One of the things that puzzles me is why northern folkies almost never use resonator 5-string banjos for anything except bluegrass. I've met a lot of old-time southern pickers who frail and clawhammer the bejeezums out of a resonator banjo. Part of me suspects it's a technique used by and for the hard of hearing. Another part says, "No, it's just slavish adherence to old-timey tradition." I'd like to know what others think.