I've got two Goldtones; a short scale (17 fret) tenor with a Whyte Laydie tone ring and heavy strings tuned GDAE, and an OB250G flat head 5 string customised with a new tailpiece and Keith 'D' tuners. Neither was expensive, even here in the UK, and both are much admired wherever I play them (although the playing generally isn't!). The OB250G is a good Mastertone copy, with good fit, playability and finish, and has an excellent tone ring. Setup was good, and the instrument is loud and has a ringing tone that sounds great for my style of playing ('melodic' style bluegrass mostly). John Vickers at Vintage Strings in Cheltenham played it back-to-back with a high end Gibson, and said he couldn't choose beteen them for tone and volume. The tenor is perfect for Irish music, with that low 'plunk' that is so characteristic of that style. Plenty loud enough for sessions, and the ultra-slim neck, short scale and low action allow me to use mandolin fingering without too much of a stretch. So far I've had no negatives at all with either banjo.
Hope this helps.
Tim