5 String Resonator Banjo with 24 Brackets with Closed Back and Geared 5th Tuner

I've been playing musical instruments for over twenty years, as a classically trained violinist and violist. With that in mind, I have a pretty high standard when it comes to musical instruments. I also know when a musical instrument is simply incapable of producing good tone, or playing in tune, or poorly made.This banjo far exceeded my expectations. I've bought cheap musical instruments before, typically when I was travelling into parts of the world where an expensive instrument was not likely to return in one piece, and so I'm familiar with the compromises that are inherent in buying inexpensive instruments. This banjo has few, if any, compromises.To begin with, the banjo is well made and cosmetically attractive. All of the fittings were made of solid material, and installed straight and true. The frets are spaced correctly, and the strings are positioned over the fingerboard properly, with no buzzing or dead notes. The instrument required no adjustment out of the box, other than tuning. Once tuned, it lost it's tuning by less than a half note across all the strings during the first hour of play, which is due to the stretch of new strings. Once the strings were "broken in", it consistently held its tune from day to day.The tone of this instrument is good. It might not be the Stradivarius of banjos, but to my musician's ear, it produces a consistent, clear, and pleasing tone. (You have to use good technique, or no instrument will produce good tone). Hammer ons and slides were clear, without distortion or buzzing. As I mentioned previously, the spacing of the strings, both over the fingerboard as well as across the bridge, is perfect.To sum it up, I had intended to buy this banjo as a cheap starter banjo, and to upgrade if I ended up enjoying it. The fact of the matter is that I see no need to upgrade any time soon. I'll put a set of good strings on it (the strings that came on it seem fine, but I'm excited to see what a set of "high grade" strings will sound like) and maybe replace the head if I get around to it, but let me be clear; neither of those things are necessary. This thing looks good, plays good, and sounds good out of the box.If you're looking for a banjo to start picking, look no further. This'll do ya fine.

I LOVE this banjo. I've never played any instrument of any kind, but have always wanted to learn banjo because I love bluegrass music. I bought this used on Amazon for $129! There was not an option to buy it new at the time, and was the only one listed. It arrived quickly and extremely well packed. It looked brand new when I opened. Not a scratch or blemish on it. The packaging appeared to be factory sealed, so I think maybe it actually was not used. Maybe it was but it was packaged perfectly and seriously had no signs of use whatsoever. This banjo is amazing!! Of course I have nothing to compare it to, but it has a beautiful sound and is absolutely gorgeous. My 22 year old son is an accomplished pianist and guitarist and said this banjo is indeed excellent quality. I'm so glad I bought it, and the price was unbelievable. It looks like at least a $500-$1000 banjo. Everything about it is quality! Now to just get past lesson 1 on my YouTube lessons.

I'm an amateur musician with long experience at the piano and a shorter experience with other fretted instruments (tenor and baritone ukulele and classical guitar). This is my first banjo. My instrument arrived very well packaged in fitted styrofoam and was physically perfect. It was also properly set up as to bridge placement, head tension, and height of action--all I had to do was tune it. It is a beautiful instrument, solidly constructed. I played every note on the fretboard, and they all rang out sounding good, no buzzes, no dead spots. As far as I can, tell, comparable entry-level banjos from Deering are at least 3 or 4 times the price: I would definitely recommend this without reservation to any beginner. Those who become really skilled might want to buy a more expensive instrument in the future, but this one is plenty good enough to learn on--looks great, sounds great, easy to play on. 5 stars and I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

I decided to take up banjo during the COVID lockdown, and wanted an inexpensive banjo in case I didn’t stick with it. I love it - the banjo exceeded my expectations. It sounds really nice and I don’t see a need to upgrade for a while. It came well packaged, and except for a little tuning, it was ready to play out of the box. I’m two months in, and I’ve tweaked a few things to make it sound better. First, I decided to play clawhammer, so I removed the resonator to play it open back. Then I tightened up the head using a drum dial - they are sent with the heads a little loose to avoid possible shipping damage. Then I set the bridge to get good intonation with the guide of a YT video, and I finger tightened the set screw on the tailpiece. The 5th string was buzzing, so I put a bit of paper in the pip to lift the string off the pip’s adjacent fret, which fixed it. And finally, I learned that I could muffle any metallic overtones by sticking a lightly rolled up sock in the back between the coordinator rod and the bridge. Now, it sounds really nice to my only slightly more experienced ear. I’ve changed to light strings, and that seems to make hammer ons easier. In any case, I really love the banjo and would buy it again.

It arrived earlier then expected. The banjo is beautiful and made for a wonderful surprise Birthday gift for my daughter. I would definately purchase from this seller again.