I have three banjos that I have used over the years. I have a no-name resonator style that I retrieved fron atrash can. This became the first banjo I learned to frail. I had a great old time sound which I have never heard duplicated. As an incentive to work harder on my physical therapy after a table saw misshap, my therapist gave me a Harmony Sovereign 5 String w/ resonator. I played this for 2 years after I joined the band I'm in currently. I will say that Harmony Sovereigns are under appreciated as an instrument. The 5 String I currently use is an Ode Long Neck from Boulder Colorado. Very plain instrument but truly a work horse instrument. The sound is excellent and the neck is straight as a die. Even after 38 years. The only changes I made were in putting in a planetary 5th peg and a shubb 5th string capo. There are many more colorful intruments out there but for playability My Ode works as well as any Deering, Bacon and Day, Paramount, or Mastertone I've ever played.

Don Meixner