Oscar SchmidtOB3 Open-Back 5-String Banjo

I am a veteran music teacher and guitarist. I’ve not played a lot of banjo, but I knew what to look for and I am satisfied with this banjo. For the price this is a winner. The sound is good. It is very playable. The action is nice and it looks good.

When my husband and I saw a bluegrass band perform live and he uttered the words “that looks fun....how hard could it be to learn to play the banjo” I knew a banjo was in our future. After going all over town to find an affordable beginners banjo and only being presented with models starting at $800, we opted for amazon’s offerings. So far it’s been an affordable way for him to figure out if it really is something he wants to pursue. At this price, if he decides it’s not for him and he never picks it up again, it’s not a huge waste of money.

Defective 5th string tuner. Had to send it back at a slight loss. If I can't tune it, I can't play it and that makes it garbage to me.

I just ordered this banjo on a whim, having never touched a banjo before in my life. I love it! It has a great sound and is very easy to handle as someone who has absolutely no experience. Shipped right on time. I would highly recommend if you are looking for a beginning banjo.

A great beginner banjo! Its fun and the sound / overall quality are good for someone learning to play. I'd recommend this for someone new to the banjo.

Really not sure just yet how to rate the Banjo.. Arrived and to my horror, the bridge was loose in a small package (might have just included a small note saying lots of luck to put this thing together), and after looking for the instructions found, I am on my own. The instrument looks good and it may even play someday, time will tell. I will write a more of an update when I get to that part. Fortunately, many others have been here before me and UTube was up to speed with help. Specific instructions were easy to find when I searched for "Banjo bridge placement", and found excellent help. Haven't got it all working yet, but at least have direction. Warning! this model is not together and will require assembly, you've been warned,,, Day two of my saga and the bridge is on, tuned close enough to play and I am charging ahead. So far the Banjo is one of the best looking of the least expensive ones I looked over, the tone is good and I am crossing over to playing a banjo after years of a concert ukulele. Ready to play and happy with the purchase.

I've only had this banjo for 7 months and play it occasionally. I was experimenting with different tunings, and suddenly the geared 5th string tuner started slipping and wouldn't hold a pitch anymore. I love the tone of this banjo, and for the price, you can expect that they will not have decent quality tuners on it. Since I love the tone, it's worth it for me to put on a decent set of tuners.

Very great quality! Worth every penny! I love it