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The banjo reviews database is here to help educate people before they purchase an instrument. Of course, this is not meant to be a substitute for playing the instrument yourself!
7235 reviews in the archive.
Where Purchased: Bishline banjos
Year Purchased: 2015
Price Paid: Don't Remember
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The tone is warm but bright if that makes sense. Very full sound. Perfect for clawhammer and oldtime playing.
Sound Rating: 10
The banjo was set up great. The action was very low which is probably why it is so easy to play. After playing my other banjos with higher action it took some getting used to. I actually ordered a slightly taller bridge, but am unsure if I will put it on after playing it for a week. Other tweaks look pretty straight forward to make if needed.
Setup Rating: 9
It has a mahogany neck withan ebony fretboard. Maple pot with aged brass hardware. Inlayed mop moon and star on peghead and star on 5th. I won this banjo so I wasnt going to be picky, but I did give it a good looking over. I found nothing but tight craftsmanship. No small gaps, no finish flaws, nothing. This banjo is truly beautiful.
Appearance Rating: 10
All the hardware seems very nice quality. Finish is wonderful. No compaints.
Reliability Rating: 10
I received an email from bishline telling me I have won the banjo. When I called the number thinking it was a scam, l must of sounded crazy. I think it was Andy who assured me I won and was very nice about getting it out as soon as possible. I believe I may have thrown out a holy....! Yes it has a limited life time warranty. So far got to say 10
Customer Service: 10
Gotoh tuners which I have on another banjo and love. Dobson raw brass tone ring. Comes in a nice superior hard case.
Components Rating: 10
Given that the only other banjos in this price range I have played were in stores, I can only compare it to lesser expensive banjos. I am sure that anything in this range would be beutiful. I am impressed and will get plenty of use out of this banjo.
Overall Rating: 10
Where Purchased:
Year Purchased: 2014
Price Paid: 650 ($US)
The sound and tone of this banjo is what I love most about it. It has a warm tone that is much more mellow than my goodtimes. I had intentions of changing the head to a renaisance, but after playing as is I decided to keep the head it came with for now. I did try a renaisance and the a John Balch skin head. The skin head stayed and really adds to the tone.
Sound Rating: 9
My biggest concern was is did not come st up well. I went over the entire banjo after receiving it and tightened everything. I eventually put a 1/2 inch bridge on which brought the action down and improved the tone up the neck.
Setup Rating: 5
It is a very simple banjo. Which is what I like about it. I wanted a plain old time looking banjo without a lot of fancy decor. This banjo really fit my personalty. Nice quality wood, hardware, and finish. To me the banjo is a peice of folk art as well as an instrument.
Appearance Rating: 8
Good quality hardware was used. The finish looks tough. Time will tell.
Reliability Rating: 9
So far every time I asked a question or tried contacting Zach he returned a responce very quickly. After dealing with zach on another purchase I have to say he is very easy to deal with.
Customer Service: 9
Nothing I would upgrade now. 5 star planetary tuners seem durable.
Components Rating: 9
Overall a positive purchase. Any negatives are easily solved. I can only see the products that Zachory Hoyt puts out getting better. The price was fair and with fine detailing could easily be worth more.
Overall Rating: 8
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