I really like the tenor banjo in irish music. I could listen to Seamus Egan on tenor banjo and John Doyle on guitar together all day. I'd like to pick it up but was wondering what kinds or brands are the best and what I would expect to pay for a decent starting banjo that doesn't sound crappy. Thanks.
Well, I generally gravitate toward vintage banjos. And in that case, you have to take it on a banjo by banjo basis. But banjos made by the big makers from the 20's can be good. Anything by Lange (Paramount, Orpheum, and a few other brands) can be good. Bacon & Day and Vega can be great banjos. I generally avoid banjos from Kay, Slingerland, and the other budget makers.
I have bought about 12-13 banjos over the years - many of them for myself, but many of them were to fix up and sell. I have bought a couple of pretty darn good banjos in the $250 range, but that's after lots of searching. If you're willing to spend about $800-$1000 (US), then you can get a great banjo!
You also have to decide whether you want 17 fret or 19 fret. The shorter scale ones are often called "Irish tenors", because some melody players prefer the shorter scale. The tradeoff is sound. You tend to get better sound out of the longer-scale ones.
I have only just started along this path myself but for an easy new banjo choice I would recommend the Deering Goodtime range - all the money is put into making the instrument sound good with no fancy fretboard inlays etc. (in fact there isn't even a fretboard, the frets are set directly into the neck!).
I bought an open back 19 fret tenor for £220 (Sterling) and it is a great instrument, very easy to play and with a good sound. Resonators can be retrofitted for a further £100 if you need more volume when playing with others.
This instrument is much better than the tenor banjo I bought a few years ago for jazz purposes. I won't name the maker but it cost twice as much, had lots of fancy inlays and was a pig to play.
It is also important to buy it from a shop that will set it up for you. Many shops will sell you a tenor banjo in C (jazz) tuning and then you would have to fit thicker strings for Irish tuning - but a lot of other things can change with that and need adjustment. I bought mine from Eagle Music (http://www.eaglemusicshop.com). who gave a great service and offer a further free setup a few months after purchase.
I bought my Grafton resonator short scale Irish tenor from: http://www.andybanjo.com/index.html
I'm very pleased with it and had good advice from Andy who is really helpful.
Help, looking into tenor banjo's...
Help, looking into tenor banjo's...
I really like the tenor banjo in irish music. I could listen to Seamus Egan on tenor banjo and John Doyle on guitar together all day. I'd like to pick it up but was wondering what kinds or brands are the best and what I would expect to pay for a decent starting banjo that doesn't sound crappy. Thanks.
# Posted on August 7th 2008 by JD-DHguitar
Re: Help, looking into tenor banjo's...
Well, I generally gravitate toward vintage banjos. And in that case, you have to take it on a banjo by banjo basis. But banjos made by the big makers from the 20's can be good. Anything by Lange (Paramount, Orpheum, and a few other brands) can be good. Bacon & Day and Vega can be great banjos. I generally avoid banjos from Kay, Slingerland, and the other budget makers.
I have bought about 12-13 banjos over the years - many of them for myself, but many of them were to fix up and sell. I have bought a couple of pretty darn good banjos in the $250 range, but that's after lots of searching. If you're willing to spend about $800-$1000 (US), then you can get a great banjo!
You also have to decide whether you want 17 fret or 19 fret. The shorter scale ones are often called "Irish tenors", because some melody players prefer the shorter scale. The tradeoff is sound. You tend to get better sound out of the longer-scale ones.
You might look into banjos sold by Bernunzio (http://www.bernunzio.com/), or Vinnie Mondello (http://www.4stringbanjos.com/)
If you want to PM me, I can talk to you more about some specific banjos.
# Posted on August 7th 2008 by Reverend
Re: Help, looking into tenor banjo's...
I have only just started along this path myself but for an easy new banjo choice I would recommend the Deering Goodtime range - all the money is put into making the instrument sound good with no fancy fretboard inlays etc. (in fact there isn't even a fretboard, the frets are set directly into the neck!).
I bought an open back 19 fret tenor for £220 (Sterling) and it is a great instrument, very easy to play and with a good sound. Resonators can be retrofitted for a further £100 if you need more volume when playing with others.
This instrument is much better than the tenor banjo I bought a few years ago for jazz purposes. I won't name the maker but it cost twice as much, had lots of fancy inlays and was a pig to play.
It is also important to buy it from a shop that will set it up for you. Many shops will sell you a tenor banjo in C (jazz) tuning and then you would have to fit thicker strings for Irish tuning - but a lot of other things can change with that and need adjustment. I bought mine from Eagle Music (http://www.eaglemusicshop.com). who gave a great service and offer a further free setup a few months after purchase.
# Posted on August 8th 2008 by Simon Cross
Re: Help, looking into tenor banjo's...
I bought my Grafton resonator short scale Irish tenor from:
http://www.andybanjo.com/index.html
I'm very pleased with it and had good advice from Andy who is really helpful.
# Posted on August 8th 2008 by Lurcherjohn
Re: Help, looking into tenor banjo's...
Thanks for the help guys. Also any help in finding good banjo shops or dealers in the US as close to Ohio or Southern Michigan would be great.
# Posted on August 11th 2008 by JD-DHguitar
Re: Help, looking into tenor banjo's...
I've picked up a few cheap old banjos for £100 on Ebay.
# Posted on September 3rd 2008 by tirvaluk