Long story short, I love my RB-175 but it's just not loud enough to cut through the rest of my jug band. I haven't played it, but the Gold Tone OT-800 long neck looks (and sounds) like it'd be much more what I'm after. I've really liked all the Gold Tones I've tried, and I'm hoping the tubaphone will make the difference.
12 Comments |
 | wbheilmann says:
10/30/2015 9:01:17 AM
The OT-800 LN is an excellent banjo. I have owned one for five years. I don't know what they cost now, but in 2010, it was the best longneck you could buy at its price point.
Be advised about one thing, though...the OT-800 LN is a heavy sucker! Going from an RB-175 to a tubaphone-type longneck, you will most definitely notice the added weight.
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| wbheilmann says:
10/30/2015 9:14:32 AM
I forgot to mention that the OT-800 will give you plenty of volume, even if you play bare-fingered (clawhammer, etc.). You may find that it is too loud for some applications. I will sometimes put a piece of foam rubber between the inner coordinating rod and the head to give it a quieter, mellower sound.
Now...would I like to have a brand new Vega or a Wildwood longneck? Absolutely! But I am content with the Gold Tone. It offers good sound, playability, and quality at a much lower price than the others. Its overall "bang for the buck" is really hard to beat.
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 | Lew H says:
10/30/2015 12:13:16 PM
My RB175 is pretty loud--not like a resonator banjo or on with a mastertone tone ring. Have you tried renewing the setup on it?
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 | Pauls Pretty Good Stuff says:
10/31/2015 6:18:22 AM
An RB-175 with its brass rod 'tone ring' is no match for the Gold Tone with a Tubaphone tone ring in volume or tone, no matter what the set up. The OM-800LN is for sure the best "bang for the buck".
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| Pauls Pretty Good Stuff says:
11/1/2015 10:16:36 AM
An RB-175 with its brass rod 'tone ring' is no match for the Gold Tone with a Tubaphone tone ring in volume or tone, no matter what the set up. The OM-800LN is for sure the best "bang for the buck".
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 | Helix says:
11/1/2015 4:04:55 PM
You are not the only one to experience lack of punch from that rim.
Keep the old rim and make a clock, you can do a rim change out for $275, way less than the OT800.
A friend arrived with an new OT800 which we could not get to compete. There's a fall off point, faster decay,
The RB 175 has a great neck in my opinion.
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 | john bange says:
11/6/2015 7:42:05 AM
Little reluctant to respond to this because I like both banjos but, my experience with the 4 (2 of each) I've owned is that there is very little difference in volume and a lot in weight.
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 | Dan Pennington says:
11/16/2015 5:15:11 AM
You could have a tubaphone or master tone ring installed in the Gibson rim.
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 | Mulligan says:
11/23/2015 11:31:13 AM
I have an RB175 and an early Gold Tone Maple Long Neck. The GT was just too heavy to use in gigs with the bell bronze tone ring and 3/4" maple rim. I returned it to GT and they customized it with a lighter weight 1/2" rim and a Whyte Laydie tone ring. It is loud and much lighter, but still not as light as the Gibson. The bottom line is that at the time, Gold Tone and the owner Wayne was very helpful and willing to work with me to customize my banjo. The price was also reasonable. They even replaced the pickup with a new model at no cost. I haven't spoken to GT recently but would expect good customer service.
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 | TonyS says:
11/29/2015 10:27:54 AM
love my GT LN! and BTW - hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
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 | calypsojimmy says:
11/29/2015 2:45:27 PM
Just some observations here.
regarding weight: The heavier banjos tend to generate more volume, projection, presence. No way around that... of course there are some light-weight banjos that project well, but they are the exceptions that prove he rule.
If you like the physical feel and balance of the RB 175 and you need additional volume while gigging: You can always install a mic into the RB-175 and take advantage of electronic amplification. I have a small Audio Technica lavallier type condenser mic that I have taped into several banjos (on the dowel stick) and the results have been tonally and volume-wise very good in a gigging environment. Currently I have it stuck in an old Vega 6-str banjo, and I don't have the model name in my head at the moment. But it works pretty darn well imho. It's an option for you if you want to keep the Gibson and not make major modification to it. If you ran it into a small acoustic guitar amplifier or most PA boards, I'd wager that you would find it a good sound. It does require batteries, or phantom power.
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| TonyS says:
4/6/2016 2:46:57 PM
Hi gang, not been around much due to work and The American Legion duties- not a banjo expert but I used my Ot 800 a few times in small group settings and it was great! Grest for guys like me, not a pro but no veggies throw at us either!
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