Gold Tone AC 1 Banjo Review

[@nightskyimaging]

I bought this banjo directly from Gold Tone based on your review andI love it. I am approaching 80 years and toting my Aria Pro II at 16l bs is a beast. I have learned so much from your tutorials and your opinion. I had Gold Tone put the spikes and arm guard on......I added the resonator also. I ordered it on a Friday afternoon and got it the following Monday. Great service and American made. It is a joy to tote around and play! Thanks for your contribution of banjo knowledge!!

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Thanks for the follow up on that. Yes, they are great with their customer service.

[@brianpeloquin328]

How much does it weigh with the resonator attached? I was looking at this AC-1 or the Ibanez B200 for a first time banjo. The Ibanez looks like it might be a bit nicer for another $100 or so used but I hear it's pretty heavy. Of course I would assume the heavier ones sound a bit better or at least louder. I couldn't find out how much the Ibanez B200 weighs without the resonator anywhere online but with it on I believe it's about 12lbs. Seems like I might like the AC-1 a bit better as it won't feel like a tank, I can throw it on the couch to play all the time, and easier to take outside to play. I read a lot of clawhammer players seem to like the AC-12 a bit better as with the 12" head it's less tinny sounding, the strings are spread farther apart via a larger nut, and a overall more old-timey feel to it. I think the AC-1 might be a better option for me because I will have the option of using the resonator for more bluegrass style playing. I saw the resonator for $80 on some site but it's sold out and looks to be only available on Goldtone site for $130. I'm in no rush so I suppose I can just keep on eye out for any local or online deals on the AC-1 or Ibanez 200 but the weight of the AC-1 seems great!

[@nightskyimaging]

@@brianpeloquin328 5lbs with resonator and I do have the resonator attached. I can easily carry it. I am not familiar with the Ibanez ...afraid I am no help there. But I am extremely happy with the sound. The only issue I have is the tuners are not nearly as responsive as my Arias Pro or RK-R36. I now play it all of the time and the other two sit on their stands. One other thing.....I intend to learn clawhammer ....and taking the resonator off just made sense.

[@Genetherapy3232]

I bought one of these about a year ago, and I love it! Thanks for the review:)

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Great to hear!

[@MrJRW1]

Thanks for your input! I’ve been on the fence on whether or not I should buy the AC 1 or not. You have helped to make up my mind on buying one. 👍

[@swamperdog4558]

I bought one of these on eBay and it just arrived today. Loving the sound and how light it is compared to my vintage open back! I'm looking forward to traveling with it and not worrying about wrecking my Fairbanks banjo in the rough climates riding around in my car.

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Glad you are finding it to be "as advertised"

[@Kinglymarker8988]

Great review. Hope you are doing well. The AC-1 reminds me of my Dad's old (early 60s) Harmony ResoTone banjo. It is a remarkable old gal that I have set up with nylagut minstrel strings for real old time sound.

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Exactly right, That was my first ""real" banjo. Same thing, a composite pot made it sound great but kept it light.

[@davidmolloy126]

Thanks very much Eddie and I hope that you have made a full recovery, take care, David.

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Thanks David. Yes, I'm cancer free at the moment. Very blessed, there's so much more banjo to pick!

[@cooloutboards1012]

Have a good recovery Eddie.Thanks for the review.

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Recovery is going well so far, thanks!

[@timtoner1411]

I bought one about a year ago & took it to Cambodia. I took the neck off in order to be able to get it into one of my suitcases. I was able to get it back together once I made it to Phnom Penh. It's a great little banjo & the Khmer children love to hear me play. The only thing I don't like about this banjo is that the fretboard is not wood & installing 5th string spikes don't work. Also my banjo had a screw head for a 5th string pip. Because of the finger board non-wood problem, the screw came out & was lost.

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

This is really good feedback, Tim. Yours would be about the same age as mine. Mine had a wood fretboard on a composite neck, so I was able to easily insert the spikes, drilling my customary starter hole before installing. The pip is plastic with a slot that makes it appear like a screw, but it isn't and fits nicely in its hole. Not sure Wayne will see this, but he's very responsive to feedback on his products.

[@robbyray]

Great review. Thanks and I hope you had a full recovery.

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Thanks Robby, yes back to playing the "full weight" banjo, but still often practice with this one.

[@glennmeyer4539]

I have the Gold tone AC1 banjo and I love it it was ready to play right out of the box I highly recommend it great sound

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Yes, pretty impressive that it's totally set up and ready to go.

[@dianesuess7780]

Thanks so much for this great review. I am a new newby Bango enthusiast looking to purchase my 1st bango.

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

very good starter banjo. The only tricky thing I found was changing strings isn't as easy as it could be. But you really want need to change strings much, if at all during your first year.

[@MariaCalfaDePaul]

New banjo player. I enjoyed your videos. Good luck and I hope you are on the road to recovery.

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Thanks Maria, I hope you are having fun picking the banjo.

[@MariaCalfaDePaul]

@@EddieCollinsMusic Ever since I discovered that you can play with a pic if you do Claw hammer I am in love

[@clawhammer704]

Get well wishes and prayers your way.

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Thank you very much.

[@KenneyCmusic]

I have one of these and it's a great banjo for that price. I play in all sorts of tunings no problem, clawhammer and fingerstyle. The only thing that I was disappointed about was the tailpiece that comes with it isn't compatible with nylgut strings, the hole that you feed the string through is too small for the knot. So I'll change that when I can. I just got the armrest in the mail too.

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Right, it's a good, solid tailpiece for steel strings, but would have to be changed for nylon.

[@KenneyCmusic]

@@EddieCollinsMusic I ordered a vintage style tail piece from Elderly, works great!

[@tlsupplayz8748]

What kinda strings does it come with originally

[@KenneyCmusic]

@@tlsupplayz8748 regular steel strings

[@AhtoNajeebRashied]

Thorough review. Thank you

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Glad it was helpful!

[@congerscott6064]

I'm getting one tomorrow, it comes in a banjo pack with accessories 👍.

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

That's a good way to go, getting the accessories you'll need to get started. Good luck with your picking.

[@LesPaulVOS]

I own an ac-4. Great tenor banjo for the $$. But the tuners are really not good. Any thoughts on a good replacement tuner?

[@chrisw8415]

I am getting ready to purchase my first banjo, and this is a major contender. I have one quick question I read it on several different sites that the head goes out of tune often. Have you experienced this?

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

Not at all. It is a standard of the industry Remo head. In fact, the banjo stays in tune really well, again something most beginning banjos don't do.

[@chrisw8415]

@@EddieCollinsMusic Thank you for the info, I've decided I will get one

[@Tres21]

I played one of these last week. I’m a singer songwriter and that’s what I would be doing accompanying. Just strumming and a few picking patterns. It was so light. I fell in love. I’m a lady so it was perfect weight. I’m going back to play again and make sure I want it. It’s $250. I play guitar, piano and harmonica. But love the idea of singing my originals with banjo. Thankyou for posting this video. Tres

[@tlsupplayz8748]

What kinda strings come on this banjo out of the box?

[@EddieCollinsMusic]

The supplied strings are gauged 10-13-16-24-10, which is on the heavier side, but seem to be a good fit for this banjo, especially if you intend to do clawhammer.

[@Oldbanjoman]

the goldtone ac1 has a very bad tailpiece,,,, very difficult to replace strings,,,,,!!!!!!!!!!

[@eddiecollins2394]

You have a very good point. I had the same experience when changing strings...very difficult. That didn't come up when I did the review, since the strings were brand new. Gold Tone should consider a better design for that. Still love everything else about it.

[@Oldbanjoman]

@@eddiecollins2394 hi sir, I am very satisfied with this banjo, but I replaced the tailpiece (the original is too difficult to replace strings, too bad) greetings from Belgium