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Help: Banjo purchase
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: GUEST,Margo Date: 26 Feb 02 - 01:08 AM DEERING GOODTIME: Most bang for your buck. NICE quality for a beginner for not too much money. Frailing (same as clawhammer) was primarily used as a rhythm instrument in old time playing. One usually used an open back banjo for clawhammer. Your bluegrass banjo has the resonator, making it louder and brighter. But clawhammer technique is changing to produce a melodic playing as a solo or lead instrument. If you want to hear some melodic clawhammer playing go to Ken Perlman's site here and listen to sound samples. His new CD is mostly Celtic. Great stuff! Margo |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: Don Firth Date: 25 Feb 02 - 02:12 PM Thanks a million, Steve. That's going to help a lot. Looks like it might do the job, but it may take some tinkering. Something to think about. Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: Steve Latimer Date: 25 Feb 02 - 01:52 PM Don, Here's a link to an user's review of a Rover. |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: Steve Latimer Date: 25 Feb 02 - 01:36 PM Here's a link to the Rover that Don is asking about. Experts, whadda ya think? |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: Steve Latimer Date: 25 Feb 02 - 01:31 PM You're welcome Don. Perhaps if you were to link the specs of the Rover you could get more information from the Banjo nuts here. The Aria on eBay is at $287 with 3 hours to go until the auction closes. |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: Don Firth Date: 25 Feb 02 - 11:45 AM Thanks, Steve. I'll keep diggin'. Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: Steve Latimer Date: 24 Feb 02 - 07:32 PM Don, I just had a Geared 5th string peg professionally installed in my Mansfield for $30 Canadian (About $18 U.S.). As far as the spikes go, you can buy a whole bag of them for a few dollars at your local model Railroad station. If you can't get them there, Stewart-McDonald sell actual Banjo spikes for either $.99 or $1.99 each. They are easy to install yourself. Sorry, I'm not familiar with the model that you are referring to, but hey, it's a banjo.
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: Charcloth Date: 24 Feb 02 - 03:57 PM Frailing is an older style of banjo playing. There are other threads which talk about it but I don't know how to do the blue clicky thing. Anyway Frailing the banjo has more of a Carter Family guitar sound than the 3 finger scruggs style. Frailing is what Stringbean played as well as Grandpa Jones & Uncle Dave Maykon (how ever you spell his name) It is very similar to the Pete Seeger style except with his your first note is plucked with an upward stroke & frailing is all downward motion. hope this helps Charcloth |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: Don Firth Date: 24 Feb 02 - 03:37 PM 'Scuse me, but I'd like to piggy-back on this thread if I may. I'm primarily a guitarist, but in prehistoric times I used to play a bit of 5-string banjo—not bluegrass, song accompaniment. I had a $35.00 Kay that was not great, but was plenty adequate. Long since sold. I'd like to take another whack at it, but due to budget constraints, any banjo I buy now has got to be really inexpensive. Has anybody had any experience with the Rover RB20? Is it okay for starters and general messing around, or is it a complete piece of s&#t? Also, how much of a hassle would it be to have the friction 5th string peg yanked and replaced with a geared peg—and a few railroad spikes installed for the 5th string? I'll appreciate any info anyone can give me. Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: C-flat Date: 24 Feb 02 - 07:05 AM Sorry to appear stupid Charcloth, what is "frailing"? |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: Charcloth Date: 23 Feb 02 - 02:21 PM Sort of a thread creep. I also tried many years ago to learn the Bluegrass style & gave up in frustration. I was locked into having to have the tab & I couldn't tell where the melody was. I even tried "The Murphy Method". Fortunately I came across frailing & that took. However later I came across Jack Hatfields book & tape"Bluegrass Banjo Method". Hatfield highlights the melody & his tab is done so you know the timing value of the notes. This started to make sense to me. I am convinced had I come across Hatfield's material earlier I would be a solid bluegrasser by now. But I've been frailing so long now that I always fall back to it the Saga SS10 I purchased is set up similar to the Goodtime (as an openback) but is much more solid. The Saga SS10 has planetary pegs where the Goodtime has guitar style tuners. Planetary pegs will cost you about $60-$100 to have put on & are much better than guitar style tuners. Hope this is found to be helpful to you Charcloth |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: GUEST,Steve Latimer Date: 23 Feb 02 - 10:55 AM Sorry that guest post was me from my sister's place. |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: catspaw49 Date: 23 Feb 02 - 10:36 AM Good idea Guest....Let's just put the e-Bay link on this thread too. Aria Banjo on e-Bay Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: GUEST Date: 23 Feb 02 - 10:26 AM Yeah, Charcloth just got a Saga. I know that he looked at the Goodtime and found the Saga to be close in price and a Superior instrument. I seem to recall Banjo Bonnie being unhappy with the neck on her Goodtime. I mention that Aria on eBay again. Last I looked it was at $202.50 including a hardshell case. See the banjo on eBay thread. I can't seem to do internal blickies. |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: catspaw49 Date: 23 Feb 02 - 10:04 AM Steve, the Aria is a step up no doubt about it and if you can get one at a good price it's even better...like you did. The BlueRidge I linked is a Saga and as you know a pretty decent instrument. Rick has also stated something along those lines. And Jed, speaking of Rick, somewhere I noticed lately that Rick has swapped his feelings for a low price banjo from the Goodtime to the Saga/BlueRidge. I gotta' tell ya' that whoever these folks are at BlueRidge, they have a damn fine handle on good playing/sounding instruments at low prices. They are the ones behing the Kentucky brand mandos and that damn BlueRidge guitar, the BR7S is an absolute killer. We ran a thread on it awhile back and fortunato bought one for his son and absolutely loves it. Since that thread I've had the chance to play one too as well as having a good look at them inside and out.....It has to be the best value for the dollar on the market right now......Huge sound and quality workmanship/materials. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: JedMarum Date: 23 Feb 02 - 08:57 AM You gotta look at the Deering banjos, especially their low cost "Goodtimes" banjo. This no frills, low cost instrument has a nice touch, and a surprsingly great sound. The non-resonator version is priced around $250 or so. Cant't go wrong at that price. |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: Steve Latimer Date: 23 Feb 02 - 01:07 AM Check out the reviews section at this site. |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: C-flat Date: 23 Feb 02 - 12:34 AM Thanks a lot guys, going there now! C-flat |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: Steve Latimer Date: 23 Feb 02 - 12:31 AM C-Flat, The one that 'Spaw linked to looks remarkably like the one that I am replacing. Mine has a different brand name, but that doesn't mean a lot when it comes to Banjos, especially Asian manufactured ones. Mine has been a pretty good starter banjo, I've heard a lot worse. But it is a cast aluminium pot and they don't have the same sound as the Mastertone style banjos that have a tone ring. Check out the eBay thread I started. |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: catspaw49 Date: 23 Feb 02 - 12:03 AM Click Here Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Help: Banjo purchase From: Steve Latimer Date: 23 Feb 02 - 12:00 AM C-flat, I am just about to start a Banjo on eBay thread. Look for it in a couple of minutes. Steve |
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Subject: Banjo purchase From: C-flat Date: 22 Feb 02 - 11:58 PM I've been a guitar picker for quite some time and once grappled unhappily with a banjo for a year or so before giving up in frustration. I've recently been listening to some bluegrass banjo playing and I'm feeling like I should have persevered. As I parted company with the old banjo in a fit of pique, I'm hoping someone can give me a little guidance on a decent start-up instrument.I know from reading the threads there's a lot of banjo talent out there and hopefully I can pick up a few tricks to make a bit more progress this time. |
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