As most of the others had intimated, getting out to a banjo store and playing a few is the best bet, because whatever banjo you get will only be your first one. As you begin to develop a picking style, whether clawhammer, folk, bluegrass, or even plectrum, you will determine the course of your second banjo purchase, (or third).

I current have a Vega Folk Ranger (long neck) which eventually hooked me into an Aria bluegrass model, into a Vega Mando-banjo, into a Gibson tenor, and then a GoldTone 6 string. All have their place and were the result of informed self interest, yet the long neck remains my first choice, since it can do almost anything the others can. I always say "You will know as you go," when it comes to picking your next instrument.

As for the sexy banjo/guitar tiff, I play both, but truth to tell, my autoharp has gotten me more places than either of the others (been playing for some 30 years on each). But speaking of the longneck, a couple of weeks ago in Doolin, some Irishman hollered out "Why's the neck on your banjo so long? To which I replied "I guess it's because I play with it alot"

Try that with a guitar...