Well I doubt that everyone already has all the banjos they will ever need. My guess it has something to do with the current state of the economy and the uncertainty of future improvements in the job market and wages. I'm not seeing a lot of optimism out there lately.

What are some of the indicators that show banjo sales are declining?

Working in a retail music store, all instrument sales are down right now because of the economy as kwl stated. But I’ve probably seen the biggest influx of banjo interest these past few months than in the last four years I’ve worked there, especially in starting to learn the instrument

Well why not learn/play banjo as we watch the Titanic sink? I think that is what I am doing since I don;t know how to save the Titanic or even if it is salvageable. I dunno, I'll have to ponder it all more....banjered

This is an old trope that has been on the BHO for a long time. Anyone who follows banjos on Reverb, Ebay, craigslist, Facebook, etc., might think otherwise. There is no lack of interest in banjos, there is no shortage of players, & I hear banjo music in every corner of my everyday experience, (ads, film, songs & soundtracks for umpteen products, etc.)
Check out the Ebay & Reverb features that track sold items.

There’s a banjo player playing on a new TV/internet ad for online gambling. That’ll spike sales…. maybe

I don't think this is necessarily a prevailing trope. It seems accurate to me in terms of used banjo sales. In my perception there seem to be banjos hanging around for sale that would have sold quicker 3 years ago. I remember the number of Gibson banjos for sale here being around 100 and now it's around 130.

This is obviously conjecture, however. I don't know if there are data to support this either way.

"... as we watch the Titanic sink?" Or Troy burn. Nero should have had a banjo.

I remember bad times worse than now back in the late seventies and early eighties. Very high interest rates and high gas prices for the time. For a while it was hard to even get gas due to the embargo.

My philosophy: Just wait, it will get better.

I've never been a gloom and doom type but one who always has hope for the future.

Economy and Banjovi prices are ridiculous compared to other instruments IMO.
Slammer!!!

Lower the prices on the fancy banjos...

I think utility..Will be comming into fashion..
No bling..Just a fun n singing machine..to express ones self..

quote:

---

Originally posted by RDP

I remember bad times worse than now back in the late seventies and early eighties. Very high interest rates and high gas prices for the time. For a while it was hard to even get gas due to the embargo.

---

Yes....I agree...

Instrument sales are down all around right now. The exception is the real high end. Those with $$$ are still spending. Real cheap stuff is selling. Summer is a tough time to make sales and in an economy that is depressed due to rising cost for more essentials and other extenuating circumstances a discretionary expenditure takes a lot more thought and planning. Things sold well this past spring but it has been dead these past few weeks. Inventories are high. At least where I've looked.

If we would just follow Charley Brown's advice and give everyone a banjo when they are born this scenario would not be being discussed right now.

Bobby

~$2000 isn't a lot of money for a high quality instrument, but its still a lot of money for many folks. Making do with my $300 Craigslist 70's pac rim for the unforeseen future.

I've bought two new banjos in the past year, so my wife thinks banjo sales are through the roof these days!

"Banjo sales" is too broad of a market. Picture a quadrant. You can break the five-string market down very broadly by new and used along one axis and by open back or resonator along the other. In each of the four quadrants, you can probably break each down into three price levels. At different times, you will get very different answers for the different segments.

When saying something is "down," you then have to look at whether you are talking sales volume or price. In the used arena, particularly, banjo sales volumes can go up when actual sales prices decline. New banjos are a little stickier as builders don't adjust prices on new instruments the same way that a seller of a used banjo might.

banjos have always been hot and cold.... prices go up and down on all of them except the cherished few original 6 figure ones.
late 50s early 60s saw a surge with the folk scene,,, early 70s gave us Deliverance and they surged again.. they leveled off in the 80s then gibson went back to old way of making them and that helped.
     then along comes o'brother and it got another kick in the pants.
its like Flavius and Marullus complained " the crowd of commoners are so fickle" banjo sells are the same way.... something will come along again soon and it will be so cool to pick a banjo....
or thats my opinion !

Okay, this is wild! I’ve been a member here since 2004, yikes!
I can’t speak for banjo love but definitely instruments seem to stay in the classifieds here longer. Also, banjo prices are for sure lower. I could buy the Rich Era ESS Gibson banjo for less today than when I sold mine 8 years ago.
Stellings, same ballpark price as 20 years ago. The market has changed. Maybe back then it was “O Brother”. That pulled things up.
Also, it seems traffic on this site is slower. For sure the volume of content is down.
Reminds me of classic car shows. Everyone displaying a car has grey hair and a stiff back.
Lots of hot young pickers still but the world is changing

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gallaher

Okay, this is wild! I’ve been a member here since 2004, yikes!
I can’t speak for banjo love but definitely instruments seem to stay in the classifieds here longer. Also, banjo prices are for sure lower. I could buy the Rich Era ESS Gibson banjo for less today than when I sold mine 8 years ago.
Stellings, same ballpark price as 20 years ago. The market has changed. Maybe back then it was “O Brother”. That pulled things up.
Also, it seems traffic on this site is slower. For sure the volume of content is down.
Reminds me of classic car shows. Everyone displaying a car has grey hair and a stiff back.
Lots of hot young pickers still but the world is changing

---

i was looking  at a few old cars at a show  not long ago.... when i got home i looked on the net to see what a 64 impala ss like i once had was going  for...

 didn't take long to figure out i didn't need one anymore...  60k and up   naw i don't think so

Sales might be down, but I believe we are living in the golden ear of banjo production. The quality and beauty of present day instruments is amazing. Boutique builders like Tim Davis are building incredible banjos at affordable prices, Prucha is making art, Deering has a bit of everything. Its a great time to be a banjo player and buyer!!

…The market has changed. Maybe back then it was “O Brother”. That pulled things up…

Back then, Taylor Swift was playing a Deering Boston, Mumford and Sons had banjo on the pop and rock charts, as well as banjo in the country charts with Darius Rucker, Glen Campbell’s daughter with Big and Rich, and Toby Kieth’s Red Solo Cup was Huge. A very large percentage of country music had banjo in the mix. It was my bar playing days, and we had to learn all that stuff. At the time, Deering was doing so well they upgraded and expanded their a Goodtime line big time, and upgraded their Sierra with nice bling, and their tone rings in all their premium banjos. Banjo was in a heyday at that time, and we didn’t even realize it.

Well I just bought one, so I guess I'm doing my part!