fretful1 - Posted - 05/02/2017:  09:22:59

There seems to be a consensus among BHO members that Chinese banjos are not desirable.  Some folks subscribe to the "Buy American" philosophy and I respect that.    Most, though, seem to suggest that Chinese banjos are of poor quality... with the exception of Recording King.  BHO members routinely recommend RK banjos as quality instruments.  So, my question...  If Chinese banjos are of poor quality, why are RK banjos, made in China, considered desirable?  Are there other Chinese banjos that are considered quality instruments?  Is it fair to make the generalization that Chinese banjos are poor instruments?  

rockyisland - Posted - 05/02/2017:  09:31:14

I wasn't aware that was the consensus, at least in the last 5-10 years. RK's are good because of oversight by people who know what banjos should be, and because they have the components (3-ply rim, good tone ring, etc.) of quality banjos. Gold Tone and Gold Stars do too, as far as I've heard. 

GrahamHawker - Posted - 05/02/2017:  09:47:03

That's not true. Some cheap Chinese banjos aren't great because they are cheap. I have two Gretsch Banjos are the quality is excellent. The more expensive, but not expensive banjos are decent quality at a decent price.

Bob Smakula - Posted - 05/02/2017:  10:15:16

I have found with import banjos you have to judge individual instruments on their merits. I have rejected instruments from all three of the above named importers, but have also sold many of their instruments to retail customers. The purchasing public has to rely on the expertise of the final retailer to know a quality instrument is what they are purchasing. Unfortunately there are too many retailers that don't know anything about the instruments the sell and the ultimate consumer gets an instrument shaped object, not a decent and fun to play instrument.

But when I think back to the banjos and other instruments imported from Asia available when I was just starting out, the quality improvement in the last 40 years is amazing. So even buying blind, the odds are good you will get a serviceable instrument.

 Bob Smakula

smakula.com 

Edited by - Bob Smakula on 05/02/2017 10:20:39

mbuk06 - Posted - 05/02/2017:  10:43:51

Gold Tone are another company whose banjos are partly made in China. I think it's fair to say that their banjos represent consistent quality and value for money. Even their basic model CC range are well-finished, durable and nicely playable banjos from less than £350 ($450) here in the UK.

In the mass-produced market western companies with high overheads simply cannot compete with the lower costs of their Asian counterparts and produce the equivalent consistent quality product at volume. Asians are no stranger to business acumen, and Asian manufacturers have actually become very good at what they do. As banjo players we shouldn't knock that because affordable banjos of a consistent high standard make the instrument more widely accessible to first-time buyers.

I've also previously owned an Asian-manufactured Gold Star GF-85 resonator banjo that was a solid, superb sounding instrument for (at the time) less than $1000.

As Bob says, knowledgeable retailers are essential. How many of us have visited banjo-clueless retailers where perfectly good instruments are stuck in a pokey corner, behind more numerous and better-tended guitars, and set-up so badly to be unplayable so that they put potential buyers off?

This accessibility doesn't negatively affect the custom-build market. In fact if you think about it, it is the master luthiers feeder group and helps to create a bigger pool of developing players who are their potential future buyers. There is little conflict between the retail price of top-end Asian-manufactured banjos and a player considering spending $2-3,000 on a hand-made banjo.

What affects the banjo market is when there is a decline in the number of interested beginners.

Edited by - mbuk06 on 05/02/2017 10:56:30

eagleisland - Posted - 05/02/2017:  12:51:08

Gold Tone, Gold Star and Recording King are all companies that source from China, and all three make quality instruments. There are also a number of Chinese-built guitars and mandolins that provide excellent value for the money. Eastman is one such brand.

It is not a question of the nation of origin. It is a question of the price point at which the distributor wishes to sell instruments in this country. China produces a wide variety of the world's products at a lower cost than goods produced in the US or Europe because labor is inexpensive there. Thus, you can produce a quality instrument (such as RK) much more inexpensively there than you can here.

You can produce LOW quality instruments much more cheaply there, too. It's these that give Chinese instruments a bad rap.

The Chinese can, and do, produce goods of superb provided that that's what the distributor specifies. If you're looking for someone to blame, blame the distributors who flood the market with cheaply made instruments. But even these serve a purpose; an inexpensive bottlecap may not be a great banjo, but it's better than no banjo at all.

Edited by - eagleisland on 05/02/2017 12:58:16

spini - Posted - 05/02/2017:  13:08:17

I have only owned one China banjo (RK R20) it was of good quality. However, I also play guitar and can say that although I would prefer to buy USA, some of the Asian built electric Guitars  in the last few years, such as most Epiphone guitars, Ibanez, so on, are of excellent quality and in some cases sound and play better than their USA cousins. Not to mention the later model Mexican Fenders, I would prefer a Mexican Fender these days over the USA. In the guitar world a CNC machine is a CNC machine and most all electronics are from overseas anyway. As far as banjos go though, I will stick to my Deerings for now, but I don't look down on the China made ones either. BUT, I wouldn't mind having a Epiphone MB250 someday if I could find one at a decent price.

Edited by - spini on 05/02/2017 13:12:15

JReb - Posted - 05/02/2017:  13:59:28

My only import is a The Loar LM 600 mandolin. I played and had someone else play it beside a Gibson and a Weber. Its sound was better " to me" than the Gibson , and as good as the Weber. Nice quality instrument, couldn't find a flaw on it. Very good wood selection.

pastorharry - Posted - 05/02/2017:  16:30:31

Several years ago i was known as a compulsive Buyer/trader/seller...and have had several Gold Stars, Gold Tones and recording Kings.They were ALL very good banjos.

desert rose - Posted - 05/02/2017:  17:50:26

Some good comments here, by far Skip has a message that hits true on all accounts. The Chinese can and DO make quality items, they make what their CUSTOMER wants.

I have been in factories that make acoustic guitars with a wholesale price of 5 bucks, and I have worked in the factories that make Blueridge and of course Recording King. In China there is a factory that can make anything you want in any price range. Its the DISTRIBUTOR, the customer who sets the quality, by his choice

Scott

john bange - Posted - 05/02/2017:  18:54:53

I think Bob Smakula is right about individual examples from each maker.  My experience has been, just because serial # 235 was great, number 236 might not be.  While it is much better than it used to be, consistency has been the Asian mfgs. weakness.

Old Hickory - Posted - 05/02/2017:  19:26:49

Just to reiterate what others have said: When you look at all the positive reviews and comments on Recording King's banjos from the RK-35 and above, the Gold Star line of GF-85 and up, and Gold Tone's newest competitive entrant in the bluegrass banjo market, there is clearly no consensus that Chinese banjos are not desirable.

The truth is, for anyone wanting to buy a new, professional grade bluegrass banjo (built in the Mastertone style) for under $2,000 -- or even under $1,000 -- Chinese is the only way to go.

Chinese banjos are not undesirable per se.  Yes, the lowest cost, least desirable "banjo shaped objects" available today are generally Chinese made. But, as I just said, so are today's most affordable well-made new bluegrass banjos.

gtani7 - Posted - 05/02/2017:  20:49:20

There's a few companies that have gotten to decent QC importing Asian facotry instruments: Eastman, Yamaha, Gretsch, Music Link (RK, The Loar), Saga (Kentucky mando and Blueridge guitar, they also sold a few Blueridge banjos).  I think the key is that they get containers full of instruments and don't sell the obviously defective ones, or, rather, they sell them to somebody else who can rebrand the headstock or maybe they throw them in the chipper like Gibson does, and they support their dealers for warranty replacements, which, for guitars and mandolins, is pretty common.

I have always maintained that the best "Pac-Rim" factory instruments can be made to play with good action and decent tone. The worst are unplayable. 

desert rose - Posted - 05/02/2017:  21:10:15

John CONSISTANCY is THE point in manufacturing EVEREYTHING

There is no better example of inconsistncy than Gibson USA

Scott

beegee - Posted - 05/03/2017:  04:49:46

RK, as I understand it, has a dedicated integrated factory. Chinese violins, for example, are said to be sourced from many different jobbers. One village may be making necks, anther carving plates, another making fittings. I like RK because they are affordable, they look good, they play good, they sound good and they use SAE hardware, not metric. My RK-75 is my main banjo these days, despite a closetful of really nice banjos.

Joel Hooks - Posted - 05/03/2017:  07:04:13

I've been pretty vocal about my satisfaction with my Eastman WL banjo.  It is in my top three regular player banjos (next to a FVE and a large Tubaphone conversion).

I've held about a dozen others and all of them looked and sounded great.  I have also played original WLs of the vintage and size that these are based on, the Eastman held up very well aginst them.

I'll have mine at the ABF rally in Newark, NY in a couple of weeks if anyone wants to play it.

FlyinEagle - Posted - 05/03/2017:  09:07:43

I would have to think the Greg Rich connection, in addition to the quality of the instruments, contributes to the favorable opinion of the RK’s on the Hangout.

I am definitely part of the “Feeder” group…I’d really love to own a boutique banjo that is handmade in America, and I know that I will in a few years time.  But for now I wanted the best instrument I could afford, and based on the info I gathered here, that was an RK-75.

I feel like the grich connection cancelled out a lot of the stigma of buying an import in my mind.  I had to buy blind because there just aren’t any RK’s in shops around here, so I had to rely on the all the positive buzz around them here on the hangout.  I did not notice the same buzz around any other imports(although some threads acknowledge comparable quality in the Goldstars).   Greg Rich being a part of the online community here gave me additional confidence, and sealed the deal for me.

My RK is every bit as good as I expected, maybe better.  So much so that I will never buy another one blind.  I will need to know for sure that I am not spending a lot more money on less banjo than I already have.  

gone - Posted - 05/03/2017:  18:31:59

We are far too into a global economy to to apply "buy American" to every purchase. We share the planet and we should enjoy the variety.

Marc

Old Hickory - Posted - 05/03/2017:  21:11:28

When it comes to the Hangout in particular, some folks seem to forget that this is an international community with many members to whom "buy American" is not a consideration at all.

rcc56 - Posted - 05/03/2017:  21:36:57

China is as capable as the US of building very good instruments when they want to, and of building poor instruments when they want to.   

chuckv97 - Posted - 05/03/2017:  21:51:23

quote:

---

Originally posted by Old Hickory

 

When it comes to the Hangout in particular, some folks seem to forget that this is an international community with many members to whom "buy American" is not a consideration at all.

---

True, and I'm slowly losing that notion I grew up with to buy Canadian or American. I have an ODE made in Arkansas, a Recording King made in China, a Yamaha made in Japan, and a Hyundai made in Korea, and I wear Wrangler jeans made in Mexico.

FlyinEagle - Posted - 05/04/2017:  06:22:59

quote:

---

Originally posted by Old Hickory

 

When it comes to the Hangout in particular, some folks seem to forget that this is an international community with many members to whom "buy American" is not a consideration at all.

---

This is a good point, but besides Prucha, it seems to me that the US is where the top quality banjos are made. 

I'm not opposed to globalization (that toothpaste can't be put back in the tube). Small shop, handmade, by the most experienced hands is where the romance is (to me anyway).

Edited by - FlyinEagle on 05/04/2017 06:32:03

Old Hickory - Posted - 05/04/2017:  08:41:45

quote:

---

Originally posted by FlyinEagle

quote:

---

Originally posted by Old Hickory

 When it comes to the Hangout in particular, some folks seem to forget that this is an international community with many members to whom "buy American" is not a consideration at all.

---

This is a good point, but besides Prucha, it seems to me that the US is where the top quality banjos are made. 

I'm not opposed to globalization (that toothpaste can't be put back in the tube). Small shop, handmade, by the most experienced hands is where the romance is (to me anyway).

---

No argument. There are some other professional grade banjos made outside the US: Rolls in Czech Republic, Clareen in Ireland, and Desert Rose in Japan. Alison Brown (Prucha) and Tony Trischka (Rolls) are among the pros who play imports. For most of his career,  Tom Adams played a vintage Japanese Gold Star. Still, by numbers alone, most of your choices at the high end are going to be American.

But I've seen the buy American sentiment expressed at the other end of the banjo spectrum, with country of origin stated as the reason for suggesting a Deering Goodtime over an RK-35 for someone looking for a jam- and gig-worthy bluegrass banjo for under $1000. That's a position I have to disagree with.

chuckv97 - Posted - 05/04/2017:  08:53:31

Right, and the way trade agreements work, buying foreign products does help your own country's economy, i.e. creates jobs.

AndrewD - Posted - 05/04/2017:  09:19:56

It's a global market and you get what you pay for -- wherever it comes from. Nobody in the US or Europe is mass producing banjos. The hand-made boutique banjos that we all want are much more expensive than the most expensive Chinese banjos. The nearest to a mass producer is Deering and their banjos, except for the Goodtime line, are more expensive than the most expensive Asian banjos. I'm a Goodtime fan - They work great as instruments - But how much would you pay for a Chinese banjo with no fingerboard, no truss rod, no tone ring, guitar tuners and a peghead glued in with a finger joint ? 

Old Hickory - Posted - 05/04/2017:  11:19:22

quote:

---

Originally posted by AndrewD

I'm a Goodtime fan - They work great as instruments - But how much would you pay for a Chinese banjo with no fingerboard, no truss rod, no tone ring, guitar tuners and a peghead glued in with a finger joint ? 

---

Exactly! Thank you.

I think the main things the Goodtime offers over its closest Chinese competitors (which I think are the Gold Tone CC100 or CC50 and the RK Dirty Thirties) are the three-ply rim and the Deering neck profile.  The rim probably contributes to sound and the neck profile definitely contributes to playability.

But the Gold Tone Cripple Creek and RK Dirty Thirties banjos give you plenty of value -- including fingerboards, truss rods and tone hoops (in the Gold Tones).

jhko - Posted - 05/04/2017:  12:41:38

quote:

---

Originally posted by pastorharry

 

Several years ago i was known as a compulsive Buyer/trader/seller...and have had several Gold Stars, Gold Tones and recording Kings.They were ALL very good banjos.

---

Wait a minute. You're implying you are NO LONGER a compulsive Buyer/trader/seller?? Does this mean you were CURED of BAS? I thought this was not possible. If true, amazing! I note you are a pastor. Did it take divine intervention? 

Edited by - jhko on 05/04/2017 12:44:09

chuckv97 - Posted - 05/04/2017:  14:19:37

A Power greater than himself restored pastorharry to sanity

Edited by - chuckv97 on 05/04/2017 14:20:39

Joe the banjo guy - Posted - 05/05/2017:  09:48:37

Though I've been playing a long time, I've only been paying attention to the finer details of the banjo world for a handful of years.  But based on that experience (mostly on this website), I feel like there are sorta two camps, if I can be allowed to overgeneralize for illustrative purposes.  

One camp seems to have an almost magical approach to banjos.  Basically, the quality of the banjo comes from SOMETHING that the maker is doing.  Banjos from particular makers have "a sound" that is unique to that maker.  And while I am sure that many people in this camp are knowledgabe enough about luthiery to be able to point to particular aspects of the build that create this sound quality, many others seem to sort of "take it on faith," if you will.  

I would say that the other camp could be labled the "A banjo is a banjo" camp.  That is, there are folks who believe that the quality of a banjo is equal to the sum of its parts and its setup.  So regardless of whether it's an Asian factory or a small U.S. shop, if the two both produce a banjo with the same components, rim construction, wood types, etc, and both banjos are set up the same way, they're going to sound the same and be of similar quality.  

I find myself bouncing between these two camps, but I'm definitely more in the 2nd one than the 1st one.  Long story short, I believe that you should look at the specs, not the name on the headstock, and plan to spend some time and money getting it set up well.  And if you do that, it's gonna sound pretty damn good, stay in tune, play well, and last a long time.   I would also agree with the comments that have said that a lot of the negative perception of Asian banjos comes from the fact that the stores that tend to carry those banjos don't know or care about them and thus don't set them up well.  So you walk into a Guitar Center and play a Gretsch, and it sounds terrible, but that's because the bridge isn't placed right and the head is loose and the strings are old, etc, etc.  

Edited by - Joe the banjo guy on 05/05/2017 09:52:17

Bradskey - Posted - 05/06/2017:  20:06:51

I have several Chinese instruments of different types, not all RK, and most of them are wonderful quality.  If the designers and distributors cut corners and order junk from the Chinese factories, then that is what they will get.  There are surely chintzy cheap Chinese instruments, but there are also some amazing values in imports these days.  Overall the quality of Chinese musical instrument manufacture has only gone up in the past 10-15 years IMO, and probably exceeds what was previously being done in Korea.  Some of this is just advancements in manufacturing technology I assume, like the modern prevalence of CNC, etc.  China basically fills the role of the low-budget American-made catalog instruments of long ago, which are no longer feasible to mass produce, and they are able to do as well or better.  My vintage American instruments are wonderful, but I can easily find and purchase high quality Chinese made instruments that will get the job done and sound great doing it, and not give me a heart-attack if lost or stolen.

bandit9911 - Posted - 05/11/2017:  16:13:09

If I can put in my two pennies worth, I'm sure that there are lots off banjo players, myself included, who would love to buy a really high quality instrument, but life gets in the way. My Banjo is not high quality, but then neither am I. If I ever get better then I will try to get a better banjo, but at the moment I dont need one. If the Chinese can put banjos in the hands of those that want one, then I for one think that can  only be a good thing.

Paul Roberts - Posted - 05/11/2017:  16:15:19

As for the original post, yes, the presumption about Chinese banjo quality was erroneous. 

Speaking to Mike Bostock's point, "What affects the banjo market is when there is a decline in the number of interested beginners". I think that's where we've been for awhile. The spectrum of good instruments and good prices has never been better, but where are the new players - the new market? It seems like the popularity of learning to play any musical instrument ,appears to have been riding a steeply declining curve for a quite some time. Who's got time to waste playing music, when humans are so busy evolving into robots?

Sorry for the thread drift. I own 6 Chinese banjos, and love each one.   

kimjo - Posted - 05/13/2017:  08:00:37

mbuk06 nails it when you talk about the decline in beginning players.  I put off learning banjo for a couple of decades because of the cost of the instrument which I totally regret now.  I did buy a new  Ibanez a couple of years ago which I was very happy with and set me on my way.  A nice, affordable (C$360) instrument for a beginner, though I have to admit that this year I traded it towards a Deering!  

Janet Deering - Posted - 05/25/2017:  16:28:38

The next thing to compare is the tone, the playability and the longevity of each of the banjos. Many Asia made banjos cannot be hung up by the peghead for fear of the lag bolts pulling out of the neck. And the heads cannot be fully tightened when the hooks loose their bend.  

A lot goes into making a truly quality instrument and it takes banjoists at the factory who really understand what it takes to build in the features that make a banjo a pleasure to play from day one. That's what we do at Deering in making all of our Goodtime, Vega and Deering banjos, we build them so that the magic comes alive when you play.

Jim Pankey - Posted - 05/25/2017:  19:22:41

quote:

---

Originally posted by Janet Deering

 

Many Asia made banjos cannot be hung up by the peghead for fear of the lag bolts pulling out of the neck. 

---

Lag bolts pulling loose?  Has anyone else seen this?  

desert rose - Posted - 05/26/2017:  02:58:41

Not me, never. I have seen more than a couple Gibsons do this.

The points Janet mentions are an EXTREMELY small percent of the EXTREME bottom feeder lever of banjo.

My huge turn off to the Goodtime is NO adjustable neck, even the bottom feeder Chinese instruments have this

I would value this over bling every time, personally

Scott

rcc56 - Posted - 05/26/2017:  08:47:29

I have not seen it either.

Last year, I did have a low end Saga come in for heel crack repair.  I had to remove the lag bolts to fix it correctly.  They were in there good and tight, even though the crack went through the bolt holes.  And they went back in good and tight after I glued up the crack.

By the way, for all you do-it-yourselfers, good old Titebond worked just fine on this one.

Edited by - rcc56 on 05/26/2017 08:57:12

Janet Deering - Posted - 05/26/2017:  09:32:57

Scott,  When a neck is made of one piece of hard rock maple it is strong enough to hold the shape without the need of a truss rod.  A truss rod is needed when you marry to different kinds of woods because the two densities may react differently to humidity or dryness in the environment which is what causes shrinkage and throws the neck into a bow that the truss rod is needed to correct.  We have made more than 90,000 Goodtime banjos without truss rods and they have remained stable for the past 20 years.  We get very few returns for necks that have bowed.  It's like the Fender guitars that were made without a fingerboard with one solid piece of maple for the neck.  They hold up great because we machine in the proper curve for correct string action in the one piece of hard rock maple.  It is a proven successful formula we have been doing for 20 years now and we have more than 90,000 happy customers.  It's hard to argue with success.

JReb - Posted - 05/26/2017:  11:22:54

I played a Deering Eagle 2 in a music store a couple years back and to me it was the best sound I ever heard. I own ( or have owned) all the major brands. Wish I had of bought that one.

rcc56 - Posted - 05/26/2017:  15:20:15

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jim Pankey

 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Janet Deering

 

Many Asia made banjos cannot be hung up by the peghead for fear of the lag bolts pulling out of the neck. 

---

Lag bolts pulling loose?  Has anyone else seen this?  

---

I'm still waiting to hear if anybody has seen this.

Paulf - Posted - 05/26/2017:  15:22:55

quote:

---

Originally posted by Janet Deering

 

Scott,  When a neck is made of one piece of hard rock maple it is strong enough to hold the shape without the need of a truss rod.  A truss rod is needed when you marry to different kinds of woods because the two densities may react differently to humidity or dryness in the environment which is what causes shrinkage and throws the neck into a bow that the truss rod is needed to correct.  We have made more than 90,000 Goodtime banjos without truss rods and they have remained stable for the past 20 years.  We get very few returns for necks that have bowed.  It's like the Fender guitars that were made without a fingerboard with one solid piece of maple for the neck.  They hold up great because we machine in the proper curve for correct string action in the one piece of hard rock maple.  It is a proven successful formula we have been doing for 20 years now and we have more than 90,000 happy customers.  It's hard to argue with success.

---

What about the new Artisan Goodtimes, I know that the finger boards are still made out of maple but they are now a two piece neck not a solid one piece.  Could these act different to the one piece over time?  My classic 2 neck has been very solid but I did wonder about these new necks when they were announced.

deeringbanjos.com/collections/...me-banjos

Edited by - Paulf on 05/26/2017 15:26:30

desert rose - Posted - 05/26/2017:  16:55:44

Janet You are discussing THEORY, as fact

Please never forget I was the Fender sole Masterbuilder for years, know Leo well and Worked for Freddie Tavares. I doubt if you have ever met a builder who has had his hands on as many instruments in construction as me, I worked in the Fender neck woodshop for years as well. Fender one piece solid necks ALL HAD truss rods except for the earliest prototype nocasters  and a few of the early first Broadcasters, early on the adjustable truss rod was deemed MANDATORY for the long life of the instrument

You  simply cannot justify NOT using an adjustable truss rod in the 21st century, your reference to Fender backs this up

Scott

Edited by - desert rose on 05/26/2017 17:02:25

guitarsophist - Posted - 05/26/2017:  20:25:56

Yeah, I was going to say that maple neck Telecasters and Stratocasters have truss rods and do need to be adjusted sometimes. Having said that, I haven't heard of a lot of Goodtime banjos with warped necks, and my Goodtime Americana seems solid with light gauge strings.

LouZee Picker - Posted - 05/27/2017:  04:20:02

I bought my Deering Goodtime nearly 20 years ago used for 100 bucks! All I have to do from time to time is tighten up the head once in a while. The neck has never moved & still plays like the day I got it. I chatted with Janet Deering back in 1990 or 92' at their booth when I attended the Ceders of Lebanon Banjo Institute gathering in Tennessee both years. I asked her why can't somebody make a inexpensive banjo with a slimline neck that both plays easy & has good clear tone? She told me that Greg was already working on it then. The Good time line of banjos were a breath of fresh air for the banjo world at a time when most of your cheaper banjos were pretty much junk! I will say Greg hit the ball clear out of the park with these banjos and has the sales to prove it. 

Brian

Tractor1 - Posted - 05/27/2017:  05:33:50

RKs are no doubt nice ,that being said,I hate all this running back and forth in the oceans with giant ships,knowing what a polluting bunch we are.Of course the way I have lived is not any better than the next guy..America's manufacturing  did a lot to win WW2,nowdays with what is left I doubt we could do much.

banjoez - Posted - 05/27/2017:  10:56:07

It all boils down to the Wal-Martization of the world. As consumers we demand lower prices so manufacturers go overseas to meet that low price demand with low cost manufacturing. It's a death spiral. Now we have cheap fairly high quality imported stuff and the domestic manufacturers  can't compete so they lay everyone off here that was making a decent living or they drastically cut wages and benefits and those poor folks now can't afford as much putting more pressure to lower prices. Eventually we will all end up making what the overseas workers make just to have a job. Sad. 

Edited by - banjoez on 05/27/2017 10:58:19

LouZee Picker - Posted - 05/27/2017:  15:50:18

quote:

---

Originally posted by banjoez

 

It all boils down to the Wal-Martization of the world. As consumers we demand lower prices so manufacturers go overseas to meet that low price demand with low cost manufacturing. It's a death spiral. Now we have cheap fairly high quality imported stuff and the domestic manufacturers  can't compete so they lay everyone off here that was making a decent living or they drastically cut wages and benefits and those poor folks now can't afford as much putting more pressure to lower prices. Eventually we will all end up making what the overseas workers make just to have a job. Sad. 

Wow, did you ever hit the nail right on the head.

Brian

Joel Hooks - Posted - 05/27/2017:  17:14:57

My Chinese banjo does not have a "lag bolt."

Janet Deering - Posted - 05/30/2017:  10:25:33

It really doesn't matter about the Fender guitars having a truss rod or not.  That does not invalidate the fact that the Goodtime banjo necks are a simple solution that  provides a stable neck and a more affordable banjo that is made in the USA. We support a crew of 49 competent craftsmen raising families here in the San Diego area.

The new Artisan banjos we made are reliable with the black fingerboard because the fingerboard is the same hard rock maple as the neck. The fingerboard maple is made completely black through and through by a new process Greg invented for saturating maple black.  Because we are marrying the same kind of wood the neck is stable without a truss rod just like the blond Goodtime banjos.  Remember it is the stress created by two different densities of woods that causes the need for a truss rod. Since the Artisans use the same wood there is not the difference in density and so the stability is there in the Artisan necks just like the Goodtime blond necks.  It comes from American ingenuity.

While it isn't easy competing with the Asian banjos that look good to the eyes of the novice, we put our focus on our quality of sound, great playability and lasting durability to provide the best value in each Goodtime, Vega, Tenbrooks, and Deering banjo that we make. It is our quest to develop the banjo to a higher level than ever before and now we have several patents on the advancements we have made to create the finest quality banjos in all price ranges. Doing this in America isn't easy, but it's who we are.