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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!
7199 reviews in the archive.
Where Purchased: www.ezfolk.com
Year Purchased: 2006
Price Paid: 299 ($US)
When I first got the dulcijo, I was amazed at the sound. It has a loud, bright, plunky sound, which is honestly surprising coming from an 8 inch head and no tone ring. The hooks pull the head down right onto the maple rim.
Sound Rating: 9
It came out of the box in perfect tune. No complaints with the setup, although at some point I'll need to add a frailing scoop. The action is perfect for my fretting hand, but my frailing hand hits the fretboard too often.
Setup Rating: 9
The dulcijo has a love it or hate it appearance. Some might say it looks like a toy, but I assure you it's not. It's actually got a better tone than my equally-priced Gold Tone CC-50.
It's very no-frills, no inlay on the headstock and only poistion dots on the fingerboard. The finish has a couple of irregularities/blemishes on the neck, but nothing that's very noticable.
Appearance Rating: 8
I've only had it for a day now, but it seems to be every bit as sturdy as your typical banjo. All the parts seem to fit well together.
The dulcijo has a nice bright, popping sound that should hold it's own well against another instrument.
Reliability Rating: 10
I haven't had the opportunity to deal with customer service. I will say that I'm very pleased with the speed of delivery. I ordered it on a saturday night, it shipped on tuesday, and was at my door on thursday.
Customer Service: 10
All the parts seem fine. Nothing really stands out as spectacular or horrible. The tailpiece looks to be a bit tricky to use. It looks like when it's time to change strings I'll need to tie the new one to the tailpiece.
Components Rating: 8
I think it's inevitable that some will write this off as a novelty or as a toy, but in my opinion this makes a great alternative clawhammer instrument. I don't see this working as well as an alternative instrument for Scruggs-style playing. My only real complaint is that the price is a bit steep for what you get. I think $200-250 would be a more reasonable price. Regardless, I don't regret the purchase at all. I anticipate many fun hours with this instrument.
Overall Rating: 9
