eddie83 - Posted - 02/02/2008:  19:59:24

Any opinions on these two brands? Any and all. Thank you.

Eddie

Edited by - Banjoman on 03/04/2008 14:27:25

mtnpckr - Posted - 02/02/2008:  20:10:19

You probably need to be a little more specific on models, but I have a Mastercraft Mahogany Classic and in looks and tone ring and features it is almost identical to your RK20. A good beginner banjo up to intermediate but not a performance level. Morgan-Monroe has a variety of models from basic MNB 1 up. I have heard and seen some good MM's from $600 up.
I currently have my Mastercraft for sale but I see no advantage to you over your RK20 frankly. I upgraded to a Gold Tone OB250, btw.

http://www.banjohangout.org/classif...asp?cid=3168

"Never take yourself seriously, others are always ready to do it for you"


"I Crack me up!"

eddie83 - Posted - 02/02/2008:  20:12:43

So basically when I decide to upgrade...stick with something like a gold tone? Good to know.

Lou Bourbon - Posted - 02/06/2008:  10:42:40

This past year has been a quest for me to find out what really makes a banjo sing. My first Banjo was a Morgan Monroe Appalachian, the second was a Crafters Of Tennessee, third was a Morgan Monroe Palisade, 4th was a Wildwood Minstrel that I added a resonator to and finally a 31 Archtop TB-3 conversion.

What I found was that with setting the tension on the head the same as the TB-3, the Crafters Banjo came VERY close to the sound of the old Gibson. I'll point out that the Crafters is a flathead NOT an Archtop so the difference may be there. When Mark Taylor says his banjos sound like old Gibsons, he has a lot of sound to back that statement up.

The very interesting thing though is that when I installed a good head and nice Moon bridge on the Morgan Monroe APPALACHIAN banjo...it came alive and it has a LOT of pop and snap. It is a darker in some registers but I think it sounds wonderful and I've been playing it a LOT lately. The neck is nice and and thin, easy to play. ALSO, the hardware is really heavy and appears to be very good quality for a KOREAN banjo.

Comparably, the Palisade banjo didn't sound NEARLY as good as the Appalachian when I set it up. The hardware is really chintzy and the flange appears to be a sheet type metal instead of the cast flange on the Appalachian. The Palisade LOOKS stellar and sounds fine but it's a real hunk of junk compared to the Appalachian.

My favorite banjo is of course the old Gibson, second is the Crafter's and third is the Morgan Monroe. Now the Gibson and the Crafters each cost about 6 times what the Morgan Monroe cost but I'm leaning toward the Morgan as my player because it does sound REALLY good. I'll probably replace the tuners as I don't like the gear ratio but it stays in tune very well.

I've played a few other Morgans and they seem OK but I believe the Appalachian is the best in their line. It is basically a Gibson copy. The other banjos with fancier hardware and presentation are more show than substance in my opinion.

Gold Tones probably have better quality from model to model but I think its really difficult to beat the Appalachian unless you are prepared to spend a few thousand.

trucknivara - Posted - 03/03/2008:  18:10:39

i have the morgan monroe olypus , 5 piece neck wal;lnut and maple wallnut resonator ,replaced the remo fibre skin head for a remo coated ,replaced the bridge for a sosebee submerged wood ,and after a good setup she is as good and punchy .slim
neck set nice and low with a fast action a realy nice banjo ......

Klondike Waldo - Posted - 03/03/2008:  20:56:09

shouldn't this be in the "reviews and product advise " forum? I don't think either make has reached collectors item status yet.

deligo ergo renideo,
Bob Cameron

uncledelphi - Posted - 03/04/2008:  07:56:27

quote:

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Originally posted by eddie83

Any opinions on these two brands? Any and all. Thank you.

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SkaStan - Posted - 03/13/2008:  03:26:47

Ahhh, now you got me worried. I just bought a MM MGB 1C from banjo.com. which is being shipped out to me and I expect to receive in a week or two. I read all the reveiws on it here and it looked like a great beginner banjo. Any ideas on what I can do to get the most out of it??

cottontop - Posted - 03/13/2008:  07:13:45

I had a Mastercraft Bluegrass model, all maple. I had it for about a year and sold it and upgraded to a RK. The MC was a very good beginner banjo. It sounded great and I learned how to play on it. And, the price was right. You would not go wrong with either one. IMO.
cottontop

Old Man - Posted - 03/13/2008:  07:17:37

When I first started I had 2 top of the line Morgan Monroes and I have repaired several and I will never have another one . This is my opinion and experence with them.