The first thing I understood about this banjo from the pictures that it is a very good looking one.
When the box arrived quick and problem free for Germany, I react upon the very ligth weigth. I have owned 2 banjos before and they was really heavy. This was like....almost no weight in comparison. I would later find out why.
This banjo have no tonering. I was not put off by that, actually I like the sound of a let say Gibson tb 11 that has also no tonering. I set up the banjo, the tailpiece was tighten down so brutal I had to use a plumbers wrench to unscrew it. Not so good, this is suppose to be tightened by fingers only. The skin was tighten Ok. Someone had use a toll I think to measure equal tightening around the rim, because the tone was as it should be, the same all the way around. many players will say you shall be able to push down the middle of the skin about half an inch with no problem. This is much tighter than that but it's Ok, I leave it as is.
The sound:
I have been a professional musician some years ago and I know exactly what I want from a instrument. A banjo without tonering will not have a large portion of the sound placed in the very ultra highest frequencies, like we all have heard from many bluegrass recordings. many prefer that, the high pitches all the time can be a bit much for many. I was hoping for a more plucky "quacky" quality over the tones, This banjo has that. It is also very loud.
Then the biggest surprise. The netpage say the banjo body ( resonator) are mahogany. It is not ! It is plastic ! Or composite material to make it sound nicer. Therefor the light weight. This is against the consumer law in my country. description must tell facts on the product.
At least they made a fantastic job in making it look like mahogany. It fooled me. So do I now have a toy ?
No, many instruments like Ovation guitars f.eks use composite materials, many banjos these days comes with synthetic resonators. But they tell the truth on what their product is. All this being said, the banjo has its own sound. I like the sound. Those people who have heard it, like the sound also.
Small things to be expected, the neck needs adjustment, the action are low at your left hand and like almost 1 cm. high at the right hand neck. A beginner will struggle withthis, I just fixed it. Tuners are simple, I needed to tigthen them as well so they should hold the string in position.
All in all I will use this banjos at places we play. For the price I am contented, I got a banjo that had a bigger not so -jump in you face-high pitched banjo sound.
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