Bishline: Cimarron

Submitted by 5-String Dan on 11/8/2022

Where Purchased:

Year Purchased: 2020
Price Paid: about $2500 ($US)

Sound

I play both bluegrass and clawhammer. I already had a pretty good banjo for clawhammer, but since I've been getting more into more three-finger stuff, I wanted something that would sound really good for bluegrass, and at least OK for clawhammer. I did a lot of listening to every banjo I could find within my price range, and by far, the Cimarron was the best. I still think so today. Right out of the box, it was great. After playing it in a little, the sound is unbelievable.

Sound Rating: 10

Setup

Right out of the box, the setup was great. I eventually had to make some adjustments, but I eventually got it back to perfect.

Setup Rating: 10

Appearance

You will not find a nicer looking banjo for this price. The Deering Sierra costs more (or, at least, did when I was doing my shopping) and is not nearly as nice to look at. I was shopping based essentially on nothing but sound, but I think that if I was factoring in looks, I would have gone with the Cimarron much sooner. The real surprise was when I first took it out of the case and saw the amazing walnut burl on the resonator. The workmanship is flawless, and this is a stunning instrument. This is easily the best-looking banjo you could get for $2500.

Appearance Rating: 10

Reliability

I have absolutely no complaints about how sturdy this banjo is. Some day, when I have grandkids, they will undoubtedly have a big fight about who gets this banjo after I die. Walnut seems to be a little more sensitive to humidity than maple, or other woods that I'm used to having in instruments, but little tweaks to the truss rod have proven to fix that. Besides, walnut seems integral to the sound I was looking for.

Reliability Rating: 10

Customer Service

No complaints.

Customer Service: 10

Components

Even on a completely stock example of what is sort of a workhorse banjo, I'm amazed at how nice the resonator looks. Also, the binding isn't just plain off-white celluloid, but has a subtle pattern. The inlays at the 7th and 12th frets are also more intricate than you might expect for an American-made banjo in this price range. There isn't any substandard part of this banjo.

Components Rating: 10

Overall Comments

This is a great instrument, and I think I got more than my money's worth.  I waited a while to review it in order to be 100% confident of what I'm saying, and now I'm saying with 100% confidence that this is a great banjo.  It keeps sounding better with time.

Overall Rating: 10