hello fellow banjo players what do you folks think of morgan monroe rocky top banjos
Edited by - Bill Rogers on 08/07/2024 10:46:11
Needs to be in "shopping advice" forum.
sorry
Since it is an import model I would consider Recording King and Gold Tone before any MM. You might try a YouTube search if you haven't to see if there is a review of them, or Google that topic as well. Of course, that is assuming you haven't all ready.
Bobby
Morgan Monroe doesn't make banjos, they market them. As far as I know they're just another PacRim import label, not significantly different from any other PacRim import with similar specs under various different labels. As with anything, price is a big factor on whether something is a good deal.
If you have a specific model you're looking at, more specific advice might be given.
Edited by - KCJones on 08/07/2024 11:36:01
Years ago I bought one in a pawn shop for about $450 and I thought it looked great and sounded great. A few years later, I got $650 for it in a trade for a real professional banjo and then I realized it didn't sound as good as I thought. The newer banjo was significantly better, I just didn't know it at the time. So, the Morgan Monroe was a good purchase at the time and I was able to get out of it financially on the plus side when it was time to upgrade.
If it sounds good to you and you can get it for a really good deal, I think you'd probably be safe as well. I expect you'll want to upgrade in the future though, regardless if you go with the Morgan or get one of the similarly priced Recording King or Gold Tone models. A crazy option is to just forego years of upgrading and go straight to the $2500+ banjos.
I haven't played any Recording King or Gold Tone models so I can't speak on that but I agree with BobbyE, you should consider those as well. That's what all of the people who are better than me say.
Ideally, if you had a place to go where you could hear and try out all of these banjos, that would be the best scenario - preferable with an experienced player to tag along.
thank you
Used RK-35 and 36 start around $800. They have three ply rims and bronze alloy tone ring. Gold Tone OB-150 competes well with them new and might cost about the same used.
Morgan Monroe is more of a generic instrument. They can sound good. They certainly look good. They can be all the banjo some players may ever need. But I think today, they're only a good buy if priced far enough below the RK-35/36 or OB-150. What does that mean specifically? Maybe $600 tops. Preferably $500 or less.
You've been playing over 40 years. What kind of banjo are you playing today?
i have a gibson and a bishline but this gentlemen has a new archtop rocky top monroe for 600.00
Seems like a bit much, but that's just my opinion. I wouldn't pay over $400 for any Morgan Monroe, and at that price it'd have to be their top model flathead masterclone with the "gold" plating. If you've already got a Gibson and a Bishline, the MM is not likely to satisfy you.
thank you for helping me
quote:
Originally posted by bigbigmikei have a gibson and a bishline but this gentlemen has a new archtop rocky top monroe for 600.00
I wasn't aware there were new Morgan Monroe banjos.
I did say $600 was the top of the range for a Morgan Monroe. But it's more than I'd pay.
If you want it because you want an archtop, then maybe try to get it for less. It's not going to be the equal of what you already own.
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