A good place to start is the classified ads. Enter your price range and see what's available. Even if you don't find one that speaks to you, it will give you an idea of what to look for. Whether you buy from the classified ads or from another source, you will be able to make an informed decision.

You probably already know this, but don’t pay a premium just because a banjo is a Gibson. In your price range there are many excellent professional-level bluegrass banjos from small, independent makers.

In general, buying used on BHO will get you the best deal by far.

But honestly, with that budget, you have a lot of options and don't really need to 'compromise'. You really should be playing and testing several options in person. When you're spending over $2k, it really comes down to personal preference on neck profile and tone rather than "better" or "worse". One piece of advice: At this point, the neck feel becomes much more important. The banjos in this range have different neck profiles and finishes, and that is 100% personal preference that we simply cannot help you with. When you do get 'the one' in your hands, you won't have to ask us if it's the right one, you will know by how it feels in your hands and sounds in your ears.

...Yates, Huber, Deering, Prucha, Stelling, Sullivan, Hatfield, Bishline, Nechville...

Just looking at the classifieds, there’s a Sullivan or Cox that fit your budget.

Superb quality that you’ll never outgrow

I’m partial to the old Gold Stars, but I would jump on this banjo in the classifieds if I were you. These are phenomenal banjos

banjohangout.org/classified/112569

Hi
I'd second Bill Rogers' comment, don't be seduced by a big name. In many ways, it would be good to try a number of banjos in your price range without seeing the maker's name. That way you could concentrate on the primary factors important to you. For me, the important issues are tone, volume, playability and 'feel'. Everything else is secondary. Obviously it's a huge bonus if the banjo is also beautiful (to you) and/or carries a respected mark. On the other hand, if the name is of primary importance, that's fine. It's your money, your banjo, your choice.

Y'all are awesome- I really appreciate all the replies. Very helpful! Over the years, I found dreads to be similar; in that neck, feel, and sound are the priorities. I think the biggest challenge for me will be having an opportunity to play some different ones. Banjos are pretty scarce at the music stores here in Southwest Florida. Seems that there is a lot to look at in the BHO marketplace, certainly.  Are there any downsides to 4 to 5 string conversions?

The main downside of 4- to 5 string conversions is that they're all Gibson parts banjos. Unless you can try before you buy, it's a pig in a poke. Personally, I've handled more bad "Gibsons" than good. They had two brief periods of high quality, once in the 20-30s and once in the late 80s/early 90s. Gibson is infamous for their quality control 'process'. Other than that it's just marketing/name recognition, you're paying a premium for the label and collector value, not for quality as a players instrument. I'll never understand why people pay a premium for a Gibson when you can get the same banjo with a Sullivan label for $1000 cheaper. 

Just my opinion.

quote:

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Originally posted by DLLawrence

I think the biggest challenge for me will be having an opportunity to play some different ones. Banjos are pretty scarce at the music stores here in Southwest Florida. 

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Florida is packed with grifters and retirees; I would be checking FBmarketplace, Craigslist and pawn shops...  jus' say'in  

LOL, indeed it is.

Penny Lane in Fort Lauderdale has a bunch of intermediate high end banjos. I know that's southeast, but it's 2 hours from southwest and would give several good candidates to try.

quote:

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Originally posted by peterm

Penny Lane in Fort Lauderdale has a bunch of intermediate high end banjos. I know that's southeast, but it's 2 hours from southwest and would give several good candidates to try.

Thanks!  I'll check them out. Sounds like a fun road trip.

Another vote for a Vintage Japanese Gold Star.
I've owned a few.
Several high level players have owned and played professionally with them
Good luck
E

Hi folks!  I'd like to thank everyone again for all their helpful input on this, and for getting me enough info to get my search started right.  I did a lot of reading up on numerous banjos and builders and timeframes, and decided on an early 80's Gold Star, which was suggested to me on this thread.  There are a couple in the Marketplace of interest to me, until I found a 1984 Gold Star GF-100 H&F just a couple hours drive from me on Craigslist. Super nice guy, the banjo belonged to his late mother, and has been in a closet for the past 18 years. He gave me a great price, and was happy to see the instrument go to a good next steward. The tailpiece was wonky, so I put the Presto I had from my old banjo on it, along with the Bryan Hooper bridge.  Made some adjustments (what a great resource these forums are!), strung up some new strings, and WOW....the difference is incredible between this and my old banjo. I'm no expert, but I believe these instruments from this era are as good as you hear and read about. I know many people on BH are fans it seems. It certainly needs to be disassembled and get a thorough cleaning, but right now I'm just enjoying it!

Yay! I love a happy ending.

quote:

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Originally posted by O.D.

Another vote for a Vintage Japanese Gold Star.
I've owned a few.
Several high level players have owned and played professionally with them
Good luck
E

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they have gotten hard to find and expensive.

there is a 1980 GF 100 on banjo barn for 1350.00 that  is a good price.

Yep, I noticed that. I spent quite a bit of time scouring the internet for them. Prices ranged from $1350 to $1900. Between here, eBay, Craigslist and Reverb, I think I found 8 for sale made from 1979-1986. I got lucky, and found one locally, and got a steal on it.

Love mine so far!