Subject: Looking For Gibson Sound but Not the Price
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 08:21:41 -0500

Greetings Nich,

I am looking for a better banjo, one that sounds like a Gibson without the price. Looks are not important to me. It is all sound. Gibson look alikes are ok too, but I don't know the names of them. Also I will build one with parts if I knew what to purchase.

This one's quite difficult to achieve...I own an older Gibson RB-800 and am really thrilled with mine...and, to date, have not found another new banjo that sounds at all like this 800. Hence, I doubt you'll find a reasonably priced import banjo that sounds like a Gibson....you will find many banjos that sound good unto themselves...in their own right...only, do not expect them to sound like a Gibson. There are other makers, within the US, that make a banjo that does come close to the sound of a Gibson...such as the Deering Golden Era...only, not exact, yet excellent sounding in their own right. Deerings, to me have their own voice which is part of the banjo evolution...they've made their own historic mark in the banjo world. Gibson is producing some great banjos today which seem to have the classic Gibson sound...I love their fullness and love their roundness in tone. My RB-800 has a more popping sound without the fullness of bottom end that can be found in the current Gibson line-up.

I currently have a Deering Goodtime and it got me by for a while but I do not like the sound. Sounds like a guitar. I have tightened the head adjusted the tail piece changed the bridge adjusted the string heighth and changed the strings. The only thing that I didn't do was change the head. Is it worth a try or should I look for another instrument?

Changing the head isn't going to make a difference...the Goodtime has a very woody tone...and a pleasant tone at that...however, it's not going to have the sound of a traditional bluegrass banjo as would the Maple Blossom or the Golden Era.
Some other possibilities for a decent sounding import would be the Gold Tone, Morgan Monroe or the Gold Star....
Mickey

Need that Bluegrass sound.

Nich

Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2004 09:38:09 -0800 (PST)
Subject: resonator banjo

Hi-I'm a relative beginner as a banjo player. I own a
cheap Alvarez Banjo. I'm looking to up-grade in the
near future. I've looked at, via my computer,
Stelling, Deering, and Wildwood. I'm at a loss
because they all look great. Could you recommend one
to me. I know I should play each but up here in
Wisconsin there aren't many banjo shops. I really
would like someone to go out on a limb and make a
recommendation. I'm looking for a resonator banjo.
Thank you very much--Dave

Greetings Dave,

Wow! The banjos you're looking for info on are all great in their own right...it would be very difficult to say one is better than another...you can say, that certain models, that fall under all 3 brands, are better for particular applications...or that certain aspects supercede other banjos in the same class...however, you cannot really say that out of the 3, one is superior in every way.

You'll first want to set your criteria of what you're looking for in a high-end banjo...such as, volume, low-end bass quality, clarity of tone, sustain, punch...etc. And, these qualities should be predicated on what style of music you hope to achieve with your new banjo..Hence, you can see there are a lot of variables to consider before purchasing or even before putting 3 major banjo brands on the scales.

If you can e-mail me what you're looking for specifically in a banjo...and what style you're pursuing on the banjo, I believe I can assist you with narrowing your choices.

Keep on Pickin', Mickey