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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!
7235 reviews in the archive.
Where Purchased: Prust
Year Purchased: 2012
Price Paid: Don't Remember
historic exchange rates / currency converter
Suits my style, when playing minstrel tunes. Sent with three different height bridges for humidity fluctations in the hide head. Projects well/nice plunky tone.
Sound Rating: 8
Setup fair upon receiving. Action fine. Haven't had to make any changes. The neck/dowel stick joint seems to have been drilled/set a bit off true, thereby leaving little fault tolerance when noting on the first string.
Setup Rating: 5
Absolutely easy on the eyes. Repro of a period banjo, no custom fancy work.
Appearance Rating: 6
Repro period instrument with friction tuning pegs. Dependable. Use on gigs of re-enactment type.
Reliability Rating: 8
Very friendly and helpful when purchasing. Never tried to get repaired. Not really sure about warranty.
Customer Service: 6
No standouts. Nothing that needs upgraded.
Components Rating: 8
Overall good experience, and good banjo.
Overall Rating: 6
Where Purchased: The Music Center
Year Purchased: 2011
Price Paid: Don't Remember
historic exchange rates / currency converter
Purchased to be able to do more sing along/folkie type stuff. It suits that very well. Nice sound, fairly loud, and very bright. Only drawback is that longneck. And not through any fault of the manufacturer. Playing a longneck simply requires more extension of the shoulder and causes a bit of shoulder pain subsequently for me.
Sound Rating: 9
Setup fine, action a little lower than I prefer. I think Goldtone would do a lot better to make their frailing scoop a bit more pronounced as well. Everything just seems real cramped at the frailing scoop on Goldtones.
Setup Rating: 7
Absolutely a geat looking banjo. All maple, fine lustrous finish.
Appearance Rating: 9
Very dependable instrument. Would absolutely use it on gig without a backup, would just have to capo up for the majority of the vocal tunes I gig with.
Reliability Rating: 8
Called once about purchasing a regular scale neck for the banjo. Goldtone was very helpful in helping me to understand that it was cost prohibitive to go through with the neck change-out.
Customer Service: 7
White lady/Electric tonering. Rings like you wouldn't believe.
Components Rating: 9
Overall very good banjo.
Overall Rating: 8
Where Purchased: The Music Center
Year Purchased: 2012
Price Paid: Don't Remember
historic exchange rates / currency converter
Suits my style fine. Kinda tinny sound, but that sometimes fits my sound well. Everything stock. Bridge height shaved gradually lower in the low register to higher in the upper register.
Sound Rating: 8
Setup fair upon purchase. Action was a bit low for my preferences, but I typically like the action a bit high.
Setup Rating: 8
Fairly plain-jane. Get comments from passersby about the "old" banjo.
Appearance Rating: 7
Hardware is functional, it is mass production at its finest. Have used the banjo on several gigs. Every time I am gigging with it and I really get on the drone string it snaps at the bridge, but I believe this to be resultant of the bridge mod that I had done.
Reliability Rating: 7
Very friendly/helpful. Never needed to get it repaired. Not sure about warranty.
Customer Service: not rated
Very friendly/helpful on the only occasion that I dealt with them.
Components Rating: 8
Overall a good back-up gigging or practice around-the-house banjo.
Overall Rating: 7
Where Purchased: Zepp
Year Purchased: 2011
Price Paid: Don't Remember
historic exchange rates / currency converter
Suits my style great! Great voice. Projects well, but not too loud. Sounds absolutely gorgeous when playing over the scoop.
Sound Rating: 9
Setup was great, action was set well. Only changes made were to add a modded bridge gradually shaved from lower in the bass register to higher in the upper register. The bridge replacement was easy.
Setup Rating: 9
Great looking banjo. Beatiful flame on the maple neck, griffin on headstock, and fairly standard inlays on the fretboard.
Appearance Rating: 9
Absolutely, a workhorse. Primary instrument.
Reliability Rating: 9
Never dealt with Chanterelle, but the staff at Zepp were a pleasure to deal with.
Customer Service: 9
The whole thing is a standout, in my opinion.
Components Rating: 9
Glad to have gotten this banjo every time I pick it up!
Overall Rating: 9
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