, Tone and punch are dramatically improved. One thing about banjo I don't like is that it only has a single coordinator rod which is a cheap setup and makes it more difficult to adjust the neck if necessary (this one's right on).

Components Rating: 9

Overall Comments

For a complete starter package with hard shell case, tuner, picks, etc it fits the bill perfectly. If it were stolen I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one. Great banjo to learn on as well as intermediate and advanced skill levels.

Overall Rating: 9