banjered - Posted - 03/17/2011:  15:54:38

---

Elderly elderly.com/vintage/cats/60U.htm just put up a couple of Doug Ungar's banjos for sale, A Whytre Laydie ($6500) and a Tubby ($5000). Incredible inlays and superb craftmanship, I am sure. But I wonder how they'd do in the blindfold test both for playing and sounding? Both pots are under 11" and, have friction tuners, and all that hardware has to be pretty heavy.

Got me to wondering how much banjo is enough banjo? I had a Tubby once, loved the tone but didn't like the neck, done by someone(?) in Kansas . I am pretty satisfied with the Tradesman I currently have - plays and sounds just fine and the light weight is great! I bet the banjos in question have a pretty good tone/sound but I am not sure that it would necessarily be a better sound?

I can appreciate Doug's stunning artwork and would not mind having the banjos, but if I could not ever resell them how much would I pay for them with the considerations above? They seem more like works of art than players, maybe belonging on the wall or in a glass cabinet. I am concerned that someone with more money than experience could end up buying the banjos with the idea that the more money put out the better the banjo for all around playing. Too much money does not happen to be my current problem...

So how much banjo is enough banjo? Banjered

fesso - Posted - 03/17/2011:  16:55:34

---

i think they are both players AND pieces of art. i believe you need to pay around $1500(ish) to $2000(ish) for the "ultimate" playing part of the equation (the tone created by craftmanship+quality of materials ect) and above that price point you are paying for the art part.
i think if i were (i wish) able to afford say, Doug's Electric style on Elderly's site for $6500 i would be buying it for the aesthetic value as a piece of art and not because i think it would sound that much better than my Fawley Electric that i could afford.
Also, i think i would have a hard time finding any sympathy for someone who could afford either of those banjos being "tricked" into thinking that if they spend a boatload of cash they will sound better.... pardon my mean spirit here but "There's one born every minute" and score one for the Artists!!!

Buckeye Banjo Owners Group - Posted - 03/17/2011:  19:11:22

---

I think, up to a point, more money does = more banjo. I started on a Gold Tone CC-OT. Thought it was great, but I then purchased a Greg Galbreath Buckeye Banjo. No comparison. The Buckeye is like a Rolls in comparison to a an original VW Bug. It is hard to go back and play the CC-OT. Would more money make it better? I doubt it, but I have been doing a little St Paddys Days celebration and may be my views are a little skewed.

banjered - Posted - 03/17/2011:  19:44:11

---

I think new banjos come in plateaus of price and quality. You can get a real bottom feeder at under $two hundred and slightly better quality up to 5 hundred or so. Next come the Reiters/Enochs/Ramseys around a grand. These are real players, possible lifetime keepers. $1K to $2.5K you start to get into custom banjos with features you prefer. Much beyond that you are paying for things beyond sound and playability. A very rough two cent evaluation - Banjered

Bill Rogers - Posted - 03/17/2011:  19:50:08

---

Exactly. It's always been that way. A Whyte Laydie #2 will sound as good as a #7--but it's far less fancy.

Ernest M - Posted - 03/17/2011:  20:59:28

---

I just want to say that the comment above from the Buckeye Banjo Owner's Group came from me, not the BBOG. I was logged in to the BBOG to do some maintenance and forgot to log out. My bad. I still stand behind the comment. Spending $6500 for a banjo is not going to make you play or sound better.

Viper - Posted - 03/18/2011:  06:56:59

---

Doug Unger's banjos are definitely both players and pieces of art.

Check out this video: youtube.com/watch?v=gSbhYImgCGQ

He's as much concerned about sound as he is about looks. If it helps, I think you're paying about $2K for the banjo and $4.5K for the art.

Kitt - Posted - 03/18/2011:  09:37:43

---

Doug Unger's playing sounds similar to John Herrmann's style. That intrigues me because I haven't heard many that get that particular sound from their banjo playing.

Here's a video of John for the purpose of providing a reminder of his sound.

youtube.com/watch?v=9DKAz6HE5tg

oregonphil - Posted - 03/18/2011:  13:23:08

---

I don't think that buying a $6K will sound any better in my hands than a mid-range model. For me, buying a $1000 banjo and putting the rest of the money towards lessons would go a lot further towards sounding good. They sure are beautiful, though...

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 03/18/2011:  13:42:10

---

SS Stewart, a man with an eye for money always built a perfectly good banjo. Every one of his instruments was good - no cheap junque. What you got for more money was more decorations - sometimes to the point of insanity. His business model was and is standard among banjo manufacturers even today.

I have extremely plain banjos - I put my money into the banjo build not into "fancies". Besides, my eye sees too much decoration as going all Mad Max. I also prefer Bauhaus, Danish Modern, and other relatively decoration free styles.

I do love some of the more stark lines available in some Art Deco, and it might be what drew me to the banjo in the first place. I fell in love with my guitar teacher's WL #7 in 1959,and took up classical banjo because of it. I've always felt that Vega (and Fairbanks) designed decoration that tended to enhance instead of destroying the banjo's look.

Kitt - Posted - 03/18/2011:  19:05:29

---

Here is an interesting photo and 3 minute video of an edition of Antiques Road Show featuring an SS Stewart banjo that the professional on the program believes to have been built in 1896 or 7. It was estimated to now be worth $6,000 to $6,500.

pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/...1A12.html

BobCu - Posted - 03/19/2011:  09:50:42

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by fesso

i think they are both players AND pieces of art. i believe you need to pay around $1500(ish) to $2000(ish) for the "ultimate" playing part of the equation (the tone created by craftmanship+quality of materials ect) and above that price point you are paying for the art part.

---

I think you are right that there is a balance point in the equation, whereby beyond you are into the art. That said, there are some great banjos available where you can get a terrific player lower the price you said above. You really have to research and look. We are lucky to have some really good small builders out there right now.