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Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/73711
wvwarrior - Posted - 02/02/2007: 09:40:28
I have always been into bluegrass but just decided to pick up the banjo. In my search it's difficult to find anyone that can ship overseas to my military address so I started looking locally. One of the shops on base is offering a Vintage 5-string with mahogany reasonator. It is priced at $395 due to shippin costs to have it shipped over here. No financing is available so I'll have to buy straight out. Buying on the economy is unreasonable due to exchange rate. Does this sound like a decent price? I'm fighting the urge to just buy it so I can get started. All the buying guides I can find say to play it and check it out. It looks great as far as condition etc. but I don't know how to play so playing it is kinda out for now, I can strum a chord or so on it but not for sure about my ear by anymeans. Any tips are appreciated.
Mike Baumgardner, SrA, USAF
Mikey B
"Better to be though a fool and remain silent, then to speak and remove all doubt."
Mikey B
"Better to be though a fool and remain silent, then to speak and remove all doubt."
beegee - Posted - 02/02/2007: 09:51:53
Depends on what sort of "Vintage" banjo it is. If it's one of those awful aluminum things with the scalloped integral flange, I wouldn't give $395 for three of them. Where are you and when do you come home? Doesn't the PX/BX sell musical instruments? If you can't play anyway. It seems to me that Musician's Friend is having a sale with free shipping. I don't don't know if that includes APO/FPO addresses or not.
_________________________________________
"Drum on your drums, batter on your banjos, sob on the long cool winding saxophones. Go to it, O jazzmen" Carl Sandburg, 1920
Grifton NC
Buttons - Posted - 02/02/2007: 10:37:04
I would suggest that you get the make and model of the banjo you are looking at and do a internet search. Maybe a deal or a dud. Also I just searched some of the banjo dealers on the internet and some say shipping to APO/FPO addresses. Usually shipping to a APO address is the same as shipping to a US address. Good luck and welcome to the Hangout.
Texasbanjo - Posted - 02/02/2007: 10:37:25
Does it have a brand name? For $395 it doesn't sound like much of a banjo so be careful. On the other hand, if you can play it (or find someone on base who has knowledge of how to play a banjo) do so and see what it sounds and feels like (if someone else is picking it, they can tell you what it feels like and sounds like to them). If you like the sound and the feel, buy it. Many of us learned on an inexpensive banjo and then went on to bigger and better ones.
Let's Pick!
Texas Banjo
AD3AD3AD3 - Posted - 02/02/2007: 12:41:50
Is "Vintage" a brand name or is the seller alleging that this banjo is a well made American instrument from the 1920s - 1930s? Beware of a deal that looks too good to be true - because it is too good to be true. Nobody is selling a real vintage banjo for $395. And if "vintage" is the brand, the chances are that what you're looking at is a mass produced Asian banjo or a reject from a factory production line that has had a name applied.
E-bay has sellers all over the world. If you get lucky, you may find a seller near where you are stationed or who is willing to ship to your location. Of course there are risks but, if you're careful, you might do alright. These afford reasonable alternatives to the 'best' plan, which is to go into a quality music shop and play 'em all until you find the one that you can't put down.
Ad3
wvwarrior - Posted - 02/02/2007: 14:25:48
Thanks for all the replies guys. I guess I shoulda said that "Vintage" in this instance is the brand name. I went back by the shop to look at it again and noticed on the head it says "made in taiwan" which was enough for me to leave it alone till finding out more.
I have found a couple now that ship to APO but the problem with many is they want to ship UPS which does not deliver to us.
Ebay and local shops do sale some decent instruments but the exchange rate makes that my last choice. I'm currently in England and the exchange rate is $2 to one british pound but the shops (even though they get them at cost from American companies) change the price from the American price direcltly to British pounds. Thus something that costs say $500 dollars in the states i'd pay a full $1000 for here.
Thanks again for the replies all I'm still a lookin.
Mike
Mikey B
"Better to be though a fool and remain silent, then to speak and remove all doubt."
wvwarrior - Posted - 02/02/2007: 14:43:46
real quick all, have any others of you delt with hatfield music? they have some sales on wondering your opinion on them. Thanks
Mikey B
"Better to be though a fool and remain silent, then to speak and remove all doubt."
JohnGP - Posted - 02/02/2007: 15:05:24
Vintage is a known brand name in the UK. All of the banjos that I have seen with that name have been the pot metal horrors that Texasbanjo describes.
What Mike says about dishonest exchange rates is very true. Decent banjos cost more here than the exchange rate would suggest. I have a feeling that it's the importers rather than the shops, very few shops import directly. The customs dues and tax adds a small amount but basicaly UK pickers have to pay well over the odds for instruments.
Sorry - rant over :-)
John
Actually - it does get better if you pick it.
hibby - Posted - 02/02/2007: 15:05:49
Hi Mike,
I live in the UK and buying a banjo over here is an expensive business. I have imported several and the postage alone can be well over $100. Uk residents then have to pay a series of taxes which come to around 20 per cent calculated on the price of the instrumentand the postage.
Your best bet would be to wait until your next leave or take a look at the second hand ads in the hangout and buy an instrument in the States. Janet Davis and Elderly have a fair selection and you might want to check out their website. Andybanjo in the UK is a very helpful guy and gives a good deal UK pricewise.
My choice would be to buy from the US. I am fairly new to the game myself so I am not the best for advice. One thing though I would say is try and spend a bit more for a decent quality insrument. Don't be tempted to go too cheap. A better instrument sounds and feels better to play and if you decide that it's not for you then selling is much easier.
All the best
Kenny
Mr. Disco - Posted - 02/02/2007: 15:22:29
-- On the other hand if you can chince 'em down to $150 for that "Vintage" or find one in that range, you'll probably still be able to sell it for $150 down the line. -- And while there's great wisdom in finding a properly set up banjo that can sound beautiful and doesn't suck, I'd rather have the bird in the hand than two in the bush ... man, not having a banjo at all ...
Shalom.
-- Mr. Disco
wvwarrior - Posted - 02/02/2007: 15:29:34
wish i could work em down, but they aren't willing to negotiate price, they are funded by our services sqdrn aren't banjo players, and don't get commission, so not making this one sell is not going to put em on the street so they seem just not to care.
Mikey B
"Better to be though a fool and remain silent, then to speak and remove all doubt."
torpedo - Posted - 02/02/2007: 21:12:45
Don't rush in buying some cheapo. C'mon all you U.K. pickers what's this Vintage banjo like anyway? Mikey, maybe until you make it back to the states to check thingsout you could pick up a cheap guitar put 4 strings on it and practice memorizing your chord positions. Just a thought
Joe
torpedo - Posted - 02/02/2007: 21:13:16
Don't rush in buying some cheapo. C'mon all you U.K. pickers what's this Vintage banjo like anyway? Mikey, maybe until you make it back to the states to check thingsout you could pick up a cheap guitar put 4 strings on it and practice memorizing your chord positions. Just a thought
Joe
torpedo - Posted - 02/02/2007: 21:13:25
Don't rush in buying some cheapo. C'mon all you U.K. pickers what's this Vintage banjo like anyway? Mikey, maybe until you make it back to the states to check thingsout you could pick up a cheap guitar put 4 strings on it and practice memorizing your chord positions. Just a thought
Joe
torpedo - Posted - 02/02/2007: 21:14:05
Don't rush in buying some cheapo. C'mon all you U.K. pickers what's this Vintage banjo like anyway? Mikey, maybe until you make it back to the states to check thingsout you could pick up a cheap guitar put 4 strings on it and practice memorizing your chord positions. Just a thought
Joe
banjogud - Posted - 02/02/2007: 22:32:14
Hey Mike! Check the other forum you posted in "product reviews and shopping advice",..Bindle Stiff Jim is offering you a free Harmony banjo...I played one myself,..they ain`t bad.
wvwarrior - Posted - 02/03/2007: 07:14:28
where else is ist posted??????? I'll try to find it, i reposted cuz the moved my old one thanx qud
Mikey B
"Better to be though a fool and remain silent, then to speak and remove all doubt."
wrentree - Posted - 02/03/2007: 09:53:54
Just to add a different note, you might try to buy on a credit card from the states. When we did in Switzerland, we got a true exchange rate, instead of a rip-off. Harold
mountainwoman - Posted - 02/03/2007: 10:25:31
Can't you find a used beginning/intermediate banjo in the classifieds in the UK? If you got something decent for a low price you could sell it before you leave. What about renting a banjo? Any music stores in the UK that will rent? I rented a banjo for a week in St. Louis, the cost was $20 for the week or for a month. It wasn't one that I would buy, but for 20 bucks who cares? I wanted to practice rolls and didn't want to take my banjo on the plane.
Or - there seems to be a banjo movement in Germany. Could you get something there? Good luck - it must be frustrating.
wvwarrior - Posted - 02/03/2007: 11:30:48
Thanks all. Looks like I've got one sorted now. The main issue with the exchange rate wasn't that i was getting a bogus exchange rate but rather dealers here we're taking instruments they could import for about $300-700 and selling them without changing the price only changing the sign before it as in charging 300 pounds for something they probably paid about 300 American for thus making an almost 100% profit. Ne way i appreciate all the tips too. In case the one track im following right now dosn't work i'll be sure to have to try some of these things. I was dissapointed there are several rental places around but they won't rent out banjo's as they have all said they are "too cheap" to rent out and you just had to buy em.
Thanks again guys
Mikey B
"Better to be though a fool and remain silent, then to speak and remove all doubt."
cowboymp80 - Posted - 02/04/2007: 09:58:47
Hey Mike,
First let me say thanks for servin our country.
I just got out of the army and I was stationed in Germany for 8 years. I bought and learned banjo while I was there, You can check with the dealers directly. Like check with Deering, they make some very good beginner level banjo's that would be alot better than one of those made in Taiwan vintage versions. Just FYI, if you have any questions just let me know!
Ed
What is the least often heard sentence in the English language? That would be: Say, isn't that the banjo player's Porsche parked outside?
andyrattle - Posted - 02/05/2007: 15:26:06
I know you are sorted now but thought i would chip in.
The "vintage " named banjos you see here are kind of the cheap junk banjo but $395 sounds like a rip off, plenty of shops round here sell them for £100.
As far as i can tell They are the same basic banjo from the same asian factory and just have different names stamped on them. I have an identical one called an OZARK which i started on and am alas still playing, they can be set up to be playable but will never sound great, though may get you started. but ive seen barnes and mullins, rover etc etc stamped on them, anything that sounds old, irish or american.
generally reckoned to be the best uk shop is andybanjo http://www.andybanjo.com/index.html but i think you will still find prices are very high compared to what you are used to.
just checked and he has beginner banjos for £85.
Very few deering, gibsons or the like around but there are a few goldtones.
PS
if you import a romero then please let me have it when you leave.
http://www.romerobanjos.com/index.html
http://www.rattlin.co.uk
"If 100,000 monkeys were given 100,000 Banjos they would eventually play Foggy Mountain Breakdown. But imagine 100,000 monkeys and only 99,000 Banjos, what a terrible waste of monkey-power"
Edited by - andyrattle on 02/05/2007 15:33:56