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The banjo reviews database is here to help educate people before they purchase an instrument. Of course, this is not meant to be a substitute for playing the instrument yourself!
7232 reviews in the archive.
Where Purchased: Banjo.com
Year Purchased: 2011
Price Paid: 1995 ($US)
Excellent. This banjo was advertised as a unique sound, it meets that expectation. Not sure how to describe it. Classical sounds outstanding on it.
Sound Rating: 10
Setup was good, but I had to change it. Setup is so personal you can't expect it to come the way you like it.
Setup Rating: 9
Perfect.
Appearance Rating: 10
Perfect.
Reliability Rating: 10
Outstanding. I had to call them a couple times and they were very nice.
Customer Service: 10
It's Deering so everything is high quality.
Components Rating: 10
Perfect.
Overall Rating: 10
Where Purchased:
I loved it, very enjoyable. I like the range of different banjo sounds it has.
Overall Rating: 8
I've rarely had an experience this good with a retailer. I bought a banjo from them a few months back, and recently one of the tuners broke. I called and explained I did not want to deal with sending it back, so they immediately sent me a new tuner, no questions asked.
Overall Rating: 10
Where Purchased: Barnes & Noble
Excellent. I have a thirst to hear the banjo outside of the traditional bluegrass arena, that is why I love Bela. This album showcases classical works by Chopin, Bach and others. The arrangements are for banjo, and one or two other instruments for each piece such as violin, cello, bass and piano. This is perhaps one of Bela's best albums to date. I particularly like the Chopin pieces on banjo, it's as if they were written for the instrument.
Overall Rating: 10
Where Purchased: Banjo Hut
Year Purchased: 2009
Price Paid: 900 w/ case ($US)
Excellent. I was worried when buying a banjo online because I don't like the traditional banjo sound, too metallic. I like a woody soft sounding banjo and this banjo is just that. It doesn't have a tone ring which I like and the intonation is good.
Sound Rating: 9
The action is a little high and the bridge was off by a millimeter. I may have the action reset next time I put new strings on. Also I had to change out the light gage strings with medium gage. Making setup changes is more difficult than my last banjo, I'll probably have it done professionally.
Setup Rating: 7
It's beautiful. It has a nice dark rosewood freetboard with fan inlays and the resonator and neck are finished with a thick shine. The maple rim is beautiful, and the chrome hardware is gorgeous.
Appearance Rating: 10
Hard to say because it's new but the hardware seems robust. It has planetary tuners, a prewar style flange and everything is chrome finished.
Reliability Rating: 8
Have not dealt with them yet. But I've heard good things
Customer Service: 8
Everything seems good. Don't think I'll be replacing anything. The case is especially beautiful. High quality stitching, thick padding and has a humidity gage.
Components Rating: 9
Excellent. Would recommend this banjo to anyone who likes the non-tone ring style banjos.
Overall Rating: 9
Where Purchased: Musicians Friend
Year Purchased: 2009
Price Paid: 150 ($US)
Although not very bright, I like the soft mellow tone of this banjo, I think it's good for the price. I have a real problem with the intonation though. It's not noticeable when playing the bluegrass standards, but when using the upper register, you can't get all the frets on the lower G-string in tune at the same time. Also the same G-string buzzes.
Sound Rating: 7
Not set up at all, I had to adjust the bridge location for intonation myself, which is easy to do.
Setup Rating: 5
There were no flaws at all in the banjo. It looks great.
Appearance Rating: 9
The finish seems robust, the hardware does not though. The fifth string tuner looks like it could go at any time, and because it's not geared it's very difficult to tune and does not stay in tune well.
Reliability Rating: 5
I've dealt with Musicians Friend before and they were good. They've replaced damaged shipments quickly.
Customer Service: 8
The fifth string tuner is crap, not sure why anyone would put that on an instrument. The neck is a little flimsy, the banjo goes out of tune with even a slight touch to the neck. But I wasn't expecting much for the price.
Components Rating: 6
I've only played a few banjos. For the price I think this one is good. If someone looking to start out wanted a cheap banjo I would recommend it over other cheapos I've played. However I've played a couple of nice banjos, and from what I can tell, they are worth it, which nice instruments usually are.
Overall Rating: 8
Where Purchased: CD Store
This album is not new, but I came across it maybe a year or two ago. I find it to be some of the best music ever played. Its traditional bluegrass instrumentation (with guys like Tony Rice and Sam Bush) is coupled with a diverse selection of traditional to modern bluegrass tunes. The best part is that it doesn't hold back showcasing Bela's virtuostic ability.
Overall Rating: 10
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