BanjoDaddio - Posted - 12/18/2025:  01:00:52

I’d like to get some feedback / opinions on the pros and cons of buying new, or old banjos. First off - my opinion is this?
Why would anyone buy a new banjo and pay the new banjo price for an example that actually copies an original, for an astronomically high price. For example, Deering offers its Vega Banjo -nickel plated 11 inch tubaphone tone ring, with pie shape resonator for around $7250. No carved heel. Basically a copy of an old Vega. WHAT??!! For around $7,000 that’ll get you a bonified hundred year old top-of-the-line Vega or AC Fairbanks banjo, with exquisite mother pearl Inlay and engraving, superb heel carving. Why would anybody, unless they weren’t well informed, buy new?…New players have to be made aware that the current prices of Banjos, compared to the examples that these makers are copying, is astronomical. They didn’t get a real antique one for so much less…. If a company like Deering would make an accurate copy of, let’s say, an original Vega #9 deluxe. The retail cost would be 4 times as much as one could buy the original.. And, the pearl engraving and heel carving, if I dare to say, would not be equal to the originals. I will admit here of late, the metal engraving I’ve seen from various providers is getting much much better. I can speculate a bit here, that with the advent of pneumatic engraving devices, the process has become much faster and more accessible to more people who wish to try engraving.
So, question is : why buy new?

spoonfed - Posted - 12/18/2025:  01:26:16

I own and play older Vega banjos, they cannot be beaten in my opinion , they are however a bit fragile for touring and taking on the road, a few years back I bought a new Deering Vega tubaphone model this with the aid of a decent mic gets me extremely close to the old sound I like so much, it does however have co rods, a standard 11" head and is of a much more rugged build than the older ones and I am not afraid to take it on the road, everything is fixable / adjustable and worse case scenario it can be replaced if needed, there is my justification for buying new, back home recording etc I play the old instruments, there is room for both in my life. Buy what you need.

NNYJoe - Posted - 12/18/2025:  01:45:24

Why buy new? Availability, for one thing. There are more good new banjos than good old banjos.

Is the old banjo price inflated due to scarcity, not quality?

Finally, re-sale issues. Just guessing here, but I’ll bet it’s easier to find a beginner to buy your 20-year old banjo than a knowledgeable buyer to snap up your offer on a 100 year old antique.

AndrewD - Posted - 12/18/2025:  02:07:27

Old banjos are for collectors. New banjos are for players. Like many of us I've got both. And a new player, who doesn't know banjos yet, is taking much less of a risk with a new banjo. Though I think Deering Vegas are very expensive for what they are I'd probably buy one if my main player (a Dave Stacey) disappeared and I was still gigging regularly. You can't hear a carved neck.

Joel Hooks - Posted - 12/18/2025:  07:14:26

I lean towards less decorated banjos.

These classic era banjos can be found for MUCH less than they could ever be built for today (if anyone would even be able to build them).

That said, they are not readily available, take some patience to find for selling value (as opposed to insane asking value) and most importantly, require experience and care when selecting as so many of them have been abused, altered (usually with some form of the hack's neck reset and shim cram) or "updated for modern playability" (as opposed to traditional playability?).

The Deering "Vega" (in name only) banjos are in no way similar to the pre Bill Nelson Vega banjos. One could argue that they resemble the post Bill Nelson 1960s banjos (the appliance era) but resemble is where that ends.

Nobody could argue that they are not "high quality". The examples I have seen are made with good materials and well finished with great fitting. I would not even own or play one if it was offered to me for free.

I believe that the goodtime line could be great if they stop pretending to be something they are not. Ugly laser etching, cheesy CNC wood inlay, stained maple fingerboards, etc, all just looks cheap.

Make them what they are. A simple paddle peghead and go back to dot position markers or no markers and use side dots. Even the "gumby" peghead was lame.

From what I can tell, the goodtime line was not originally intended as an "old time" banjo. The shape of the neck and scale were chosen to be an entry point to their upper end presuming that "bluegrass" is the only banjo style extant. The concept is that you would buy a goodtime, learn, then buy one of their more expensive banjos.

Deering has not really been good at keeping up with general player demands and seem to exist in an echo chamber. When they attempt to get up to date they seem to do it in a weird way.

I wish they would offer the goodtime in a proper nylon string configuration. Zero neck angle, small frets, violin or Grover Champion pegs, proper bridge. Aesthetics should be as simple as possible. Paddle peghead with no logo on the face, and only side dots for position markers. Bump the scale up to 27".

That said, I would not buy one, but I might recommend it to people if I had a chance to play one to make sure they were good.

Bart Veerman - Posted - 12/18/2025:  07:36:16

You pretty much answered your own question.

Yup, collectors still collect but there's fewer and fewer of them as they're greying out.

The young crowd isn't into musical instruments anymore. Wanna make music? Download a rhythm box and you're all set. No need for sore fingers, investing years of your life to learn how to get an instrument to do what you want it to. Look at Kijiji and FB Marketplace, tons of banjos listed for sale for many months, years even, and nobody's interested. Prices of used instruments will drop as a result.

Edited by - Bart Veerman on 12/18/2025 07:42:24

Bob Buckingham - Posted - 12/18/2025:  07:48:31

quote:

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Originally posted by Bart Veerman

You pretty much answered your own question.

Yup, collectors still collect but there's fewer and fewer of them as they're greying out.

The young crowd isn't into musical instruments anymore. Wanna make music? Download a rhythm box and you're all set. No need for sore fingers, investing years of your life to learn how to get an instrument to do what you want it to. Look at Kijiji and FB Marketplace, tons of banjos listed for sale for many months, years even, and nobody's interested. Prices of used instruments will drop as a result.

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I hope there are few years I can send making music and teaching children the joy of it instills. The best of the lot will get instruments from me at important times in their lives. You can keep the AI and the box music, I want it warts and all. That's where the joy lives.

Used instruments are a best bargain if they are in good shape. I've learned a good bit of lutherie from ones that were not in good shape. 

cevant - Posted - 12/18/2025:  08:49:15

A lot can happen to a banjo in a hundred years of playing.  If you want a banjo that you will be playing every day and need to depend on it to function as a banjo, find yourself a nice ten year old Ome and put an end to the madness.

Edited by - cevant on 12/18/2025 08:50:30

KCJones - Posted - 12/18/2025:  08:56:34

One big advantage is that the necks on the copies tend to play a lot better. Better tuners, more comfortable neck profile, perfect brand new frets, radius fretboard, slight neck angle instead of flat, lower action up the neck, truss rod with the ability to run steel strings without damaging neck.

To a player, a comfortable neck is much more important than engraving and carving. The best banjo IMO is a vintage pot with a modern neck on it.

Edited by - KCJones on 12/18/2025 08:58:21

ssduke - Posted - 12/18/2025:  09:05:42

What KCJones said. I’ve got an original 1922 Vega Tubaphone that I love, but the neck has a bow in it that makes notes up the neck sharp. I’ve also got a 1922 or ‘23 Tubaphone pot with a Wyatt Fawley repro neck that is my main player because up-the-neck intonation is perfect.

Jon Borcherding - Posted - 12/18/2025:  09:47:06

$7250.  

Wow. 

I have several new banjos and a couple old ones and the most expensive one didn't cost half of the figure you posted.  Maybe I'm just a cheapskate?

In my price range (well under $3000) new banjos are for playing and old banjos are for tinkering. 

What do you do with a $7250 banjo?

Banner Blue - Posted - 12/18/2025:  09:55:43

The vintage instrument trend grew out of a marked decline in quality of USA made instruments. This occurred in the late 1960s into the 1970s. Musicians started seeking out older instruments and international buyers drove up the price. Today quality has mostly returned and there is a new interest--boutique makers--seems like there is a maker on every block.

Vintage instruments need to be serviced and often need tuners replace to truly be the excellent instruments many of them were. There are half a dozen vintage instrument shops that charge handsome prices for vintage instruments, but the vintage instruments they sell have been put into excellent playing condition by $100-an-hour restorationists using state-of-the-art methods.

Still most vintage instruments can be purchased for less than their new contemporary counterpart.

pinenut - Posted - 12/18/2025:  10:00:32

quote:

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Originally posted by Jon Borcherding

$7250.  Wow!  I have several new banjos and a couple old ones and the most expensive one didn't cost half of the figure you posted.  Maybe I'm just a cheapskate?  In my price range (well under $3000) new banjos are for playing and old banjos are for tinkering.  What do you do with a $7250 banjo?

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There can be only one.

Edited by - pinenut on 12/18/2025 10:02:10

Joel Hooks - Posted - 12/18/2025:  10:21:05

quote:

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Originally posted by Banner Blue

The vintage instrument trend grew out of a marked decline in quality of USA made instruments. This occurred in the late 1960s into the 1970s. Musicians started seeking out older instruments and international buyers drove up the price. Today quality has mostly returned and there is a new interest--boutique makers--seems like there is a maker on every block.



Vintage instruments need to be serviced and often need tuners replace to truly be the excellent instruments many of them were. There are half a dozen vintage instrument shops that charge handsome prices for vintage instruments, but the vintage instruments they sell have been put into excellent playing condition by $100-an-hour restorationists using state-of-the-art methods.



Still most vintage instruments can be purchased for less than their new contemporary counterpart.

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This is such a weird obsession that seems to cause a strong allergic reaction or something.  Why people are believe this is beyond me. It is as if they don't even bother trying-- just change them!

Friction pegs are great for the traditional light nylon (current equivalent to gut or silk) strings these instruments were made for. If Fred Van Eps and Vess Ossman could do what they did with them, certainly they should be fine for playing "clawhammer" in first position.

Jon Borcherding - Posted - 12/18/2025:  10:43:59

quote:

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Originally posted by pinenut

quote:

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Originally posted by Jon Borcherding

$7250.  Wow!  I have several new banjos and a couple old ones and the most expensive one didn't cost half of the figure you posted.  Maybe I'm just a cheapskate?  In my price range (well under $3000) new banjos are for playing and old banjos are for tinkering.  What do you do with a $7250 banjo?

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There can be only one.

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I could actually pare it down to 2 if absolutely necessary.  Gotta have one fretless and one fretted.  

I keep nylgut strings on all my banjos.  Constant tuning and retuning seems to wear harder on the nylgut than steel, so it's nice to have at least one spare for C tuning.  If I had to tune every time instead of swapping instruments, I think it would lead to a lot of worn/broken strings.

I realize it takes a lot of strings to add up to the cost of another banjo, but changing strings is a pain and I would rather play/practice.

Then there's Cumberland Gap tuning and Low G tuning and Last Chance tuning and...

Before you know it you have 7 banjos.  7 X $7250 = $50,750  (Not conducive to domestic tranquility).

localhost - Posted - 12/18/2025:  10:48:47

Do manufacturers price their new copy instruments in a likeness to what the vintage versions of that model are currently selling for?

jduke - Posted - 12/18/2025:  11:30:38

I'll make no comparisons in sound between old and new. All I can say is I like the sound of my ventage Vegas and steel bodied Nationals and could not possibly match the enjoyment of playing my old instruments, by playing new ones!

The Old Timer - Posted - 12/18/2025:  12:47:20

Looking the #1 banjo supplier Deering, their prices are WAY higher, WAY WAY higher, than a used banjo of fine quality. I don't doubt Deering knows the TRUE cost of making and marketing banjos, and are charging what REALITY requires to remain an ongoing business.

I can't IMAGINE buying a new bluegrass banjo nowadays at full retail. Not when the Banjo HangOut alone offers an endless stream of very tasty used banjos every week at much more reasonable prices.

OP asked if there is ANY reason to buy new. The only one I can think of is the new banjo guarantee/warranty, and just possibly, not having a long wait hunting for the exact used banjo you prefer. Of course, I find that music stores and dealers typically are not fully stocked up with catalog standard new banjos.

lightgauge - Posted - 12/18/2025:  13:16:03

Many of us old grey haired guys grew up fixing things and have learned how to put together and set up banjos over the years that we like. We are a generation that is passing to a younger crowd that neither knows or wants to learn those things. They just buy one if they can afford it and think warranty with no maintenance to do.

banjoez - Posted - 12/20/2025:  12:45:56

quote:

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Originally posted by lightgauge

Many of us old grey haired guys grew up fixing things and have learned how to put together and set up banjos over the years that we like. We are a generation that is passing to a younger crowd that neither knows or wants to learn those things. They just buy one if they can afford it and think warranty with no maintenance to do.

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Amen to that. There's a whole world of banjo nirvana waiting for those willing to learn to tinker, setup, assemble and fit parts to create their own instruments. Such a great way to learn a skill and find out what makes these things tick at a tiny fraction of the cost. Banjos are mainly just bolt together instruments when it comes right down to it.  About as easy as they come compared to guitars, mandolins and such that require a lot more skill to assemble and adjust.

Edited by - banjoez on 12/20/2025 12:55:25

Dean T - Posted - 12/21/2025:  06:40:45

I’ve been watching Craigslist, classifieds, goodwill, guitar center, etc for over 20 years, and the used banjos out there are pretty much infinite. Better than I’ve ever seen it. Prices may seem high, but there are diamonds out there, and folks may not realize that places deal. Especially on stuff that isn’t selling. Guitar Center especially, reduces prices on old stocked used instruments. I got my Deering Sierra from Guitar Center for less than $1k, after watching the price come down for 6 months. Watch/favorite lists are your friend. I also got my mint Sierra open back from the classifieds here, for less than 40% of new, with lots of extras including song books, new heads, tools, years worth of new strings, and even a Deering coffee mug. I wouldn’t even consider buying new. Had I purchased the banjos I own, new, at today’s prices, I would have basically thrown away $4k. Not to mention that banjos with some age are settled, played in, stable, and anything (especially fret sprout) like fit or break-in issues are long since over. For lack of a better way to put it, the wood in older instruments has decided to be instruments, and is no longer green/soft and still trying to be trees. 

Edited by - Dean T on 12/21/2025 06:54:07

2006 Deering Sierra

Deering Sierra open back (2013)

writerrad - Posted - 12/22/2025:  17:12:39

When I came onto the banjo scene (here speaking chiefly of open backs) it was still possible to look and find late 19th and early 20th century premium open backs and the number of quality but affordable newly made open backs available was smaller than they are today. Particularly if you had the guidance of collectors or builders you could find a Fine Old Banjo from the early 20th Century or late 19th that fit the finest needs of quality.

Old time and other forms of five string non bluegrass banjo playing are much more widespread and developed than it was 30 years ago. There is a stronger market for good five string open backs. I think there are many more quality open back builders now than there ever were. Earlier I was keen to purchase a Vega or Fairbanks or a reproduction thereof.

My concern has always been affordability. I have enough banjos and have been fortunate in retirement. I am more concerned with young players and players of limited means. I am more concerned with a quality banjo that is affordable.

My purchasing of RBs has been more oriented to the bottom of the line or basic models. I have a Recording King bottom of the line dirty 30s RB which is a lot closer to the banjos that both Black and white old time players I adore actually played. I just bought a Washburn (not original Wasburn but I think it is a Chinese or Japanese operation) B14 or something that is also closer tot he kind of banjo that Black and white Southern banjoists were playing n the 30s and 40s and 50s, than a Boston Banjo or a Gibson RB, not that I can afford another.

I still think the real mission is to make quality banjos that are affordable.

On the other hand, I expect that in the next 10 15 years Boomers like me who are now in our late 70s will get too old to pick or kick the bucket. Perhaps a slew of banjos will come on the market.

I realize the real money and complexity and art of the instrument is in the RB. Curious to how many RB folks respond here,

writerrad - Posted - 12/22/2025:  17:23:53

quote:YEAH  

Favorite banjo is a 1923 big pot Tubaphone, but with the Eastman Neck that they marketed with their "Whyte Ladye."  I played the prototype for the Eastman  "Whyte Ladye" with that neck when it came in in 2012, and never liked it.  But it is wonderful on the Vega.

The pot of a banjo is more mechanical, more metalurgical, with all kinds of brackets and stuff to adjust, while the neck is not.     

Thanks KC

Bill H - Posted - 12/23/2025:  05:08:03

I was a diehard vintage banjo enthusiast and owner for many years. Then I purchased a couple of Nechville banjos and found there are many advantages. Adjust-ability is the main advantage. My old Vega and Fairbanks banjos with the fixed dowel sticks are beautiful and sound great, the the new banjos with wider fret board and and slim neck make my Tubaphone feel clunky. Another factor is that the Nechvilles have actually appreciated in value, even as a used banjo.

I do still love the vintage banjos. My Electric is 131 years old and still plays great. And nothing matches the sound of an early Tubaphone. I have room for all of them in my closet, so what the heck.

markxsherman - Posted - 12/23/2025:  07:28:06

A few comments.

1. The Deering Vega #2 is listing for $5500. It is a made to order banjo. Your price analysis isn't correct.

2. As mentioned, the Deering has a truss rod and two coordinator rods. It also has modern frets and an adjustable tail piece. Old fret are small and thin. Different kind of playing. Your old banjo maynot be able to handle steel strings.

3. I bought a Deering Delux in 1981. I had some finish issues that Deering just fixed under warranted. Warranty and followup care is important.

4. I just bought a new Deering Vega Vintage Star. $2500. It included a $200 case. New banjos will sound different. This banjo is my goto for jams. Its sound is crisp and I can not only hear it, but it sounds great with a fiddle. Better than my old banjos.

5. Banjo technology has changed since 1896 (I have a Stewart from that year.) As others have said neck size and profile, geared tuners, neck to pot attachments, pot thickness.

You could buy an old banjo and need to do the following maintenance on it.

Install new frets $650, replace tuners $175, adjust neck $550, new case $200. Add a ton of money if you want a frailing scoop.

I live my old Stewart's, but they don't sound the same, they are harder to play (little frets) and don't project like my newer banjos. There is room for both banjos in one's house and on stage.

Too often we fall into binary comparisons, old vs new, resonator vs open back... the real issue is do you like the sound and the feel? Can you adjust the action for the strings you like and your playing style? You may need several banjos to accomplish this. Can one banjo fit all those criteria?

As for Goodtime Banjos: I've played several. Fine instruments. Any beginner will get a good tone and have a banjo with decent adjustable action at an affordable price. That what they are designed to do. If I only had a Goodtime banjo I'd be ok with that. Nothing kill the interest in playing like a cheap aluminum banjo with bad action and a thick neck.

brianszuch - Posted - 12/23/2025:  07:54:20

THESE NEW BANJO WILL TAKE A LONG, LONG TIME TO GET BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL BUY PRICE IN VALUE. The newest banjo i have is from the 80's, with 2 prewar Gibsons and a Vintage Stelling. Who needs the new stuff? Banjo prices on older banjos are down currently: go to Elderly or Reverb and get something good at a good price.

Enviroguy - Posted - 12/23/2025:  10:31:15

I wouldn't hesitate to buy an old banjo or a new banjo if the sound is to my liking. I had always wanted a maple banjo and found a Kel Kroydon years ago that is now 90 years old, and it sounds incomparable to most, but not all, new banjos. Many new ones are louder than my oldie, but I think there is something magic in this Kel and it has to do with the wood in the rim, I think. As far as economy is concerned, you're right - spend it on the old banjo; it probably won't go down in value either.

SebastianRogers - Posted - 12/23/2025:  16:46:13

I have a Ledford banjo. He only made a few as he mainly made dulcimers. It doesn't sound like any other banjo I've ever heard. It's meaty. It has an incredibly thick pot and a ridiculously thick neck, makes it difficult to play but when you get it right it's pure, deep, mellow tones really hit the spot.

I also have a Deering Deluxe its a great banjo much easier to play, ideal neck, low action, sliding capo, pickup and the one I use for my goto gig banjo but great as it is it just is not the Ledford.

Upshot of this is you'll know when is a banjo you want to keep heists it's a banjo you play, a lot. If not it's just a dust collector.

Wulfrand - Posted - 12/26/2025:  09:43:56

Lefty here - have had to buy not only new, but custom-build banjos for many years now, as I wasn't happy with the build quality of easy-to-get lefty Gold Tones back in the day (got my first in '00). It stinks never getting to truly experience going to a store to test and buy straight out of the showroom! Easing the pain are companies like Pisgah and its banjo-building tool. I've commissioned two open backs from them over the years, along with a fretless Enoch Tradesman and a Deering Hartford. The plus side about having fewer options and wait times with the ones you do have: You learn to really live with/grow intimate with your banjo, and if you don't like a look, feel or sound, you can modify! It's a banjo!



Mind you, I did stumble upon a rare lefty '92/Greg Rich-era Gibson RB3 that had some battle wounds but strictly cosmetic (the one in my pic). And I jumped on that sucker immediately. My greatest musical find!

Edited by - Wulfrand on 12/26/2025 09:45:02

Gordy Ohliger - Posted - 12/29/2025:  13:33:03

Everyone has an opinion.

Because I perform period music, I use vintage instruments  "to get that sound."

I have two exceptions; a gourd banjo that was made for me, and a Bart Reiter for camping and some outdoor gigs.

I love my Vega/Fairbanks #9 because the neck feels good, sounds great, and they are gorgeous.

To each his own, I'm pleased you're happy with what you got.

Wall2016

Outside my Door