A good cheapish professional banjo

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clawhammer curmudgeons

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a place where old time banjo players can discuss setup, playing techniques, tune histories swap tales and lies.

458 Members, Created 1/27/2011 -

Administrators: Bob Buckingham (owner)

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From tannerstan on 11/28/2011 2:19:20 PM

Hey wondering what kind of banjO to get. Liking the seeding goodtime maple open back but don't know if it's good for more advanced clawhammer. Looking for something cheAp and amazing. Any help would be Appreciated. Lookin to spend around 700 tops I'm a poor traveling hobo. Haha currently playing an epiphany I got for 100 bucks and replaced just about everything.

5 Comments
	tannerstan says: 11/28/2011 2:19:52 PM Meant to say deering
	AlpacaLips says: 11/28/2011 3:41:02 PM I've been playing about 5 months and have both the Deering Goodtime and the ~$700 Gold Tone WL-250. (I wasn't planning on buying both, but a steal on the Deering dropped in my lap so I bought it as a camping banjo.) So it sounds like we're in a similar place, except I'm on the other side of the purchase. Here's the bottom line: if you are willing to spend $700, don't settle for the Deering. It's not a bad banjo, but in my experience it's amateur hour compared to those in the $1000 MSRP / $700 street price class. Overall I think Deering has better quality than Gold Tone, but in my opinion the Goodtime is only worth about $200. And if you do decide to get any Deering, for heavens sake don't get it new. And if you're even considering paying retail, don't let me hear about it cuz I'll faint dead away.
	rhnewsome says: 11/29/2011 6:01:36 AM I bought a new Goodtime Classic off the internet for $450 including a very nice padded gig bag. I love this banjo for clawhammer playing. It has a very nice "old-time" sound and is light and easy to play. It is build with almost the same components as the inexpensive Vegas. It just lacks the ebony fingerboard and a truss rod. Also, I like the darker finish and traditional peghead design better than the blonde Goodtimes.
	frailer23 says: 11/29/2011 6:37:32 AM I play my Goodtime more than I play my $2,000 banjo. Go for it.
	AlpacaLips says: 11/29/2011 6:55:09 AM In response to rhnewsome, tannerstan should keep in mind that the Goodtime he's considering isn't the same as rhnewsome's. frailer23's post or profile don't indicate which Goodtime he has. I'm just saying if you're willing to spend $700, don't spend $300 on a basic maple (i.e. basic) Goodtime until you at least play banjos nearer the top of your price range.
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