Great thread Jon.

A little project that I've had for a number of years is hunting down GOOD inexpensive copies of Gibson Mastertone banjos for my students. The early Ibanezes are pretty competitive with ANY vintage Gibson, and can usually be found at a fraction of the cost. They ARE getting more expensive but haven't cracked the 1000 buck (Canadian) mark yet.

I'm curious if anyone knows about "El Degas" banjos. Were they made in the same factories as Ibanez? They made a couple of deluxe banjos during the seventies that are hard to beat. Quite heavy and solid, with fine tone. These are rel bargains today, and can still be had for under 800 (Canadian)bucks.

Rick