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I’ve had my current beginner banjo, a Gold Tone CC50, and I want to start planning for an upgrade. I don’t anticipate ever quitting the banjo, and I think I’d like to settle into a professional level banjo that will last me a lifetime. I play Scruggs style and have begun saving up for my “forever” banjo. However, I haven’t quite decided what that should be and am looking for recommendations. My plan is to save up for several years, so a dollar amount is a bit nebulous. I was thinking about capping things at around $4000, but that’s loose as I can either save more, or get a lesser expensive banjo that much sooner. What are people’s thoughts on Deering vs. Gold Tone vs. Recording King (or others)? The Deering Sierra has been on my mind, but do the other manufacturers, offer something as good for less money? For example, on of the Gold Tone Orange Blossoms. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Kevin
Others with longer banjo lifespans will jump in with sound advice, but I think the answer will likely only come to you once you've spent the time discovering what you love most. And then, if you've saved that much to invest, you're probably going to want to head toward custom banjo makers over the "mass" produced ones so you can get something that is uniquely your own.
Plenty of people feel the RK-35/36Rs are all the banjo one could need, and that might be true, but just because it checks the boxes doesn't mean you're going to love picking it up.
Used banjos are a great option; spend time reading the classifieds here (check out similar models on Reverb for context), read discussion threads about various models in the archive.
You specifically mentioned the Sierra, and it's a pretty good banjo, but it can be a very good deal used since there are so many of them made - supply is large.
I’m not a bluegrass player for the most part. I have one bluegrass banjo, purchased used, that I bought with the expectation I would never need or want another. It’s a Huber, and I have not been disappointed. That said, I can tell you that I bought my main player, a Clifford Essex Concert Grand, in 1969. It was to my ear the perfect openback banjo for me. Many years and at least two dozed other banjos since, it still is. I suspect that as you dig into you search for a forever banjo, you will come across one that speaks to you the way my Essex spoke to me. You’ll know—and you’ll buy it. Don’t be in a rush, and don’t buy sight unseen without an ironclad return guarantee. I have mostly bought used banjos over the years; they are better values because you avoid the instant depreciation of a new one. As to Gibsons—I’ve had a couple, both prewar, but not flatheads. So they weren’t outrageously priced. Other banjos are as good, and there are a lot of mediocre Gibsons floating around. Just remember to listen with your ears, and not your eyes. Your forever banjo will be out there somewhere, and you’ll know when you fiind it.
The more banjos you play, the more your ear will start to pick up on different nuances of tone, your hands will start preferring certain neck shapes and your style of playing will respond to how different banjos react. Your preference to aesthetics will likely change as well the more closely you look at all the different banjos out there. It's so personal, it's difficult to recommend anything without knowing anything of what you like or dislike in a banjo.
There are so many excellent made banjos out there from which to choose that it becomes a matter of personal taste and what sounds best to you, not to someone else.
I started out with an entry level banjo, no tone ring and tinny sounding. Moved up to a better sounding banjo, still entry level. Then had one special made for me. It was okay for a year or so. Meanwhile, I was going to jams and festivals and listening and playing as many different kinds of banjos as I could find.
I found my forever banjo in a Stelling. Fell in love with the sound and the look and the playability. That might or might not be the banjo for you.
I found that the Gibson banjos were too "in your face" for my liking. I played a few different models of Deering and they were okay, but not what I wanted.
So..... go to festivals, jams, listen, play and there will be one banjo that will be exactly what you want. That's the one to get.
If I could keep only one resonator banjo, it would be one from a builder few still know. I have played all major brands. There are a lot that I have wanted, but a lot I expected to want that just didn't speak to me. And if you go to a dealer that has something you think you really want, more times than not another banjo will grab you more. We cannot tell you what to get any more than a bunch of strangers can tell you which girl to marry. Don't shop by brand. Take this time and enjoy the hunt. It might be a Crafters of Tennessee that grabs you more than a Deering or Gibson. But you'll find one that you can't put down.
Lots of answers about which banjo. But I'm more curious, how do you plan to save enough money to buy this banjo?
You mention you intend to save for "several years". At what rate? Banjo prices go up every year. In the time it will take you to save $4000, the $4000 banjo you want will be a $5000 banjo.
In construction we call this "chasing grade". You need to save at a rate significantly higher than the rate of price increases. And if it takes several years to save a few grand, your savings rate is likely at or below inflation.
My advice is to forget about this fictitious "forever banjo". Save for a year and buy a banjo that you can actually afford. My other 2cents is that if you spend a few grand on a banjo, for the love of god don't buy some factory banjo from China (e.g. Gold Tone or Recording King).
Edited by - KCJones on 01/15/2025 05:37:13
That's exciting!
My advice would be to play lots of banjos and let your personality and taste in music shape what you go for.
There are so many good banjos out there, it's not really about what's "best" but what's best for you.
I bought what I thought was my forever banjo 3 years ago but my preferences hadn't fully developed yet and now I have a different one.
Have fun with it!
If I were in your situation, these are the three choices I would consider.
First you can spend about $5000 for a Huber banjo. You should be able to find a used Huber for a bit less. If you care for it properly, it'll last a lifetime. The next choice would be a pre-war, Gibson, flat-head tenor or plectrum with a replacement 5-string neck. That'll cost you $50,000 to $60,000. Finally, you can go for an original, pre-war, 5-string, Gibson, flat-head. That'll cost you about $100,000. With any of these choices, you'll have a great sounding banjo.
Edited by - RB3 on 01/15/2025 06:13:19
As someone who has purchased/owned/sold numerous…very numerous instruments over the years, one thing that I have found is that the concept of what your forever instrument will change as your playing style develops. Hence, what many here refer to BAS.
At the $4,000 price point, my advice to you is:
1). Buy used. At that level there are a near infinite amount of professional level instruments available.
2). Play as many instruments as you can possibly lay hands on. The one that is for you will let you know it the second you pick it up. Many times I walked into a dealer to purchase a particular instrument, and have walked out with something on the other end of the spectrum.
3). Don’t lock yourself into a particular brand or configuration. Look for the sound and feel that is right for you.
4). Expensive doesn’t always mean the best. You have two ways to go on this. Look for a vintage instrument, or look for a newer instrument. What really matters is condition, quality and ultimately, the sound.
Enjoy the search
Play as many different makers banjos as possible. And as many models. Each maker is just a bit different in sound and playability. And models too. Example, Stellings sound like Stellings. Nechvilles sound like Nechvilles. I'm not crazy about either but lots of folks play and love them. Gibsons tend to sound individually. Some are brash, some mellower, some have a lot of depth, some don't. Some makers have wonderful playing necks, others are more pedestrian. So making a recommendation for you is pointless, Its up to you! Banjo sound can be modified quite a bit, tinkering with all the bits on them, so if one plays great but the sound is not perfect that might be able to be perfected. Its not like a guitar where changing strings is pretty much all you can change. Banjos are contraptions, lotsa little bits that can be changed and modify the sound.
quote:
Originally posted by RB3If I were in your situation, these are the three choices I would consider.
First you can spend about $5000 for a Huber banjo. You should be able to find a used Huber for a bit less. If you care for it properly, it'll last a lifetime. The next choice would be a pre-war, Gibson, flat-head tenor or plectrum with a replacement 5-string neck. That'll cost you $50,000 to $60,000. Finally, you can go for an original, pre-war, 5-string, Gibson, flat-head. That'll cost you about $100,000. With any of these choices, you'll have a great sounding banjo.
Or go out and buy a low end Recording King or Gold Tone and learn to play the hell out of it and NoOne will care if it is a Pre, Post, or Next War banjo. Play it like you mean it, if you can't make people dance with a Harmony you won't with a Whyte Lady.
No one instrument, no one banjo is going to satisfy your life. I know hundreds of banjoists, and I know of only two who have been banjoists for any amount of time who own one banjo.
I have only been a banjoist for 25 years, but a guitarist for 62.When I meet other banjoists my age, I usually answer the question by saying "I only own 7 banjos, including the one that does not work over the fireplace" and then I explain since I have passed 70 I have tried to constrain banjo purchases because I do not want to be an old guy with a lot of banjos youngsters in their 40s and 50s should be playing.
You are not going to aim to have 1 banjo, even if you have the best. Earl Scruggs did not. Charlie Poole did not. I do not.,
What you are going to find is that though there are some wonderful banjos out there, each banjo has its own particular gift, and as you advance as a player, you will find that you crave and deserve to enjoy the different gifts of different banjos even if you stay within one category such as 5 string RBs.
It is not even the sound of the banjo or how it works in shows or performance. The real key to banjo love and banjo addiction is the glorious feeling of your fingers on the strings picking the banjo and the feeling of it in your hands even if no one else could hear this. You will find that love and joy in different ways on different banjos.
There is a particular musical joy and feeling each banjo I own gives me from my 1920s Tubaphone and my 1890s Fairbanks, to my bottom of the line Dirty 30s RC resonator banjo, each has a gift that cannot be equaled that I crave and that furthers my banjo life.
If you do become a great banjo player, or if banjo playing becomes great for you, you will desire different banjos with their different gifts for particular playing.
Anyway unless you are an expert banjo luthier, you will need several to have on when the other, or others, are being luthiered.
You have a noble aspiration.
One Banjo is NOT Enough
Edited by - writerrad on 01/15/2025 08:11:34
quote:
Originally posted by writerradNo one instrument, no one banjo is going to satisfy your life. I know hundreds of banjoists, and I know of only two who have been banjoists for any amount of time who own one banjo.
I have only been a banjoist for 25 years, but a guitarist for 62.When I meet other banjoists my age, I usually answer the question by saying "I only own 7 banjos, including the one that does not work over the fireplace" and then I explain since I have passed 70 I have tried to constrain banjo purchases because I do not want to be an old guy with a lot of banjos youngsters in their 40s and 50s should be playing.
You are not going to aim to have 1 banjo, even if you have the best. Earl Scruggs did not. Charlie Poole did not. I do not.,
What you are going to find is that though there are some wonderful banjos out there, each banjo has its own particular gift, and as you advance as a player, you will find that you crave and deserve to enjoy the different gifts of different banjos even if you stay within one category such as 5 string RBs.
It is not even the sound of the banjo or how it works in shows or performance. The real key to banjo love and banjo addiction is the glorious feeling of your fingers on the strings picking the banjo and the feeling of it in your hands even if no one else could hear this. You will find that love and joy in different ways on different banjos.
There is a particular musical joy and feeling each banjo I own gives me from my 1920s Tubaphone and my 1890s Fairbanks, to my bottom of the line Dirty 30s RC resonator banjo, each has a gift that cannot be equaled that I crave and that furthers my banjo life.
If you do become a great banjo player, or if banjo playing becomes great for you, you will desire different banjos with their different gifts for particular playing.
Anyway unless you are an expert banjo luthier, you will need several to have on when the other, or others, are being luthiered.
You have a noble aspiration.One Banjo is NOT Enough
WOW! Equating yourself to Earl Scruggs. You must be good.
Joe
Edited by - TN Time on 01/15/2025 09:32:02
Don't listen to anyone who would ask how you planned to save up for a banjo. It is none of their business. $4000 now or $4000 five years from now will still get you a great banjo. The best advice has already been given. Play as many different banjos as you can. Try to find stores that carry lots of different banjos even if you have to travel some to get there. Then, make your decision based on what appeals to you in accordance to sound and feel of the neck. FWIW, I saw a bluegrass band on the PBS TV show, Song of the Mountains, and the banjo player (I can't remember the name of the band) was playing a Recording King. Not sure of the model, but it sounded great.
Joe
And….even if you’re spending a day in traveling and trying a bunch of banjos, be willing to walk away from all of them if none leaps out at you. Don’t settle for the “best” of a group just because you put a lot of effort into that particular search. And when a banjo does leap out at you, don’t waste time trying to better it. You won’t. Buy it and get to playing.
quote:
Originally posted by Bill RogersI’m not a bluegrass player for the most part. I have one bluegrass banjo, purchased used, that I bought with the expectation I would never need or want another. It’s a Huber, and I have not been disappointed. That said, I can tell you that I bought my main player, a Clifford Essex Concert Grand, in 1969. It was to my ear the perfect openback banjo for me. Many years and at least two dozed other banjos since, it still is. I suspect that as you dig into you search for a forever banjo, you will come across one that speaks to you the way my Essex spoke to me. You’ll know—and you’ll buy it. Don’t be in a rush, and don’t buy sight unseen without an ironclad return guarantee. I have mostly bought used banjos over the years; they are better values because you avoid the instant depreciation of a new one. As to Gibsons—I’ve had a couple, both prewar, but not flatheads. So they weren’t outrageously priced. Other banjos are as good, and there are a lot of mediocre Gibsons floating around. Just remember to listen with your ears, and not your eyes. Your forever banjo will be out there somewhere, and you’ll know when you find it.
Bill says it right and best, "Your forever banjo will be out there somewhere, and you’ll know when you find it.".
(We only get one go-round and you may find another; don't miss the first one.)
No i simply pointed out that in practice experienced and professional and good banjoists rarely own one banjo or find one banjo is the solution I have been playing acoustic musc since the early 1960s and the banjo for 26 years. I note that there almost no banjoists of any experience that I know of, and I have probably asked this question many times to banjoists across this country and in Europe, about banjo ownership.
I can think of only 2 accomplished banjoists I know who have one banjo.
Yes,, I do find Earl Scruggs' example and experience as exemplary and everything I have learned about him for the last 60 years confirmed that. What is wrong with that?
Edited by - writerrad on 01/15/2025 11:39:36
quote:
Originally posted by tonygoLove the one your with, and get another one and so on.
Tony is correct about the other good option. Forever is a long time; work with right now.
Edited by - pinenut on 01/15/2025 11:43:02
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