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The banjo reviews database is here to help educate people before they purchase an instrument. Of course, this is not meant to be a substitute for playing the instrument yourself!
7160 reviews in the archive.
--Ordered a brand new 11" Pisgah Appalachian from Turtle Hill on August 25. 10 minutes after I received it I realized it wasn't the right instrument for me and called. They were less than thrilled to have it returned and said only one or two instruments have been returned in last 20 years. Called it a "used" instrument and said I'd have to pay $300 for shipping and THEN have it inspected. I literally played it for less than 10 minutes and it's been in the case ever since.
--I decided not to haggle and called Pisgah and they weren't happy to hear about my experience. Said it is NOT a used instrument and their dealers should take returns. They said I should list it on the BH classifieds, which I did, but no matter what am gonna lose a few hundred if it sells.
Overall Rating: 1
I purchased a Nechville Saturn online from "Sean" at Avenue Guitars. It was shipped and received within 5 days and it was shipped from SalidaI Colorado to here in Calgary. It arrived in perfect condition in a beautiful hard shell case. I did not expect additional costs at customs, like GST and Broker fees, which was my mistake, so Sean from Avenue covered most of it for me. I can't say enough good things about Avenue guitars. Thanks SEAN!
Avenue Guitars is a one man Online business run out of Salida Colorado.
Overall Rating: 10
Imported a 64' Gibson RB175 to the UK, not seen in person. Always a bit of a nervy experience.
Leo was super quick to reply to enquiries through emails (30 mins max), catered for an additional setup request (expertly installed 5th string slider capo) and shipped promptly (within 2-3 days including the setup work).
Arrived in perfect condition and very quickly.
Banjo was absolutely to description and condition a true "excellent", or perhaps even better.
It was the small things that made the experience perfect, such as using a fresh new box and packing materials to ship, and also including a couple free old-time music dvds/cds to boot!
Overall Rating: 10
Bob came to my assistance and delivered the goods in record time.
He still has a land line that can be used to order banjos and banjo related items!
I highly recommend Bob and his Music Shop.
Overall Rating: 10
Fiddler's Green Music Shop used to be located in central Austin but relocated to Lockhart, TX a couple of years ago. As far as I know, they have hands down the largest collection of banjos for sale in central Texas. They are a Gold Tone dealer but also sell banjos on consignment, which helps round out their inventory. I sold a Ramsey 12" through this shop a few years ago and was very impressed with their service.
Don't get me wrong, they also sell guitars, mandolins, violins, ukuleles, and much more. When the shop was in Austin, they had a shed out back where they would hold group lessons, jams, and shows. I don't think their new location in Lockhart has this but they are still a top-notch music shop with solid ownership. If you find yourself in Lockhart, make it a point to visit the shop (open Wed - Sat). As an added bonus, great Texas barbecue can be found right around the corner!
Overall Rating: 10
Just completed a purchase of a Bart Reiter Grand Concert dealt with Leo Coulson
their description was spot on, The item I purchased was listed as near mint and I will have to say it was exactly that this Grand Concert looks like it was brand new from the maker virtually no wear no scratches or anything that I have been able to see anywhere it is absolutely beautiful, Leo was always more than willing to accommodate my questions before the purchase and always responded to my emails really quickly,shipping was also vary fast, I would not hesitate in making another purchase from intermountain Guitar & Banjo again if I am ever in the market for something they may be selling
Thank you guys at Intermountain Guitar & banjo for a pleasant experience
Don Smith
Overall Rating: 10
Just wanted to leave another review for BanjoTeacher.com
I have been playing banjo for about a year on a Recording King Dirty 30's beginner banjo. It's a great banjo for beginners, but I finally felt that I was ready for an upgrade. I did a fair amount of online research, but that only gets you so far. I did play some banjo's that were available locally, but there is a quite limited local selection.
I saw many great reviews for Banjoteacher.com online, including here. I emailed Ross at about 2:30 on a Sunday, and I had a response from him within an hour! He asked to set up a phone conversation instead of talking through email. We talked on the phone for about 30-40 minutes discussing what I was looking for in a banjo, what I've tried out and my plans for continuing playing.
After our discussion, I decided on a Gold Tone OB250+. Ross was able to track one down, get everything set up for shipping and he kept me informed on the progress up until the day of delivery.
I am very happy with the personal service that I received and I would recommend him and Banjoteacher.com without reservation
Overall Rating: 10
I recently purchased a new RK Elite 76 banjo from Ross at BanjoTeacher.com. I'm brand new to banjo and I had lots of questions. I was looking for quality advice and honest recommendations in my search for a quality banjo that I could use for years to come. Ross took the time to answer all my questions and discussed the pros and cons of various banjos. He also provided his book, and DVD to assist me on learning the banjo. Kathy kept me updated on the delivery of the banjo and sent me links to their online video courses, which I really appreciated. The service they provided before and after the sale has been prompt and personal. Ross made a few extra upgrades to the banjo and ensured that it was all set up and ready to play at no additional charge. The banjo arrived within the week in perfect condition. My experience dealing with Ross and Kathy at BanjoTeacher.com has been very positive and I would recommend them without hesitation.
Overall Rating: 10
Well, this is my second and last order from Banjo.com. I ordered a set of Schaller D-Tuners at the beginning of August. The website said they were in stock when I ordered but I got a message from them a couple days later saying that the tuners were on backorder and would be available in a "couple weeks". I decided to keep the order since I wasn't in a huge hurry to get them. Almost a month later I still hadn't heard anything so I emailed asking about the status. After several days of no reply I went to Elderly and ordered the tuners and canceled the Banjo.com order. The tuners from Elderly were halfway to me before Banjo.com replied confirming that I had requested to cancel the order. I don't know what happened, but all of the reviews up until about 2015 were extremely positive and after that all mid-line to negative. They have good prices, but paying a bit more and actually getting customer service is worth it.
Overall Rating: 4
Ordered a Deering Blackgrass from Ross in April. He called me right away and informed me that due to the pandemic it would be backordered for a few months at least. He offered to send me another banjo in the meantime so I could start learning. I declined but it was really cool of him to offer that. I actually got my banjo a little ahead of schedule and everything is perfect! All of the beginner necessities (picks, strap, extra strings etc) were included along with lessons (book/cds/dvd/+ online) which I'm really enjoying. I definitely recommended his site/store to anyone looking to buy a banjo especially if you are just starting out. The value you get with your purchase is incredible. Thanks Ross & the BanjoTeacher.com team!
Overall Rating: 10
A banjo should fit a case without room to knock around inside the case. I was very pleased with the banjo but not the fit of the case. Now I take some of the blame because I ordered the case thinking a Gaurdian case for a resonator banjo should fit a Goodtime 2. But it didn't. There was only 1 neck support, not 2 as in better fitting cases. The neck and headstock had room to move from side to side knocking the tuners against the side of the case. Every time you picked up the case you heard a clunk.
I give only a 5 rating because of the lack of effort to correct this. It was expected I pay $30 shipping for both the return of the case and another $30 shipping on its replacement. $60 shipping on an $80 case. I just kept the case, donated it to my local music store who has banjo students and ordered another case from another dealer who offers free shipping.
Overall Rating: 5
I ordered a Recording King RK-35 from Banjo.com a couple of weeks ago. The site says that they ship all banjos Priority Express, but mine was shipped UPS ground. The banjo was in a hard case and the case was well packed in the shipping box.
The site also says that they set up every banjo prior to shipping so it's ready to play right out of the box. When I got mine it had an annoying ringing/tinny sound when the 1st string was played. I've only been playing a couple of months and really don't know what to look for, but when I checked the bridge it was a bit off and I had to adjust it to get the harmonics right over the 12th fret. I also found that two of the resonator screws were loose, no big deal. The ringing was still there so I took the resonator off to check out the other hardware. One of the retaining nuts on the upper coordinator rod was loose enough to spin with a finger and the tailpiece retaining nut was so loose I could tighten it with my fingers. This doesn't scream professional set-up prior to shipping.
The ringing is a little better but it still sounds tinny so I'm going to take it and have someone look it over and make sure it's set up properly.
The Good: They had a good price on the banjo, installed railroad spikes and gave me a case and starter pack.
The Bad: The reality of shipping and set-up didn't match up with the promises on the site.
Overall Rating: 5
I ordered a mandolin from The Mando Shop and had such a positive experience I wanted to let people know. Kyle followed up personally with his setup recommendations, and shipped the mandolin very quickly after ordering, when his setup was done.
Also, each instrument is listed by serial number with its own photos (and you can receive high res images) so you can pick out exactly the one you want.
All over excellent experience, and thoroughly recommended!
Overall Rating: 10
My purchase of a Rk 76 Elite I bought a RK 76 from Ross Nickerson at Banjoteacher.com I cannot recommend Ross and Banjoteaher highly enough. First off Ross spent sometime with me on the phone talking about Banjos, what kind of player I was etc, instead of just talking my order. As a result I have the banjo I wanted, set up the way I wanted it ! My banjo arrived in Excellant condition And after tuning it was completely playable right out the case. I have had it almost 2 weeks now and as it settles it sound better and better to me everyday. The experience of buying from Banjo Teacher.com was also Excellant I was keep informed by email as to when it shipped etc. I can’t say enough good things about my Rk76 and Banjo Teacher.com If anybody reading this is thinking of purchasing a banjo give Ross a call. You won’t disappointed ! Recommended to buy: Yes
Overall Rating: 10
I ordered a new bridge and some strings on Sunday. The order shipped Monday and arrived Wednesday. The site was easy to use and had a good selection. There where multiple ways to pay such as with a credit card or using PayPal which I find really convenient because then you don’t have to feel out all your information several times. There where plenty of emails confirming they had received my order and then another saying my order had shipped and also included tracking information. And the most important part all there prices where fair and matched competitors selling the same items. I will definitely be using them again in the future.
Overall Rating: 10
I won’t go into all the details. But the biggest issues here are the fact that customer service, at least communication wise isn’t there. I had to contact them for everything there was never no updates or anything close to it and when I finally got information it was not very quick and like I said I had to go out of my way to get any info. With that being said all the communication with banjo.com was polite and curtious. I just think there needs to be some work done on the business end and the customer service. The other thing that bothered me is the site wasn’t up to date so a banjo that said was in stock ended not being in stock and I understand that at that point I don’t have to place the order but I do wish the site would have been updated a little more diligently. Again very nice people but no communication that wasnt forced on my part.
Overall Rating: 4
I highly recommend Ross Nickerson and BanjoTeacher.com! He has been super helpful! I work at Renaissaince Faires and the Gold Tone banjola uniquely fits into that world, letting me play my banjo 200 years out of time. I have a Pat Cloud edition banjola (pickups a must) and after 9 years of playing it's getting a bit worn. A couple of weeks back I noticed on the Gold Tone website that the Pat Cloud Banjola had been discontinued so I called Ross to see if he could help. Not only did he call Gold Tone and find me a banjola tucked back in a warehouse somewhere, he also helped me get Gold Tone to customize it in several ways for me there at their shop. The best part? Three days!!! I expected to wait at least a week with the extras I had asked for. Three days later it arrived at my door. It is pristine, beautiful, and every bell and whistle I asked for is there, professionally installed. This is the third banjola that I've gotten from Ross and the service has been excellent every time. This time though, i felt he really went above and beyond to help me get exactly the instrument that I needed at a fraction of what i thought all the customizations would cost. And so fast! Thank you so much Ross! It has been an absolute pleasure to work with you!
Overall Rating: 10
A week ago, I had the opportunity to visit Geoff Hohwald’s Banjo Warehouse, to say I was in awe would be a major understatement. I’ve only really been picking since August of 2018, I did take lessons in 2004 but that didn’t go so well therefore I consider myself a beginner. Fast-forward to April 28th when I visited Andy & Geoff at the banjo warehouse. I was treated as if I was a professional musician when I’m just a newbie wanting to upgrade to a little something different. I had two banjos on my list of what I wanted check out, Andy had them ready for me shortly after I arrived. All tuned up and ready to go. Geoff stopped in and we talked and played for an hour or longer, with plenty of teaching taking place as well. I left with a beautiful banjo that sounds awesome and that I’ll cherish for years to come. I can’t say how impressed I was with the whole experience. If you’re looking for a banjo and you see something you like on the warehouse site call Geoff & Andy and make arrangements to go visit. You won’t be disappointed.
Overall Rating: 10
I echo what DrBillM wrote a bit earlier. I recently traveled to ATL a second time after almost two years, because some of the banjos I had seen on the Hohwald Banjo Warehouse site on facebook had caught my eye. I spent a full day with Geoff and Andy and 10 banjos, playing, comparing, having fun. There was a particular one that I liked but it had a few issues. Andy set to work on it for about two hours, and what he came back with by lunch time was a different banjo than what I'd picked in the morning - it was impressive. In the meantime, I was picking away to my heart's delight, comparing the different sounds and feels, ordering the instruments in a "priority rack", and just having a great time. Along the way, I learned a lot more banjo lore, we traded licks and discussed all things banjo that came into our heads. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day. I have been to many music stores in my life but Hohwald Banjo Warehouse is a pretty special experience for a banjo player. Not many places where you get to compare-play instruments from 1929, 1934, 1988, 1994, 2004, etc., and all of them Gibsons (they've got other brands but that's what I was interested in). Small wonder I left for the airport with my favorite in the afternoon. Been playing it ever since, a great banjo at a great price, sold by wonderful people. A very enjoyable day with a wonderful legacy...
Overall Rating: 10
I bought my Deering Goodtime from Fretted Instrument Workshop in Amherst, MA a couple of years ago. The shop is beautiful and the staff was very knowledgeable. They let my try the banjo out for as long as I wanted, although since it was my first banjo I didn't have much material to try. They also had a few different cases for me to choose from. Buying your first instrument can be intimidating, but this store gave me a great experience.
Overall Rating: 10
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