Good thread about something I've pondered for several years. I play a resonator banjo, three finger style, but would like to add some clawhammer tunes.

However, our group jams without sound reinforcement (mics & amps) in some fairly rowdy, noisy bars -- an open backed frailing banjo just cannot be heard, especially with a bass, several fiddles, a couple of mandolins, and three or four guitars, and the odd bodhran or autoharp.

I suspect some frailers use resonators simply as "survival of the fittest" in order to cope with the venue. When you hear the frailing style step out, it's usually in a quieter setting, and the banjo is paired with a good fiddler. And of course when you hear them at most festivals or concerts it's through a sound system.