Banjo Online Buyer's Guide: Top 10 Things to Know Before You Buy!

[@faelwolf1177]

Bought a Tacoma Orpheum No.2 back in the day off of EBay dirt cheap, just after the Fender takeover when they were being basically just dumped on the market. Talk about a crash course in banjo setup! It was straight from the factory, no setup at all. This is a pretty good overview of what to look for, as well as what to learn. Nice to see a banjo inspection/setup video that doesn't play like a tech course for NASA.

[@Scout81]

This is the only place I'll buy an instrument online without playing it. You can be confident that the instrument you buy fron Ben & Jake is totaly inspected and nicely set-up. I've been very pleased with every instrument I bought from them.

[@BanjoBen]

Thanks!

[@chrish3847]

Just ordered a Morgan Monroe RT-B18 for a beginner Banjo. Spoke with a Darryl I believe who was very helpful and walked be through the process and which one to get in my price point. He welcomed me to the hobby and said to call him again when I was ready to upgrade within the year. He mentioned to be prepared to be hooked on playing the banjo. Great store rep. Thanks Ben!!

[@BanjoBen]

That doesn't surprise me at all, he's a good'n.

[@nathanlester5054]

Great video and great information. These guys really know their products and know how to set up a banjo for the best sound and playability. I purchased a beginner banjo from Banjo Ben last April and have been totally satisfied with the instrument.

[@BanjoBen]

Thank you!

[@charlesbranch4120]

Thank you. I had to bag a Gold Tone NOS B-stock AC-5 two weeks ago from a music store on Reverb, and given the discount over new, ordered a curly maple armrest and planetary tuners (for a later time). Maybe the lack of an armrest made it B-stock? I'm very pleased with this instrument to restart learning to play after dropping it thirty-some years ago. (As a seasonal fishery technician, practicing down at the tent camp and arousing the PFT staff's dogs' howling and wives didn't seem like a good thing to do. A cohort demonstrated that he could get a similar reaction with harmonica... Not reassuring for practicing anything... ) The AC-5 is much better than that first banjo, a used Coronado bought from a music store and teacher in Montana to practice with Happy Traum's cassette lessons (Homespun Records & Tapes mail order). 😄

[@BluegillGreg]

Excellent guide, thank you.

[@foghorn_n16]

Good lads, great hair and decent advice for pickers, city or country.

[@ThomasSchaefer-hs6eq]

Sehr interessant. Danke für die Tipps. Ich habe nochnie ein Instrument gelernt. Jetzt möchte ich Banjo spielen lernen. Hier in Deutschland bekommt man nicht überall ein Banjo. Ich werde mir einige Banjos 350 Kilometer von mir entfernt anschauen. Ihre Tipps waren sehr gut.

[@BanjoBen]

You're welcome! There are quite a few bluegrass lovers in Germany, Austria, & Switzerland. Keep looking!

[@MasonCroneMusic]

Very cool video. I'll get a high end banjo someday...😂

[@robertmayer6866]

Great people, great products! Love my Goldtone

[@Xt1000]

I'd like to hear a sound comparison between The Goldstone Twanger and The Recording King 75 or 76. I'm interested in one of them. They are in my budget range.

[@garykaufman8128]

Folks will always get the best set-up from Jake and Ben (and Adam)...they certainly understand sound, fit, and finish of banjos!

[@charlesnewell569]

Where is the store location?

[@billymack4258]

Question are Washburn b16 banjo's made in the usa? Thanks

[@ingridthurston-polkey653]

Still waiting for some one who can teach left hand banjo 🙏 thank you

[@NiekkieNick]

What brand Banjo was lying on the bench? Is it a Harley Benton? I have my eyes on two models of Goldtone. A AC-5 and the CC-50RP. More expensive then the Harley Benton but is it worth the money if you are an absolute beginner?

[@bengterlandsson7921]

Not 100% sure. But it looks a lot like the gold tone OB-3. Would like to have that confirmed. As I wondered the same thing.

[@OldMcDnald]

Lol this video has deterred me from.buying my first banjo 😂 😂

[@johnboyette4710]

Jake are you still driving your red. 2012 suv

[@josephcaloger366]

Best spent 10 minutes any new banjo player can spend.

[@johnmarkoliver61]

Yep, the nut is critical !

[@BanjoBen]

Yessir

[@barrysmith8193]

Did I miss the part where you said that there are great left handed banjos, in all price ranges, for left handers on the market place? Right handers consistently preach that we left handers need to get over it and learn to play a right handed instrument. This is absurd and insulting. Deering makes excellent left handed banjos and their company treats us as equals. If you are a left hander reading this and considering buying don’t make the mistake of buying a right handed one. I struggled for 3 years with a right hand then finally bought a left hand and my playing ability soared.

[@soggybiscotti8425]

Literally nobody expects you to 'just learn to play a right handed instrument' That's an absurd claim and something absolutely nobody has said. The most you could say is that someone may recommend you take a right handed guitar and reverse the strings and everything to fit. Unfortunately, the market provides less options for left handed people because there are significantly less sold. It's illogical for them to be produced if people aren't buying them. That would be a waste of money and time. Sadly if you are left handed, you just need to harden the f**k up and accept the reality of your situation instead of complaining about something that won't be changed, not because people wouldn't want to if they could, but because it makes no financial or logistical sense to do so. If you are going to complain about everything in life that isn't tailored to your individual character, you will be a very unhappy person. I feel for you, and my closest friend is a lefty and we can't play eachothers guitars and he does struggle to find some particular instruments he likes, but that's the reality of the situation and it is what it is. But for you to say that anybody has told you to just get over it and learn right handed is just plain stupid and frankly, a lie. And if anyone genuinely told you that, you should give them a good slap for being a moron. There's a 0% chance of anyone hearing that opinion more than once.

[@PhillipBlanton]

Banjo Ben should Be Bearded.

[@BanjoBen]

What I'd give for the ability, but the Good Lord put a little too much Irish in my blood.

[@PhillipBlanton]

@@BanjoBen I just like the alliteration of that sentence; and I know lots of bearded Irish. I myself am a bearded scotsman, but it did take me well into my fifties to be able to grow a nice one./

[@myronmullins3903]

??????? ?

[@finemeat]

Ya, ask for double boxing. UPS damaged 6 in delivery to me this year. About 50% …

[@paulmariette2710]

I.wood..like.too. buy..a.banjoline.on.line