Can anyone here recommend a decent 'STARTER' Tenor Banjo to work with as a 'newbie???. Have been playing Whistle, Flute and Button Accordion for years. Tis time to become a 'stringy 'person!!
All the best,
paddy w.
I would suggest looking toward a vintage banjo. Buying a new banjo is not going to get you much, even in the mid-price range, and when you outgrow the new banjo, it will be worth less than you paid for it.
I started on a Gold Tone, but I have had several banjos that were light years ahead that cost me less.
The problem with a vintage banjo is that you have to know what you're looking for. So it would be handy to have a banjo player helping you with it.
eBay can be a good resource, but you have to be somewhat careful. The good news is that banjos aren't fragile like most instruments, so if the neck is straight, you have a reasonable shot of getting it set up OK and having a good player. If you stick to the branded names like Vega, Paramount, Orpheum, Bacon, etc, it will help.
If you give us an idea of where you are, and how much you're willing to spend, we could get more specific...
I bought an old Slingerland short scale tenor from eBay. I had to replace the head and the tuning keys, but all totalled I spent about $150.
It's not the best, but it'll do for a good long while. If I ever get to the point where I think the quality of the instrument is limiting me, then I'll consider upgrading.
New banjos like deering are robust and have a reasonably good sound. Vintage can give you a better sound depending on model and price range, but you need to know what to look for. They're more fragile, but a good one will maintain it's price. I think short scales are great to learn on ...
I've a couple of banjos I'm considering selling.. nearly new modern to vega vintage, let me know if you're interested.
look for vega little wonder or any of the Langstile banjo or Orpheum
not very expencive but all of them have pretty good sound
I just love my Orpheum.
if not you can always try to find a Framus banjo
these are not as good as those mentioned before
but still ok for a beginner - I know, I got one and I'm a beginner
old banjos may be ok but for a beginner, learning to cope with their possible mechanical failings can get in the way of learning how to play the music.
get a new american built banjo if you can afford the minimum two or three hunderd quid it would cost
you get a good instrument and a dealer's guarantee if anything goes wrong.
I wasn't suggesting that any old vintage banjo would be good. I would suggest that if you get an old one that you get good geared tuners and a good setup. But buying a "new american-built banjo" is going to cost you in the long run, because if you're getting a cheap Deering or Gold Tone, it might have a guarantee, but it's not necessarily going to be worth what you paid for it 2 years from now when you want to sell it.
But if you get a decent Orpheum or Vega, for instance, it WILL be worth it, and it might just end up being your banjo for life! And if you look hard enough, you can get a good one of those for the same price as a Gold Tone or Deering...
Thank You Reverend
I've paid for my Orpheum 700 euro
where I could have buy in Waltons Deering banjos
for pretty much similar kind of money
but
none of them either sound as good or look as good as my Orpheum #2.
i agree with the "buy an old one" brigade.
dont buy blind, buy a 1920s/30s banjo from a good dealer.
if you love it, great.
if you think its sh*te or outgrow it, it will be worth what you paid for it in 2 years time.
a new banjo looses money as soon as you leave the store.
there is so much info about this on the net, and on this site, there is no point repeating here
do a search for a bloke called mike keyes
i'm in the middle of switching between a shortscale/17fret to a standard/19fret
most important differences
the 17 is much easier to play, slacker strings, shorter reach
the 19 sounds much better, has better sustain.
the only thing that is easier on the 19 is triplets, due to stiffer string tension.
when i settled on a shortscale 1920s gibson. very dinky, easy to play.
also easy to play at 4am, as it its very loud.
if i sell it tomorrow i will get what i paid for it.
You see some good bargains there on Tenor banjos.
I bought a Gibson TB100 on it, It is really nice to play, lovely action. The Case that it came in would cost 150 quid in Ireland.
basically..I would not buy anything in Ireland, there is good value in America..with the dollar etc etc.
Thank You 'ALL ' for your assistance with my quest to find a decent Tenor Banjo. I appreciate it .
Now at least , I have somewhere to start in my Quest!!
I reside in Florida ............................most of the time when I'm not traveling !!
Gura mile maith !!!
paddy
A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
Can anyone here recommend a decent 'STARTER' Tenor Banjo to work with as a 'newbie???. Have been playing Whistle, Flute and Button Accordion for years. Tis time to become a 'stringy 'person!!
All the best,
paddy w.
# Posted on April 30th 2008 by Fir na tine
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
Hey Paddy,
I would suggest looking toward a vintage banjo. Buying a new banjo is not going to get you much, even in the mid-price range, and when you outgrow the new banjo, it will be worth less than you paid for it.
I started on a Gold Tone, but I have had several banjos that were light years ahead that cost me less.
The problem with a vintage banjo is that you have to know what you're looking for. So it would be handy to have a banjo player helping you with it.
eBay can be a good resource, but you have to be somewhat careful. The good news is that banjos aren't fragile like most instruments, so if the neck is straight, you have a reasonable shot of getting it set up OK and having a good player. If you stick to the branded names like Vega, Paramount, Orpheum, Bacon, etc, it will help.
If you give us an idea of where you are, and how much you're willing to spend, we could get more specific...
# Posted on April 30th 2008 by Reverend
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
I'm in Dublin.
I have a nice beginner one thats in percect nic.
Up to you
# Posted on April 30th 2008 by Hugo Chavez
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
perfect
# Posted on April 30th 2008 by Hugo Chavez
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
Where do you live paddy
# Posted on April 30th 2008 by DES RYNNE
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
I bought an old Slingerland short scale tenor from eBay. I had to replace the head and the tuning keys, but all totalled I spent about $150.
It's not the best, but it'll do for a good long while. If I ever get to the point where I think the quality of the instrument is limiting me, then I'll consider upgrading.
# Posted on May 1st 2008 by CleverName
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
New banjos like deering are robust and have a reasonably good sound. Vintage can give you a better sound depending on model and price range, but you need to know what to look for. They're more fragile, but a good one will maintain it's price. I think short scales are great to learn on ...
I've a couple of banjos I'm considering selling.. nearly new modern to vega vintage, let me know if you're interested.
Nick
# Posted on May 1st 2008 by gilezzznik
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
Paddy
I play a Grafton Clipper from Andy Perkins in the UK.
He assembles them from pretty good parts sourced in the far East, but they sound pretty good and they're very playable.
Andy has a broad range of tenors to choose from, check out his website.
http://andybanjo.com/
HBM
# Posted on May 1st 2008 by Horrace Bampton-Morris
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
look for vega little wonder or any of the Langstile banjo or Orpheum
not very expencive but all of them have pretty good sound
I just love my Orpheum.
if not you can always try to find a Framus banjo
these are not as good as those mentioned before
but still ok for a beginner - I know, I got one and I'm a beginner
# Posted on May 1st 2008 by padre
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
old banjos may be ok but for a beginner, learning to cope with their possible mechanical failings can get in the way of learning how to play the music.
get a new american built banjo if you can afford the minimum two or three hunderd quid it would cost
you get a good instrument and a dealer's guarantee if anything goes wrong.
# Posted on May 1st 2008 by millionyears_bc
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
I wasn't suggesting that any old vintage banjo would be good. I would suggest that if you get an old one that you get good geared tuners and a good setup. But buying a "new american-built banjo" is going to cost you in the long run, because if you're getting a cheap Deering or Gold Tone, it might have a guarantee, but it's not necessarily going to be worth what you paid for it 2 years from now when you want to sell it.
But if you get a decent Orpheum or Vega, for instance, it WILL be worth it, and it might just end up being your banjo for life! And if you look hard enough, you can get a good one of those for the same price as a Gold Tone or Deering...
# Posted on May 1st 2008 by Reverend
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
Thank You Reverend
I've paid for my Orpheum 700 euro
where I could have buy in Waltons Deering banjos
for pretty much similar kind of money
but
none of them either sound as good or look as good as my Orpheum #2.
# Posted on May 1st 2008 by padre
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
where does paddy live?..........
i agree with the "buy an old one" brigade.
dont buy blind, buy a 1920s/30s banjo from a good dealer.
if you love it, great.
if you think its sh*te or outgrow it, it will be worth what you paid for it in 2 years time.
a new banjo looses money as soon as you leave the store.
there is so much info about this on the net, and on this site, there is no point repeating here
do a search for a bloke called mike keyes
i'm in the middle of switching between a shortscale/17fret to a standard/19fret
most important differences
the 17 is much easier to play, slacker strings, shorter reach
the 19 sounds much better, has better sustain.
the only thing that is easier on the 19 is triplets, due to stiffer string tension.
when i settled on a shortscale 1920s gibson. very dinky, easy to play.
also easy to play at 4am, as it its very loud.
if i sell it tomorrow i will get what i paid for it.
where does paddy live?...
# Posted on May 2nd 2008 by bambi
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
I would recommend banjohangout classifieds.
You see some good bargains there on Tenor banjos.
I bought a Gibson TB100 on it, It is really nice to play, lovely action. The Case that it came in would cost 150 quid in Ireland.
basically..I would not buy anything in Ireland, there is good value in America..with the dollar etc etc.
# Posted on May 2nd 2008 by premierview
Re: A Reasonably Priced 'Newbie's' Tenor Banjo
Thank You 'ALL ' for your assistance with my quest to find a decent Tenor Banjo. I appreciate it .
Now at least , I have somewhere to start in my Quest!!
I reside in Florida ............................most of the time when I'm not traveling !!
Gura mile maith !!!
paddy
# Posted on May 2nd 2008 by Fir na tine