banjocurious - Posted - 03/21/2008:  05:10:02

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I have never seen, held or strummed a banjo in my life but have a deep seeded redneck desire to learn. That being said I have no idea where to start beyond the obvious purchase of my first banjo. This brings me to my first critical question, can I purchase a banjo online or is this something that should be done in person. I do not want to spend allot of money until I'm the banjo ninja I know I'm destined to be, so it would stand to reason that a cheap second had banjo might be the way to go. What do the pro's think?

Moved from "BG Playing Advice."

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Edited by - Banjoman on 03/21/2008 16:18:28

RONLD - Posted - 03/21/2008:  05:13:28

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GO FOR IT ! You only live here once.....How much are you wanting to invest?

Keep your friends close,and God even closer...

Wes Lassiter - Posted - 03/21/2008:  06:20:51

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I think you need to buy a banjo and get started. I will ask you to drop the redneck part for I really have never met a really good banjo "ninja" who was a redneck. I prefer to think of the banjo as a very sophisticated musical instrument. Play one for five or six years and listen to the different genres in which a banjo is played and hopefully you will catch my drift.

Banjo Wes Lassiter

The most important human endeavor is striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.
Einstein

erstokke - Posted - 03/21/2008:  07:28:29

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Go for it! Do not wait until you get artherisis! That is what I told myself when starting playing banjo last year after a 30+ year break.

It possible, get a teacher to help you along. Learning all by yourself takes a lot of self motivation. Also, find a guitarist friend - it is much more fun playing together.

Great beginners banjo are Deering Goodtime and Gold Tone CC100. If you want to play bluegrass, you might consider a banjo with a resonator, if playing old style clawhammer, get an openback.


My banjo is pre-war. Pre the next war
Jan Erik from Norway

sctrms - Posted - 03/21/2008:  07:29:40

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I agree with Wes - first drop the redneck part of it because I have found that most folks that want to learn the instrument have a pretty fast awakening that there is much more to it than a backwoods, moonshining no teeth strumming blah blah blah --- That said, and if you do have the desire, then you can do just like we all did and buy the banjo and there is most likely someone near you that can get you started as well as a wealth of material right here on BHO.

I tell all anyone when they ask me (and its only my opinion because I know you will get many more with different views) that typically you will probably need to spend at the least a couple of hundred bucks on a banjo to get started with - and you are right that I mean used or as low end as you can find most of the time to see if you stick with it and also to have one that is playable and will tune - and then have it properly set up by someone that knows how. Geared fifth peg and all if it does not have one. Of course the better the banjo the easier it is to play - but I encourage them to see if they are going to stay with it before they drop a lot of cash.

But the bottom line is you have to just do it - if you have had the nagging desire and are willing to put the hours into it - then it can happen. Its a very small investment initially to discover what you may have been looking for your whole life! Good luck.

Scooter Muse
http://www.myspace.com/scootermuse
http://www.henrisnotions.com

SJL - Posted - 03/21/2008:  07:41:38

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Welcome to th Hangout banjocurious.


I would recommend that you get a good used banjo to start. There are several in the Classifieds. This looks like a good one.

http://www.banjohangout.org/classif...asp?cid=4912

"If the woman is alive at the end of the song, it ain't Bluegrass".

2007 Hatfield Walnut Custom

1976 (?) Aria Pro Tree of Life

Texasbanjo - Posted - 03/21/2008:  08:49:01

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You first need to figure out what kind of banjo music you want to play: bluegrass, clawhammer, old time, jazz, etc. Then figure out whether you need a 4 or 5 string banjo, open back or closed back.

If you want to play bluegrass or clawhammer or even some old time, you need a 5-string banjo. Jazz is usually on a 4 string but can be played on a 5 string. If you want to play bluegrass, you need a banjo with a resonator on it, for clawhammer, an open back.

After you decide which kind of music you want to play, THEN ask the question about what kind of banjo to buy and you'll get better information.

Let's Pick!
Texas Banjo

beegee - Posted - 03/21/2008:  09:10:42

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Don't make the mistake of buying junk because it is cheap. Buy the best you can afford or even more than you can afford. A bad-sounding banjo with a bad-playing neck is no fun to learn on. Read the review section and then check further on the models you are most interested in. After you have narrowed it down, ask for guidance on particular models.

There are a lot of banjos on the market and some of them are good only for wall decorations in cheesy restaurants. Others are actually decent musical instruments. Don't be fooled by seller's descriptions of "pro-quality" or beautiful "custom-made."

______________________________
turtle on a fencepost....

Joe Larson - Posted - 03/21/2008:  09:32:40

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BeeGee is right on the money.

I have seen some unbelievable junk masquerading as banjos, sold in stores whose only criteria is the discount they can get from their suppliers and demonstrated by clerks who only learned what a banjo was at their orientation. Granted these are cheap enough that anyone could afford one but if they're unplayable what's the savings? And playability, more than tone, is, IMO, what you should be looking for, if your budget is really tight, since you have no real way as a newbie of judging the tone.

Banjos are merely a collection of interchangeable parts so it's impossible to do irreversible damage to one. So you can get better value on a used instrument than a cheapo.

If you have a friend who plays banjo get him to go with you when you go shopping.

But don't rule out buying from catalogues. Elderly Instruments has, or used to anyway, a supply of used instruments. They sent me my Maple Blossom to try for 30 days before I bought it.

j

I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

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Edited by - Joe Larson on 03/21/2008 09:35:09

Rich Weill - Posted - 03/21/2008:  09:33:12

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quote:

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Originally posted by Texasbanjo

You first need to figure out what kind of banjo music you want to play: bluegrass, clawhammer, old time, jazz, etc. Then figure out whether you need a 4 or 5 string banjo, open back or closed back.

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And if you don't know anything about these different styles, just say who plays your favorite banjo music. Is it Earl Scruggs, Pete Seeger, etc.? The people here will tell you what style they play.

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Edited by - Rich Weill on 03/21/2008 09:34:36

Aaron Thomas - Posted - 03/21/2008:  09:53:15

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morgan monroe makes some great quality banjos at a very affordable price..

banjorandy - Posted - 03/21/2008:  10:10:57

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Everyone makes a good point I suggest buying one in person if you can,try to take along someone with at least a little bit of knowledge if you can and try to get the best for your money......before you buy you might try to get on the banjo hangout and ask the pro's and con's of that particular brand of banjo your looking at and then try to make the best choice you can.......remember I have seen more people quit playing because their banjo was too hard to play,wouldnt stay in tune or just never sounded like what they were hearing while they were learning...........your only as good as your banjo lets you be at least thats my opinion .................good luck

Cedar Hill Billy - Posted - 03/21/2008:  10:12:50

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I would stick with a reputable dealer if buying on line. I suppose there are lots of good dealers to choose from. Janet Davis Music and Zepp Music to name a couple. You need to choose the genre (type) of music your are interested in: bluegrass, clawhammer, jazz etc to name a few. Then decide on the make of banjo and how much to spend. A great banjo to start off with is the Gold Tone product. A solid and easily banjo with good resale value. I have two Gold Tone banjos but you could look at starting with the CC-100R which can be used for bluegrass or easily converted to clawhammer. My CC-100 seems to sound better every time I play it. As I've said before though, whatever banjo product you purchase try and have it set up by a professional to get the optimal playing and sound potential out of the instrument. Hope that helps and jump into pickin' . . . Harry

Some play fiddle some play guitar
With a mandolin you could be a star
But nothin' ll grab you quite so strong
As an old time banjo song.

thetexan - Posted - 03/21/2008:  10:29:50

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I would definately NOT buy online in preference to personally finding a nice playing banjo. Buying a poorly set up or bad action banjo is a sure way to frustrate your learning efforts at a time when you are most likely to give up because 'it's too hard'. Junk banjos will stop you from learning faster than being hit by a freight train.

First determine if you really want to learn. And if you do be prepared to buy a resonably priced instrument that has good action and can be set up properly.

The one exception to this is if you can find a nice banjo in the classifieds here, from someone you can trust, who has already set the banjo up well.

Otherwise go out and buy a good one from a store. One you can play and feel. Be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars for a suitable learner. Problem is you may not know what good action is on a banjo. You may have to take someone with you, even a guitar player can help.

good luck,

tex

steve davis - Posted - 03/21/2008:  10:39:19

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I agree with beegee.I started on a Silvertone banjo was hard to tune,hard to play,hard to listen to and hard to look at. Get as good a banjo as you can afford.As you progress it will keep up with you and inspire you to raise your ability.There's nothing wrong with getting a great looking,sounding and playing banjo...it's the best thing you can do for your learning experience and you'll never have to upgrade.

Sometimes I just gotta wait for better weather

Cornflake - Posted - 03/21/2008:  11:31:16

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I highly recommend finding a banjo player in your area to help you out in the buying process. If you can't find anybody, come back to this website. When you've narrowed down your banjo choices, let us know about the instrument. We'll give you our opinions and suggestions. Lots of 'em. As pointed out in the above posts, there are lots of tank traps that a beginner can fall into when purchasing a banjo. Good luck.

I'm not a perfectionist. I'm a pretty-doggone-good-enist.

spiritwolf7 - Posted - 03/21/2008:  15:36:27

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Personally, I agree wholeheartedly with TexasBanjo's statement:

quote:

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You first need to figure out what kind of banjo music you want to play: bluegrass, clawhammer, old time, jazz, etc. Then figure out whether you need a 4 or 5 string banjo, open back or closed back.

If you want to play bluegrass or clawhammer or even some old time, you need a 5-string banjo. Jazz is usually on a 4 string but can be played on a 5 string. If you want to play bluegrass, you need a banjo with a resonator on it, for clawhammer, an open back.

After you decide which kind of music you want to play, THEN ask the question about what kind of banjo to buy and you'll get better information.

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I know that I dreamed of playing the banjo for years but I didn't know anything about the variety of styles, etc. With neither of us knowing any better my wife gave me a resonator banjo for Christmas a few years ago. As I started the process of learning, and found this wonderful site, I discovered that I prefer the sound of clawhammer/frailing to the sound of bluegrass. Not that there is anything particularly wrong with playing these styles on a resonated banjo, it's just a matter of tradition (unfortunately the reverse isn't quite as true). Now I'm suffering from the next phase of the addiction, banjo acqusition syndrome.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth

SpiritWolf

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saloonatick - Posted - 03/21/2008:  17:06:56

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Welcome to BHO banjocurious: I can't add to all the good advice already give here, so go for it even if like me I only wanted to learn to play one song and now that was just about a year ago and I've gotten into the banjo very heavy as a super relaxation method. Do it for yourself and come here often for advise and with any questions. The folks here are the best. Good luck