Fungal Harmony - Posted - 01/03/2025:  15:02:48

Hi guys, I’m finally taking the plunge and buying a nice banjo. I narrowed it down to two banjos- both $1200. One is an OB150 from gold tone, and one is a stone banjo co open back made of cherry, mahogany, and maple in different spots. I plan on playing a mix of two finger, bluegrass, and claw hammer on it. I’m not sure which would be better as an “everything” banjo, and sadly can’t really play either first. Thank you in advance

banjered - Posted - 01/03/2025:  17:44:38

I love my Stone banjo! However, it has no tone ring aside from the rim itself. I put Minstrel Nygut strings on it and for me it is perfect for backing up my voice. For an "everything" banjo (which does not exist!) you will need at least a metal tone ring of some sort. Try putting in the "Q" search engine to the left of this page something like "all around banjo." This topic has been around a few times.... banjered

Dean T - Posted - 01/03/2025:  19:56:40

Just my opinion, based on my own experience, but if you are going to be doing a lot of acoustic jamming with friends, or going to acoustic jams, you would be happier with a banjo that has a metal tone ring, and a resonator. There’s nothing worse than playing with your friends, and you are pulling the strings off trying to be heard, and you get drowned out. If you are playing for yourself, or accompanying yourself, or playing with a pick up or microphone, an open back is much lighter, and (totally my opinion) has a better tone for a more diverse range of styles. I’ve owned several all out bluegrass tone ringed resonator banjos, and found them very hard to use (tame) outside of bluegrass style playing. Today I mostly play a 12” rim open back, and it works great for any type of playing I want. I sold my resonator banjos a long time ago, no longer attend public jams, and use a microphone when playing with my friends. And as for practicing at home, the open back is so much more desirable, and very easy to to stuff a towel in the back, and play all day without bothering anyone.

Bawheid - Posted - 01/03/2025:  20:28:42

Since i started playing I've been on the hunt for a banjo that can do what you’re seeking. I play bits of pretty much every banjo style i come across (Scruggs, clawhammer, 2 finger, melodic, folky Seeger style stuff, low tuning stuff and on and on…). Also a bit of a minimalist so try to keep instruments to a minimum at one time.



Anyway so far the closest ive come to a “fits all” banjo have been:



1) Tubaphone 11” openback long neck banjo. Has the power up the full neck unlike most openback and has mega tuning versatility. Reacts well to picks or bare fingers. Bright, clear but not too harsh. Check out Pete Seeger on youtube who plays every style you can think of on his banjo. Gold Tone do a decent version of this banjo for a good price. If you dont need the extra keys or low tuning, a regular scale version works too.





2) Gibson Ball Bearing banjo (w/ medium strings). More comfortable than the long neck and can be tuned down a couple steps with medium strings on. A little “jangly” when played hard clawhammer but quieter than a full flathead. “Sweet” tone. Probably out of budget so as an alternative id suggest a resonator banjo with a rolled brass tone hoop, just not got as complex a tone as the ball bearing. Gold Tone Bg-150 maybe though not personally tried that one.



Ive been through lots of banjos of all types imaginable, and these two are the most versatile.

Edited by - Bawheid on 01/03/2025 20:37:31

Old Hickory - Posted - 01/04/2025:  06:00:59

I hate suggesting a banjo more expensive than the ones someone tells us they're considering, but there's a Deering Eagle II in the Classifieds for $1700 (or maybe make offer).  This banjo converts from resonator to open back by removal of the flange plate.

Its special design 2010 tone ring helps it produce a range of tones suitable for bare fingered clawhammer and fingerpicked bluegrass.

If I wanted an all-purpose banjo I'd seriously consider what may be the one actual all-purpose banjo.

Edited by - Old Hickory on 01/04/2025 06:04:36

Bob Buckingham - Posted - 01/04/2025:  07:00:10

I have an internal resonator Bacon copy that works well in any style.

loggerhead - Posted - 01/04/2025:  07:24:54

I play weekly in a group that includes fiddle, 2 guitars, mandolin, and electric bass. I removed the resonators and flanges from both my banjos—a ball bearing and a no-hole archtop—converting them to open back because the group thought they were too loud for the mix. We’ve played gigs in the community and nobody has said the banjo wasn’t loud enough. A decent resonator banjo can be used either way, depending on your needs and the preferences of those you play with, IMHO.

writerrad - Posted - 01/04/2025:  08:11:04

We can tell you are new to the banjo.  I am sure others here have posted that no one can live with one banjo.  I am sitting in a room with 6 banjos with one other at the luthier. No banjo can serve all the purposes that especially old time banjo requires well.  Contrary to the popular mythology, once resonator banjos were available, most old time players we know about obtained resonator banjos and used them rather than open back banjos.  BANJOS ARE DESIGNED TO BE LOUD SINCE THE FRAME HEADED BANJOS MADE BY SWEENEY AND BOUCHER.  People who do not like banjos to be loud do not like banjos.

Try playing the two different kinds of banjos you are considering.  Famous old time players like Uncle Dave Macon,  Wade Warde, Doc Watson, Charlie Poole, Roscoe Holcomb, Clarence Ashley,  Dock Boggs and so many others  all played resonator banjos.     Mike Seeger told me that most of the recordings he made with the original New Lost City Ramblers in the late 50s and early 60s were made with his Gibson RB, sometimes with the resonator on, sometimes off.  

Would Doc Watson, Charlie Poole, Roscoe Holcomb, Clarence Ashley, Dock Boggs, and Mike Seeger be turned away from this jam if they showed up with their RBs????

Try both resonator and open back banjos.  See which one YOU LIKE AND FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH,  If you are anything of a banjo player you will want more banjos even if the first banjo you get is fine.   You will own both styles.   No single banjo is enough or can do all things.

There is only one restriction.  If you do want to play bluegrass, you need an RB.  You can play old time with an RB but you cannot really play bluegrass without one,

Laurence Diehl - Posted - 01/04/2025:  14:17:20

quote:

---

Originally posted by writerrad

We can tell you are new to the banjo.  I am sure others here have posted that no one can live with one banjo.  I am sitting in a room with 6 banjos with one other at the luthier. No banjo can serve all the purposes that especially old time banjo requires well.  Contrary to the popular mythology, once resonator banjos were available, most old time players we know about obtained resonator banjos and used them rather than open back banjos.  BANJOS ARE DESIGNED TO BE LOUD SINCE THE FRAME HEADED BANJOS MADE BY SWEENEY AND BOUCHER.  People who do not like banjos to be loud do not like banjos.

Try playing the two different kinds of banjos you are considering.  Famous old time players like Uncle Dave Macon,  Wade Warde, Doc Watson, Charlie Poole, Roscoe Holcomb, Clarence Ashley,  Dock Boggs and so many others  all played resonator banjos.     Mike Seeger told me that most of the recordings he made with the original New Lost City Ramblers in the late 50s and early 60s were made with his Gibson RB, sometimes with the resonator on, sometimes off.  

Would Doc Watson, Charlie Poole, Roscoe Holcomb, Clarence Ashley, Dock Boggs, and Mike Seeger be turned away from this jam if they showed up with their RBs????

Try both resonator and open back banjos.  See which one YOU LIKE AND FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH,  If you are anything of a banjo player you will want more banjos even if the first banjo you get is fine.   You will own both styles.   No single banjo is enough or can do all things.

There is only one restriction.  If you do want to play bluegrass, you need an RB.  You can play old time with an RB but you cannot really play bluegrass without one,

---

I have to agree. Having one banjo for all styles is always going to be a compromise, and as time goes by you might get frustrated with the limitations that arise. 

Anyway - who ever heard of only one banjo?  

banjopaolo - Posted - 01/04/2025:  15:23:03

Banjos are like cherrys: you always want another one ;-)

writerrad - Posted - 01/04/2025:  15:25:57

quote:

---

Originally posted by Laurence Diehl

quote:

---

Originally posted by writerrad

We can tell you are new to the banjo.  I am sure others here have posted that no one can live with one banjo.  I am sitting in a room with 6 banjos with one other at the luthier. No banjo can serve all the purposes that especially old time banjo requires well.  Contrary to the popular mythology, once resonator banjos were available, most old time players we know about obtained resonator banjos and used them rather than open back banjos.  BANJOS ARE DESIGNED TO BE LOUD SINCE THE FRAME HEADED BANJOS MADE BY SWEENEY AND BOUCHER.  People who do not like banjos to be loud do not like banjos.

Try playing the two different kinds of banjos you are considering.  Famous old time players like Uncle Dave Macon,  Wade Warde, Doc Watson, Charlie Poole, Roscoe Holcomb, Clarence Ashley,  Dock Boggs and so many others  all played resonator banjos.     Mike Seeger told me that most of the recordings he made with the original New Lost City Ramblers in the late 50s and early 60s were made with his Gibson RB, sometimes with the resonator on, sometimes off.  

Would Doc Watson, Charlie Poole, Roscoe Holcomb, Clarence Ashley, Dock Boggs, and Mike Seeger be turned away from this jam if they showed up with their RBs????

Try both resonator and open back banjos.  See which one YOU LIKE AND FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH,  If you are anything of a banjo player you will want more banjos even if the first banjo you get is fine.   You will own both styles.   No single banjo is enough or can do all things.

There is only one restriction.  If you do want to play bluegrass, you need an RB.  You can play old time with an RB but you cannot really play bluegrass without one,

---

I have to agree. Having one banjo for all styles is always going to be a compromise, and as time goes by you might get frustrated with the limitations that arise. 

Anyway - who ever heard of only one banjo?  

---

I correct myself,  I know one very well known esteemed banjoist who is one of the best old time players  especially in the two finger style.  He owns one banjo, and it happens to be an open back that once belonged to  Charlie Poole.  The other I know is a woman from South Dakota who summers here in Florida who has been state old time banjo champion both in Florida and  South Dakota on several occaisions.  Her banjo is a 1920s tubaphone, a type of banjo I love.

That is it.

KCJones - Posted - 01/05/2025:  06:14:38

You can always take a resonator off. But if it doesn't come with one, its hard to put it on. If you only own one banjo, it should probably be a resonator. The exception is probably if you are exclusively playing in an 'old time fiddle backup' situation, then you could get away with open back.

Consider that the old Vegas and others had screw on / pie plate resonator options. A Whyte Laydie or Tubaphone with a resonator would suit you very well.



Look into 2 piece flange banjos. Best of both worlds. Mastertone style banjos generally have the widest range of tone. Other styles can arguably sound better for a specific tone but generally don't have the range a flathead resonator can provide.

Edited by - KCJones on 01/05/2025 06:18:59

HighLonesomeF5 - Posted - 01/05/2025:  06:20:44

Out of your posted price range but a Nechville reso will give you everything you need. You can easily interchange the tone ring from wood, hybrid or bronze in a very short period of time. Head tension adjustment is a breeze. The one banjo that can rule them all!

Paul R - Posted - 01/06/2025:  19:33:50

My two main banjos are a '78 Jake Neufeld open back with a 20-hole tone ring (which someone once called "the poor man's TuBaPhone"), and a resonator banjo with an archtop tone ring. I've been able to get the resonator banjo to sound like a pretty good clawhammer banjo through some simple tweaks (loosening the head, easing the tension on the tailpiece). The only major difference is the string spacing. While the Neufeld is my number one, the resonator is a close second, and has an added benefit: the resonator keeps all those metal bits from digging into you when you sit down to play. So, keep in mind that you can make some adjustments to get closer to the tone you're looking for, and that resonator or no resonator isn't the only deciding factor.