need a banjo recommendation

shedshrine · Post by **shedshrine** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 2:15 pm

Friend who is a girl wants to buy her beau a banjo.
I know not from banjos.
What are some good makes and models of banjos to look for?
An excerpt from our conversation:
Q: What's your price range?
A: Oh, how much are good ones.

edit: $200- $300

The Scum · Post by **The Scum** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 5:59 pm

"Remo"

Tee-hee.

shedshrine · Post by **shedshrine** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 7:27 pm

The Scum wrote:"Remo"

Tee-hee.

Does Remo use real catskin there, Mr. Kitten Britches.

mrpicholas · Post by **mrpicholas** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 10:07 pm

You can't quite get a Deering Goodtime for that, but you could get close. American-made, they are the best thing going for under $500.00. The original Goodtime is a lightweight, open-back banjo that streets for just under $400.00. If you can find one used, I would think it would be close to your price.

http://www.deeringbanjos.com/collection ... ime-banjos

In my opinion, they play and sound better than anything else in that price range.

ubertar · Post by **ubertar** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 6:07 am

If the guy is actually a guitar player and not a banjo player, you might consider one of those things that sounds like a banjo but plays like a guitar. I got one a while back for about $200 and like it. The brand was something cheesy and religious-sounding like "Trinity River". I used it on a piece on my latest record, which should come out about any minute now...

shedshrine · Post by **shedshrine** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:30 am

Thanks guys.

ubertar wrote:If the guy is actually a guitar player and not a banjo player..

This is indeed the case. I will check out both types. Ubertar, this quote good enough for your new album title?

ubertar · Post by **ubertar** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:55 am

The new record is a soundtrack, so the title is insanely long, something like:
Soundtrack to "Travels with H", a series of short films by Raeshma Razvi.

The banjo is only on one piece, in a quasi-pseudo-Persian style. "H" in the title refers to Hafiz, a medieval Persian Sufi poet, in the tradition of Rumi. The films are about his influence on people today and range from documentary-style interviews to semi-abstract performance pieces. So the music is Persian-influenced, but with a modern feel. I tried to keep it varied in terms of timbre and style. I mostly used instruments I made, but there's also barbat (oud), the aforementioned banjo, cello (used in an upright-bass pizzicato jazz style in an Alice Coltrane tribute piece) and a bunch of other stuff... it was recorded about a year and a half ago (maybe two years by now?) so to me it's old stuff. It's kind of similar to the work I did in Bakshish back when I lived in Seattle, not that anyone still remembers that...

Sorry to hijack your thread... sounds like you've got it covered, though. You can see the films (and hear snippets of the pieces) at http://vimeo.com/channels/hafiz.

Nick Sevilla · Post by **Nick Sevilla** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 9:32 pm

Fixed your link:
It had a period at the end which gave an error message.

Cheers.

http://vimeo.com/channels/hafiz

ubertar wrote:The new record is a soundtrack, so the title is insanely long, something like:
Soundtrack to "Travels with H", a series of short films by Raeshma Razvi.

The banjo is only on one piece, in a quasi-pseudo-Persian style. "H" in the title refers to Hafiz, a medieval Persian Sufi poet, in the tradition of Rumi. The films are about his influence on people today and range from documentary-style interviews to semi-abstract performance pieces. So the music is Persian-influenced, but with a modern feel. I tried to keep it varied in terms of timbre and style. I mostly used instruments I made, but there's also barbat (oud), the aforementioned banjo, cello (used in an upright-bass pizzicato jazz style in an Alice Coltrane tribute piece) and a bunch of other stuff... it was recorded about a year and a half ago (maybe two years by now?) so to me it's old stuff. It's kind of similar to the work I did in Bakshish back when I lived in Seattle, not that anyone still remembers that...

Sorry to hijack your thread... sounds like you've got it covered, though. You can see the films (and hear snippets of the pieces) at http://vimeo.com/channels/hafiz.

ubertar · Post by **ubertar** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 6:38 am

Thanks. The period wasn't intended to be part of the link, just the end of the sentence.

standup · Post by **standup** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 7:15 am

I got a used Deering Goodtime in middlin' condition for about $200, lucky find locally. It needed strings and a tailpiece. It plays well, sounds good, I'm happy. I'm a very casual banjo user.

MikeRivers · Post by **MikeRivers** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 4:23 pm

shedshrine wrote: What are some good makes and models of banjos to look for?
$200- $300

There are some entry level banjos in that price range. I assume you're looking for a 5-string banjo (oh, yeah, you know nothing about banjos - better at least find that out). Take a look at the Recording King RKOH-05. Amazon's current price on it is $229, not fancy but nicely made. Made in Korea, I think. If you want an American made banjo, the Deering Good Time is a good choice, but they're a bit above your budget.

shedshrine · Post by **shedshrine** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:05 pm

Thanks!
Stopped by Tall Toad Music in Petaluma today while getting our tires aligned.. They've got Epiphone and Deering Goodtime models. The Deering rang out clearer and sounded/played better, but the epi wasn't horrible. Ideally a used/consignment Goodtime shows up in the next few weeks. ha.

vvv · Post by **vvv** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 3:43 am

There are some what would say the best banjo recommendation is, "don't".

I have a base-model Hondo, and it's aiight for my occasional Mascis-like excursions,

Nathangrn · Post by **Nathangrn** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 4:13 am

Here are some jokes to go with the banjo.

My favorite: What's the difference between a banjo and a chainsaw?

A chainsaw has more dynamic range.

http://bluegrassbanjo.org/banjokes.html

vvv · Post by **vvv** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:13 pm

"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and plays the banjo and looks like work." Thomas Edison

What he shoulda said/I fixt it

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