Chapter 9

Finding Your Banjo Bliss: A Buyer’s Guide

In This Chapter

Matching the banjo to your playing style

Identifying a quality banjo

Spending the right amount

Locating a good acoustic music store

I’m going to let you in on a secret: Buying a banjo can be really fun if you know how to do it. You can find more choices and more ways to buy a banjo today than ever before — and an instrument is out there for just about every budget. Your banjo is waiting for you, and this chapter helps you to find it.

Whether you have your eye on a beginner’s model or a professional instrument, you need to know some fundamental differences in banjos before you lay down your hard-earned cash. If (or when) you’ve been playing for a few years, the time comes to step up to a better instrument, or you may someday want to make the ultimate investment and buy a collectable vintage banjo. This chapter guides you through each step of the process and helps you avoid some of the common pitfalls that you may encounter on your banjo acquisition quest.

Establishing Your Banjo Boundaries

Before you step into a music store or venture onto the Internet to begin your banjo search, you need to set some guidelines to make your search more fun and effective:

Setting your expectations: Do you have a track record of getting excited about various hobbies but then moving on quickly to something else that strikes your fancy? Or do you have a gut feeling that the banjo is just the thing that you’ve been waiting for all your life? Your answers to these questions help you determine how much to invest or whether to invest at all (and if you want to be sure you’re being honest with yourself, consider asking for your significant other’s opinion).

Deciding what’s important: Do you want an instrument with flash or something simple? Do you want something just to play around the house, or do you ever expect to travel with your banjo? Do you see yourself playing by yourself or with others? Are you also budgeting for banjo lessons or instructional materials? The answers to these kinds of questions help you sharpen your focus.

Here’s another important thing to consider: As a rule, banjos tend to be heavier than guitars or mandolins. If you have back problems, you want to find an instrument that’s on the lighter side.

Determining your budget: I realize that thinking about the financial part is a drag, but you’ve got to do it. After you’ve had some time to think about what will make you happy (and what you can live with!), you then need to determine both how much you can afford and the quality of banjo you’re seeking. The minimum amount you need to spend for a playable new beginner’s banjo and a few essential accessories is about $350 to $400. A banjo with “all the right stuff” sets you back anywhere from $600 to $4,500 or more, depending on just how much of the extra goodies you really need! My advice is to get the kind of banjo that’s best for the style you think you want to play, even if it costs more.

If you’re discovering a fretted instrument for the first time and have a busy life full of work and family commitments, count on 9 to 18 months of dedicated practice before you can move past the beginners’ level. If you purchase the right beginners’ banjo, two years may go by before you want or need to buy up. However, if you already play, a better-sounding instrument can jump-start your enthusiasm and push you onward and upward. In this case, I suggest you head to the section “Stepping Up to a Better Banjo” later in this chapter.

Making the Leap: Resonator or Open-back?

You have a choice of two different kinds of five-string banjos:

A resonator banjo has a wooden back that is attached to the back of the instrument (see Figure 9-1).

An open-back banjo doesn’t have anything attached to the back. You can easily look into the inside of the banjo’s sound-producing chamber (also see Figure 9-1).

You can identify a resonator or an open-back banjo by simply looking at the back of the instrument: If it doesn’t have a resonator, the banjo is an open-back.

Your decision as to which kind of banjo is best for you should be based primarily on the style of music that you think you want to play. The differences between these two types of banjos can be hard to understand at first, but they’re mainly about the sounds that skilled players prefer from each kind of instrument. After you try out both kinds of banjos at a music store by holding them in your hands, strumming a few chords, or playing a song or two, you can immediately begin to understand some of these differences, even if you’ve never played banjo before. The following sections discuss the advantages of each type of banjo.

Pumping up the volume: Resonator banjos

Over the last 150 years, banjo builders have continually tried to make banjos louder. I know what you’re asking yourself: Aren’t banjos loud enough already? Well, maybe they are now, but it wasn’t always that way. Around 1860, someone came up with the idea of attaching a wooden chamber, or resonator, to the back of the banjo body in order to increase the volume of the instrument. The resonator reflects the sound off of its inside surface and projects the sound out of the front of the instrument and away from the player. The result is more volume and a brighter banjo sound. The resonator is usually attached to the banjo with thumbscrews.

In bluegrass music, you need to be able to play with enough volume so that the other band members and your audience can hear your virtuosic solos (for more on bluegrass banjo, see Chapters 4, 6, and 8). Therefore, practically all bluegrass-based banjo players prefer a resonator banjo strung with metal strings. Musicians also use resonator banjos whenever they desire additional volume and a brighter tone for other styles, from folk and old-time to progressive three-finger approaches that are elaborations of bluegrass technique.

Entry-level resonator banjos are more expensive than comparable open-back instruments. You can expect to pay from $50 to $150 more for a beginner’s resonator banjo than for the same instrument in an open-back configuration. However, if you’re interested in playing bluegrass, you should spend the extra money and get a resonator banjo.

If you ever need less volume or the tone of an open-back banjo, you can always loosen the thumbscrews and remove the resonator to create an instant open-back instrument. (For an overview of the parts of the banjo, see Chapter 1.)

Figure 9-1: An open-back banjo (a & b) and a resonator banjo (c & d).

Going the old-time way: Open-back banjos

Open-back banjos generally have a mellower tone, are lighter in weight, and can be less expensive than resonator banjos. They also usually have a different setup than a resonator banjo, often with a higher string action that is the preference of clawhammer players (string action refers to how high the strings are positioned above the fingerboard of the instrument). Open-back players use metal, nylon, or gut strings, depending upon the specific style of music they’re playing, how their instrument is set up, and the sound they want to get from their banjo.

Beginners can find new entry-level open-back banjos starting at around $300. You can find differences in price, look, and construction between open-back models depending upon whether they are made for old-time (including clawhammer) playing, or for classic or minstrel styles.

The power of tradition

The sound and style of a particular piece of music, how instruments are played, and the way that musicians interact with each other all have to do with agreed-upon ideas about music-making traditions. Musical traditions take shape as musicians think about music over many years, passing down what works and what sounds good from one generation to the next. These traditions relate to people’s deepest-held beliefs about what good music should sound like and what role music plays in their lives. However, these traditions aren’t written in stone: They change and evolve as musicians contribute new ideas and innovative ways of playing.

Traditions also involve aspects of music that aren’t strictly connected to the sound of the music itself. For instance, if you went to a bluegrass festival expecting to hear Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys but the heavy metal band Kiss suddenly took the stage, plugged in their electric instruments and started wailing at top volume, you would at least be, well, surprised. When you attend a bluegrass concert (or a heavy metal show for that matter), you have certain expectations about what the musicians will look like, what kind of instruments they play, and even the content of their stage patter. I’d never expect Ralph Stanley to yell at the top of his lungs, “Hello, Poughkeepsie! Let’s rock and roll!” at a bluegrass show. This display would certainly be interesting, but it would be totally out of place.

For the most part, banjo players take comfort and even pleasure in following the traditions already in place for the music that they play. One of the most powerful of these traditions is using the right kind of banjo for the style that you’re playing. For better or worse, almost all bluegrass players choose resonator instruments, and most folk and old-time banjo players prefer open-back banjos. If you’re thinking of getting anything above the least expensive beginners instrument, you should strongly consider buying either an open-back or a resonator banjo based on the style that you think you will be playing most of the time.

Several manufacturers have entry-level open-back banjos with the same sound chamber (or pot) and overall design and construction as a matching resonator model available. However, more expensive open-back banjos likely have a different configuration of metal and wood than you find on a resonator banjo.

Banjos were around for 100 years or more before someone thought it would be a good idea to put resonators on them. The minstrel style of the mid-19th century, the classic style of the late 19th and early 20th century and many of the old-time styles of the early years of country music in the 1920s and ’30s were all played at the time on open-back banjos. Folk music patriarch Pete Seeger prefers an open-back instrument, and most clawhammer players find the sound of an open-back banjo just right for playing old-time string band music. (For more on clawhammer banjo, see Chapters 4, 5, and 6; for minstrel and classic banjo, visit Chapter 7.)

Finding a Great Beginner’s Banjo

When I was learning to play banjo in the 1970s, I had virtually no good choices in a beginner’s instrument. Luckily, that’s not the story today. You can purchase a good startup banjo for a little more than $300 (or even less if you can find a used model). However, you can also purchase an instrument that’s perfectly awful. The following sections help you separate the good from the bad.

Although the appearance of an instrument may provide an initial attraction, the banjo that sounds the best to you is the one that you will be most happy owning in the long run. You need to determine which instrument within your price range speaks to you most powerfully. If your gut choice matches your stylistic aspirations, you’re definitely on the right track to making a good decision.

When you’re in a music store that has several different kinds of banjos in stock, don’t be afraid to ask a salesperson to demonstrate each type. Better yet, if the store has a banjo teacher, introduce yourself and arrange a time where you can meet and be treated to a mini-concert. Another option would be to take a banjo-playing friend with you to play each instrument and offer advice. Sit directly across so that you can absorb the sound of each instrument as deeply as possible.

Knowing what’s in the pot

The body of the banjo — the round part plus the resonator if it has one — is called the banjo pot. Good banjo pots are built around laminated pieces of wood called a rim, usually made of maple, that is pressed into a circular ring shape (see Figure 9-2). More expensive instruments also have a circular piece of metal or an unseen metal hoop called the tone ring resting on top of the wooden rim. The banjo head is stretched across either the top surface of the wooden rim or of the tone ring.

The pots on some inexpensive banjos are made of a single piece of aluminum. These banjos not only don’t sound as good as a banjo pot built from a wooden rim, but may also distort out of their round shape over time. Regardless of your budget, go for wood in your pot!

Getting good string action

How high the strings are from the fingerboard of the banjo refers to the string action. You want a string action that is high enough so that you don’t hear buzzing against the frets when you play, but low enough so that the banjo is easy to fret and stays in tune. Remember, players generally prefer higher action for some styles (like clawhammer) than for others (like bluegrass). One exactly correct string action doesn’t exist. You must develop your own preferences as you play.

Figure 9-2: The banjo pot (as seen from the back).

For now, make sure that the string action is around 1/8" above the 12th fret for a bluegrass banjo by measuring the distance from the top of the fret to the 1st string. For clawhammer playing, it’s fine for the action to be 1/16" or more higher than this (see Figure 9-3). The 5th string sits closer to the neck than the other four banjo strings, so you don’t want to use this string as your reference. You may have to turn the banjo around to make the measurement. If the string action is 1/16" more or less than 1/8", that’s okay. You have several ways to precisely adjust the string action, and at this point, you just want to make sure that it’s in the ballpark. If the string action is wildly higher or lower, move on to another banjo — or to another music store!

The string action over the banjo fingerboard should be the lowest where the strings meet the nut and highest where the banjo neck meets the body (the nut is the notched white bar at the end of the fretboard at the opposite end of the banjo from the bridge and guides the strings to the tuners). The banjo should have a gradual and consistent increase in the string action as you look from the lowest to the highest fret. If you see a big jump in the string action occurring at one point on the neck, avoid this banjo because the neck of the instrument could have problems.

Figure 9-3: Measuring string action: 1/8" above the 12th fret is good for a bluegrass banjo.

You don’t need to carry a toolbox in with you to each music store as you go banjo shopping. However, have a ruler close by for measuring banjo bridges and string heights and whatever else strikes your fancy. You can download free, small printable rulers that you can cut out, fold up, stick in a wallet, and take with you everywhere. I know this sounds tremendously geeky, but these darned things have really come in handy for me. Visit www.vendian.org/mncharity/dir3/paper_rulers for more choices in rulers than any normal human may ever need.

Finding bridge height

A proper bridge height is essential if you want to enjoy playing your banjo. Some inexpensive imported banjos come with bridges that are so short that getting a good right-hand position for any playing style is difficult. You want a banjo bridge that measures around 5/8" or more from bottom to top. You can take this measurement on either the 1st- or 5th-string side of the bridge (see Figure 9-4).

Stay away from any instrument with a bridge that’s less than 5/8" tall and has string action above 3/16". This combination of ingredients will result in a banjo that is difficult to play and keep in tune.

Figure 9-4: Measuring bridge height: 5/8" or more is best.

Unlike a guitar or mandolin, banjo bridges are easily removable from the instrument (after you know how to do it, that is). Professional players often try many different kinds of bridges on their banjos to find one that makes the banjo sound great and is just the right height (for more on this, see Chapter 10).

If the bridge on your banjo is just a bit too short or tall, but the other aspects of your prospective banjo purchase look good, you can always replace the bridge later. If your string action is too high and the bridge is over 5/8", you can replace the bridge with a shorter one and also adjust your string action at the same time.

Measuring string spacing

The distance between the strings is called the string spacing and is usually measured at the nut. If the strings are too close together, you will have trouble fretting cleanly, or you may find yourself muting adjacent open strings. You need more space between the strings if your hands are large or if your fingers are stubby. On the other hand, if the strings are too far apart for the size of your hand, reaching across the fingerboard to accurately fret chords will be a chore, and your left hand will tire quickly.

To measure the string spacing, measure across the top of the nut from the 4th string notch across to the 1st string (see Figure 9-5). For most folks, the string spacing at the nut should be around 1", give or take 1/16". These days, encountering a banjo that doesn’t have adequate string spacing is unusual. However, you can still find a few new imported banjos that don’t have enough room between the strings to ever allow the left hand to feel comfortable. Avoid these banjos unless your hands are really small!

Checking the tuners

It probably goes without saying that the job of the tuners on a banjo is to keep the instrument in tune (although knowing when the banjo’s in tune is up to you — check out Chapter 2 to find out how). These days, most banjos have geared tuners, with gears attached to the tuning shaft that make tuning easier and more precise. The tuners on an entry-level instrument likely have external gears that you can easily locate by looking at the back of the peghead. More expensive banjos have tuners with gears that are housed inside the tuner’s body itself. Although internal tuners tend to work better, tuners with external gears are fine on a beginner’s banjo if they’re in good working order. Both kinds are shown in Figure 9-6.

In either case, you want to check to make sure that the tuners move smoothly by tuning the strings up and down a bit and feeling the string movement through the peg. If necessary, have someone in the music store put the banjo back in tune for you after you’ve experimented in this way!

Figure 9-5: Measuring string spacing: around 1" between 1st and 4th strings is good.

Figure 9-6: External (a) and internal (b) geared tuners.

I’m sure that you’ve already noticed that the banjo has a tuning peg that sits on the top part of the neck, almost right in the middle of the fingerboard. That’s the 5th string’s tuner. In order to cut corners, some builders make inexpensive banjos that have a 5th-string tuner with no gears at all (see Figure 9-7). With this type of tuning peg (called a friction peg), the string fluctuates wildly up and down in pitch with just the slightest movement, making your attempt to get the string precisely in tune very difficult. These kinds of tuners are common on banjos that are over 100 years old, but on a new instrument, let your warning flags go up and avoid this banjo.

If you already own a banjo with this kind of tuner on the 5th string, don’t toss the entire instrument! Have a knowledgeable music store replace it with a geared 5th-string tuning peg (shown in Figure 9-7). The cost of this kind of tuner plus the installation charge shouldn’t run more than about $30. This amount of money is a small price to pay to save yourself hours of tuning frustration. Your loved ones will also be more appreciative of your practice sessions if you’re playing in tune.

Figure 9-7: Friction (a) and geared (b) 5th-string tuning pegs.

Help! I’m left handed. Can I find a banjo for me?

Eight to 15 percent of the world population is left handed. A left-handed banjo player may naturally want to pick the strings with the left hand and fret with the right. On a guitar, this matter is simple because you can reset the strings so that they’re in the proper low to high pitch relationship to your hands. (This is how Paul McCartney, who is perhaps the world’s most well-known left-handed musician, plays both guitar and bass.) However, because the banjo has the shorter 5th string that sits on the top side of the neck, you simply can’t flip the banjo around and immediately begin playing the banjo left handed (well, you could, but it may not sound very good because the 5th string would be in the wrong place in relation to your picking hand).

Playing the banjo takes both hands. For adult learners, the issue isn’t so much what the left hand is doing versus what the right hand is doing as much as coordinating the different actions of both hands at the same time. I’m left handed, but I first learned to play the guitar right handed. Then I learned to play the banjo. If I can do it, anyone can!

However, to play left handed, you have to have a banjo with a special neck that’s a mirror image of a normal banjo neck so that the 5th string is on the top side of the instrument when you turn the banjo the opposite way. If you buy an entry level banjo with a left-handed neck, you have a choice of just a few instruments and have to spend an additional $100 for this option. As you buy up to more professional-sounding banjos, your choices still remain limited, and you may have to have your necks custom built, which usually adds to the instrument’s price.

Unless you already play another stringed instrument left handed, I suggest that you try a regular right-handed banjo first. Try to make an arrangement with a music store to return your banjo in trade for a left-handed model if your experiment doesn’t work out. If you feel extreme frustration after trying a right-handed banjo for a few weeks, consult with a local teacher or player to check your technique and ask his advice. If you both agree to try a left-handed instrument, then go for it.

Taking the plunge

If you’ve read the previous sections, you’re now ready to make an informed decision on purchasing a beginner’s banjo. The good news is that several banjos that combine all the necessary elements are available for under $400, giving you an instrument that plays well, sounds good, and is built to last until the time that you want to step up to something better. Check out banjos from the Deering, Gold Tone, and Epiphone companies, among others.

Don’t worry too much about how these entry-level banjos look. These instruments don’t have elaborate inlay patterns on the fingerboard or even a glossy finish, because the manufacturers are stressing good playability over fancy looks. These banjos also aren’t going to sound as loud or as clear as more expensive instruments. However, they should feel like a higher-priced banjo and, at this point, that’s the most important thing you need as a beginning player.

As a banjo teacher, every now and then I’ve witnessed new students who get so excited about their new hobby that they rush out and buy a professional-quality instrument that costs $2,000 or more before they’re able to play a single song. For some reason, this kind of behavior seems to run rampant among middle-aged men like me! Although this impulse often works out in the long run to everyone’s satisfaction, owning a professional instrument right off the bat can create too high of expectations of what you think you should be able to accomplish on the banjo. Remember, spending money doesn’t make you a good banjo player — only practice can do that. Don’t mistake the commitment of your financial resources with the commitment of the time that it takes to become a good banjo player.

The music store should offer to set up your banjo for free before handing it over to you and in addition may offer semiannual checkups. Take advantage of these services to keep your banjo in optimal playing condition (and for more on maintaining your banjo, see Chapter 11).

Stepping Up to a Better Banjo

A good deal of complex psychology is involved in knowing when you’re ready for a better (and higher-priced) banjo. Here’s the most honest way of knowing that it’s time: When you’ve reached the point in your playing where you honestly feel that your current instrument is holding you back from becoming a better player, consider it time to start looking for a better banjo.

If you hear greater clarity and volume as you play another instrument, then you’re in the company of a potential new soul mate. A new banjo that’s better than what you already have should also be easier to play and should sound good when you play up and down the neck. The high notes should sound bright and brilliant, and the low notes should be deep and penetrating. If the banjo is considerably more expensive than what you already own, it should look better than your current instrument and may have elaborate and beautiful inlays in the fingerboard and on the headstock. Also, a better banjo is likely heavier than your typical entry-level banjo.

In the following sections, you match your musical goals to your budget and personality. You then train your eye to identify good components on a quality instrument and get acquainted with the differences between upper end resonator and open-back banjos to help narrow your future purchase choices.

Budgeting for a quality banjo

You have a number of different ways to think about an additional banjo purchase (your significant other may call these rationalizations, but you can pretend that this word is too big for you to understand). All of these various strategies have worked for me at different times as I’ve considered a new banjo purchase. See which of the approaches in the following sections is the best match for you.

I can’t tell you how much to spend on your next banjo or which instrument you should buy. You have to figure this out on your own. However, keep in mind that banjos typically cost more than guitars for the same level of quality. Banjo players often spend $2,000 to $5,000 for a new professional-quality, American-made instrument with a case. The more money you plan to spend, the more time you should spend researching your options. Don’t forget to spend time talking with family and loved ones about your purchase plans. In this way, you may end up with a banjo that provides pleasure for the rest of your playing days and could also become a valuable family heirloom.

The gradual-upgrade approach

You’re the sensible type. You never like to get into anything over your head, and you’re slow and steady in regard to your long-range commitments. You started by playing on one of those entry-level banjos that costs around $300, but now you’ve got your eye set on the next most expensive banjo, which costs about $200 more than your current instrument.

In the long run, you’ll be satisfied with this strategy only if you’re really getting more instrument for your money. The potential downside is that you may feel compelled to make a new purchase every couple of years. However, when I was learning to play as a teenager, this buying strategy was the only one that I could afford, and it worked out fine for me! If you follow this path, you want to spend from $200 to $500 or more for each step up to a better-sounding banjo.

The leap-frog approach

You’re a bit more compulsive than the person described in the preceding section, but you’ve reached a sure conclusion that playing the banjo makes you happier than just about anything else in the world. You aren’t getting any younger and because you only go around once in life, you’ve decided not to wait on an instrument that’s close to the banjo of your dreams.

If you’re interested in an open-back banjo, be ready to spend from $750 to $2,000 or more for a professional-grade banjo ready for old-time playing. A vintage open-back banjo from the first decades of the 20^th century can top out at $7,000 or more. Prices for professional-quality bluegrass banjos start at around $1,000 and quickly escalate up to $4,500 and above. Vintage collector’s bluegrass banjos from the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s have skyrocketed in value in recent years, costing from $3,000 to as much as $40,000 to $100,000 or more for the most coveted models.

What have you got to lose with this approach? New banjos generally don’t appreciate in value until they’re several decades old, and vintage instruments are just downright expensive. Make sure with the leap-frog approach that you’re buying an instrument from a respected and well-known builder or company so you can get back something close to your original investment if you and your banjo have to part ways.

The buy-something-different approach

You’re a person who craves variety in life, and you don’t limit yourself to enjoying and playing just one style of music. You love how various styles call for different banjo sounds and setups, and you may even be interested in starting a collection.

In this case, you want to purchase something that contrasts with what you already own by buying a banjo with a different sound or appearance or perhaps buying a bluegrass banjo if you already own an open back (or vice versa). With this approach, you can set a budget more flexibly based on your interest in the styles that you’ll play on a different kind of banjo.

This approach is usually the domain of experienced players or collectors who are buying (or trading) professional caliber instruments. In this case, the sky’s the limit. But even new players can add variety to their lives by buying a different kind of entry-level instrument, like an electric banjo (which I discuss later in this chapter), to complement an acoustic resonator or open-back model. You can get away with spending as little as $400 to $500 with this approach if you’re a beginner who craves variety out of their banjos.

Knowing a quality banjo when you see it

Unlike a guitar, a banjo can be taken apart and put back together again with little more than an adjustable wrench. Many parts like necks, rims, tone rings, tuners, and even resonators, are interchangeable with other similar kinds of banjos. This case is especially true with professional-grade bluegrass banjos. Therefore, knowing your components is crucial in selecting a quality instrument. The following sections discuss what to look for in terms of the internal parts when choosing a quality banjo.

A good banjo is the result of using well-made components that are matched and fit together with care. A great banjo comes from using the best components and fitting them together with the utmost skill and precision.

If you’re in the market for a quality bluegrass banjo, be sure to check out the following builders: Huber, Gibson, Deering, Stelling, Nechville, Tennessee, Sullivan, Kel Kroyden, Osborne, Louzee, Gold Star, Recording King, and Williams, among others. For a quality open-back banjo, don’t forget to take a look at these makers: Wildwood, Bart Reiter, Chanterelle, Chuck Lee, Kevin Enoch, Jason Romero, Vega, Ome, and Recording King.

It’s all in the wood: Banjo rims

Like the engine of a car, the rim and tone ring (see the following section) are the heart and soul of a banjo. The rim (or shell) is the ring-shaped piece of wood that, along with the tone ring, gives shape and definition to the banjo’s sound. Banjo rims are made of maple, but beech, mahogany, and other woods are sometimes used. Most rims are made from pieces of wood laminated together and pressed into a circular shape. However, some rims are assembled from blocks of glued-together wood and are called, appropriately enough, block rims. Both types of rims are shown in Figure 9-8.

Rims are fairly standardized on quality bluegrass banjos, measuring 11" in diameter and around 3/4" in thickness. Most bluegrass players desire a dense, hard piece of maple for the rim because they feel that this type of wood conveys the banjo’s sound more efficiently. If the rim is made from hard rock northern maple, then you’ve got a top-of-the-line rim most desired today by bluegrass players.

You find much more variety in the sizes of rims used for open-back instruments, because open-back banjos come in many different sizes. Open-back rims can measure up to 12" in diameter but are typically thinner in width than a standard bluegrass rim.

Just about everyone agrees that older is better when it comes to the wood that goes into a banjo rim, but good wood is getting increasingly hard to come by all over the world. Some of the best “new” rims made today are assembled from North American old-growth wood or wood that has been submerged underwater for many years. These rims are often glued together by using organic hide glue, as used in the first half of the 20th century. An “old wood” rim is often a valued component in a top-of-the-line banjo built by a small shop, but you can also add this option to a quality banjo later.

Figure 9-8: Laminated (a) and block (b) rims.

The fellowship of the tone ring

The other vital part of the banjo pot is the tone ring, which sits on top of the wooden rim, increases the banjo’s volume, and brightens its tone. On a more expensive banjo, the tone ring should be made from high-quality brass (often called bell brass), not aluminum. Bluegrass banjo tone rings come in the following two types:

Flathead tone rings: Most banjos made today have flathead rings. Most bluegrass banjo players, including the first-generation masters Earl Scruggs and Don Reno, use this kind of ring. The flathead ring causes more surface area of the banjo head to vibrate, thereby giving the banjo a deeper tone.

Arch-top tone rings: An arch-top ring is most common among banjos from the 1920s and 1930s. This type of ring uses a different profile that causes less surface area of the banjo head to vibrate, usually resulting in a brighter tone. Bluegrass icon Ralph Stanley has long been associated with the sound of an arch-top bluegrass banjo.

As in the case of banjo rims, some builders have gone to great lengths to re-create the exact metal formulas found in banjo tone rings from the 1930s and 1940s, and these types of rings are found in the best (and most costly) new bluegrass banjos. Bluegrass tone ring sizes have become more or less standardized for new bluegrass banjos in the last 15 years, enabling players to experiment with their banjo’s sound by swapping out one ring for another. A player may spend $2,000 to $3,000 on a new professional quality banjo, only to replace its tone ring somewhere down the line. These so-called pre-war formula tone rings range in price from $375 to $1,500, but can dramatically change the sound of an instrument.

You can find more variety in the kinds of tone rings used in quality open-back banjos, but also keep in mind that some old-time players prefer banjos with no tone ring at all (in this case, the head is simply stretched across the top of the wooden rim). Other old-time players prefer banjos that use a rolled brass hoop (called a hoop ring) for a tone ring. A hoop ring is a round, ring-shaped piece of brass that sits in a channel cut into the top of the rim with the head stretched across its top. The more muted tone of a hoop-ringed banjo is sometimes just right for the old-time sound, and, better yet, these instruments are usually less expensive than a banjo with a tone ring.

Some open-back banjos have tone rings that are virtually the same as those found on a matching model bluegrass banjo. However, new high-end open-back banjos are often fitted with specially made replicas, using tone-ring designs originally found on banjos dating back 100 years or more. The Tubaphone and Whyte Laydie styles of ring are two examples of replica tone rings found on many new professional grade open-back banjos today (see Figure 9-9 to see all the different kinds of tone rings mentioned in this section).

Figure 9-9: Banjo tone rings. From left to right: arch-top, flathead, Tubaphone, hoop.

Necks and resonators

Necks are typically made from maple (in either straight-grained or curly varieties), mahogany, or walnut. If the banjo has a resonator, its wood is almost always of the same kind as the neck (although some high-end bluegrass banjos now offer maple necks with mahogany resonators). Most necks on high-end banjos are made from a single piece of wood and are called one-piece necks. Although these kinds of necks are preferred by most players, some builders prefer to outfit a quality banjo with a two-piece neck for additional stability and durability.

Builders and players alike agree that the type of wood used in the neck can have a significant impact on banjo sound, but actually describing these subjective differences can be very difficult! Generally speaking, walnut necks tend to impart the deepest tone of the three woods; maple necks add sweetness and clarity to the banjo’s tone, while mahogany necks provide a more immediate response. However, the tone of any individual instrument is the result of many different factors acting together, including the mass of the neck itself. You can get a variety of banjo sounds from any of these kinds of wood.

Many players choose one type of wood over another based on appearance. You can make this factor the basis of your buying decision even on a professional-grade banjo as long as all the other component parts are of high quality. Elaborately figured maple or walnut and deep-grained mahogany are each beautiful in their own way. Go with what makes the best impression on your senses — both visual and aural!

Radiused fingerboards

The fingerboard, or fretboard, is the thin strip of wood glued to the neck that serves as a mounting surface for the frets. When you fret a note with your left hand, you’re pushing against the fingerboard. Most banjo necks have a flat fingerboard, but some players prefer a fingerboard that is curved across its playing surface. This kind of fingerboard is called a radiused fingerboard and is an option on more expensive bluegrass instruments. You can expect to pay up to $200 or more for this option. However, if you’re into more progressive bluegrass and jazz styles on the banjo, you may find that you can more easily strut your left-hand stuff on a neck with a radiused fingerboard.

Banjo bling: Inlays, plating, and engraving

Banjos are not only usually louder than guitars or mandolins, but they’re traditionally adorned with more ornate decoration — yet another reason why banjos rule! Aesthetic enhancements come in the form of elaborate inlay patterns in the neck and fingerboard, intricately carved neck heels, and engraved metal parts (see Figure 9-10 for some stellar examples).

Banjos with gold-plated or chrome metal parts may also grab your attention. These features not only brighten up the look of a banjo but some players assert that gold plating also positively affects the banjo’s overall tone by softening it.

For both open-back and bluegrass banjos, builders tend to decorate their banjos based on earlier tried-and-true designs. However, these days you can find planets, space ships, peace signs, Buddhas, the family dog, and just about anything else you can think of to adorn a banjo fingerboard on a custom-built instrument.

Figure 9-10: Check out the engraved inlay on an 1890s Cole Eclipse (a); a custom headstock inlay made by California luthier Paul Hostetter (b); and an elaborately carved heel with engraved inlay on an early 1900s Vega Whyte Ladie banjo (c).

Banjo bling can add to the cost of an instrument, but these decorative aspects of a banjo don’t enhance its sound or playability (outside of the gold plating). The overall worth of a banjo is determined by the quality of its component parts and how well these parts have been put together. For a more expensive banjo, the proof is always in the sound, not the bling. So don’t get too carried away with appearance at the expense of good components, playability, and great sound.

Plugging in: Electric banjos

You can play just about any kind of music successfully on the banjo, and for those musicians who want to play in a rock, country, or jazz context or who just need the extra volume that comes with pickups and amplifiers, an electric banjo is just the ticket. These days, stylistic innovators such as Béla Fleck and Alison Brown are coaxing all kinds of exciting new sounds from electric banjos. Nothing is stopping you from forging your own bold musical horizons on an electric instrument, so check out some of your options in the sections that follow.

Adding a pickup to an acoustic banjo

If additional volume is the main concern, you can add an electric pickup to your regular acoustic banjo and be ready to take the stage at the next Banjo-palooza festival. Banjo pickups are attached to the coordinating rods inside the pot of the banjo and use a small piece of metal that is placed underneath one of the bridge feet as a pickup (see Figure 9-11). Installation is usually quick and easy. You can select from several different kinds of banjo pickups that range in price from $70 to $170 from the McIntyre, Jones, and Fishman companies, as well as others.

Don’t expect the sound of your banjo with an electric pickup to exactly (or even closely) resemble the acoustic sound of your banjo. Because of the placement of the pickup inside the pot and the physics of electric sound technology, you may be frustrated if you’re expecting great banjo sound from this kind of setup. Remember, players elect to reinforce their banjo sound in this way to get more volume, not to get better tone!

Boldly going electric

If you’re interested in getting all kinds of different sounds from an electrified banjo and you have your sights on being the first banjo rock star, you want to purchase a fully electric instrument. You need to budget from $400 at the low end to $4,000 or more at the high end for a top-of-the-line custom-made banjo equipped with a MIDI interface, which essentially turns your electric instrument into a five-string synthesizer.

Figure 9-11: A banjo pickup attaches to the banjo’s coordinating rods.

Electric banjos combine some of the structural features of banjos with the electronics and body shapes of electric guitars. Most electric banjos have a banjo head integrated into its body with two electric pickups positioned underneath the head. A toggle switch allows you to mix and match the different tones of the pickups to get a wider variety of sounds than you would find with an acoustic banjo outfitted with a pickup (and they also look really cool). Some instruments, like the Nechville Meteor, have small banjo heads and bodies that retain the circular banjo shape, but others, like the Deering Crossfire, have standard-sized heads and a larger body with the look of an electric guitar.

Because the sound is relayed from the bridge to the head just like on an acoustic banjo, these types of electric instruments retain the general sound quality of an acoustic banjo, but they aren’t nearly as loud (until you plug them in, that is!). You can also get sounds out of these electric marvels that are very close to what you’d hear from an electric guitar, and the playability of these instruments is much closer to an electric guitar than a banjo as well. The strings feel light and fast underneath your fingers, and you can play with a lighter right-hand attack and still get a very big sound when you’re amped up.

Some electric banjos dispense entirely with the banjo head and have only wood for their bodies. Called solid body electrics, this type of electric banjo comes even closer to the design and sound of an electric guitar (but won’t sound like an acoustic banjo at all). Check out three options for electric banjos in Figure 9-12.

Figure 9-12: Three electric banjo options: the Nechville Meteor (a), Deering Crossfire (b), and the solid-body Blue Star Banjoblaster (c).

Finding many different types of electric banjos in one place may be difficult except at the largest of national acoustic retail outlets or at a major banjo camp or bluegrass festival (check out “Finding the Right Music Store” section below for some tips on where to buy). If you make a purchase, find out whether you can return an instrument for an exchange or refund if you find that the banjo doesn’t suit your needs after playing it for a day or two.

Electric banjos are way cool, big fun, and allow you to live out your rock-and-roll fantasies, but keep in mind that you can’t be heard on an electric banjo in a jam session without plugging in to an amplifier. Even more important, electric instruments are usually not a welcome sight at your typical all-acoustic bluegrass, folk, or old-time jam session. The electric banjo is best viewed as an instrument that is designed for a different performance context than a regular banjo and should be used accordingly (or at least ask permission from the other musicians before plugging in and wailing away on “Tom Dooley”).

Going vintage

If you explore the “used and vintage instruments” section of an acoustic specialty store’s Internet inventory, your eyes may likely pop out at the high value of some older banjos. The most prized open-back banjos such as an 1890s Cole Eclipse (see Figure 9-13) can very easily change hands for $6,000 to $10,000 or more. A prized pre–World War II 1930s Gibson Mastertone flathead banjo (also shown in Figure 9-13) with an original five-string neck can go for more than $100,000.

Figure 9-13: A vintage Cole Eclipse (a) and a pre–WW II flathead Gibson Mastertone (b).

What’s up with this? Well, you can’t find anything like the beautiful craftsmanship of a 100-year-old ornate vintage open-back banjo or the rich, booming sound of an old flathead Gibson banjo — in the eyes and ears of the right beholder that is! Demand has fueled the market for vintage instruments of all kinds in recent years, which has caused resale prices to take a dramatic leap, not only for banjos but also for mandolins and acoustic and electric guitars.

One irony of this situation is that many of the best players, including those who make their living playing banjos, most likely can’t afford these holy grails. These instruments tend to be purchased by amateur players or collectors with disposable income who often view vintage banjos as long-term investments.

Buying a very expensive vintage instrument without first thoroughly educating yourself about the history of banjo manufacturing, knowing which instruments players and collectors treasure, and getting a handle on the ever-changing state of the market is unwise. A good way to begin is to read up on banjo history and visit those Internet sites of stores carrying vintage inventories (see the following section for a list of these stores). Track resale prices on those instruments that interest you most and start saving for a big future purchase!

Finding the Right Music Store

The first store you think to visit on your banjo quest could be the local branch of one of those large national music outlets designed to serve customers more interested in rock music. As you enter through the front door, you’re blasted by a shriek of heavy metal electric guitar. You gradually regain your hearing as Music Store Dude, a teenaged sales clerk dressed in black from head to toe with piercings in various parts of his anatomy, approaches you.

You meekly ask, “Do you have any banjos?” Music Store Dude sneers, shrugs, and raises his eyes to the ceiling, leaving you to explore the deep recesses of the cavernous store. If you’re lucky, you may find a dust-covered beginner’s instrument sitting forlornly in a corner, but you can’t tell what it sounds like because the banjo’s sorely out of tune. Even if the banjo was playable, you couldn’t hear it anyway because of the young Jimi Hendrix wannabe wailing over in the next aisle. Consider it time to leave and find a music store better fitted for your needs (and your hearing).

In the following sections, I help you find a store that can provide you with quality service and banjos — either in person or online.

Buying from an acoustic specialty store

Banjo music is real music made by real musicians. You don’t have synthesizers, lip-synching, or wardrobe malfunctions in the styles of music you play on the banjo (well, alright, there was that Beverly Hillbillies episode where Lester Flatt’s city-raised wife shrunk his clothes by boiling them in Granny’s iron kettle, but that doesn’t count). When you go looking to buy a banjo, you should start with a retail outlet that specializes not only in acoustic music, but whose staff also knows something about banjos. If that store has a variety of different banjos and the sales staff can offer advice as to which banjo is going to be best suited to your musical aspirations, then you can feel confident that you’ve found a good place to shop. If the store hosts weekly jam sessions and has a banjo teacher on staff, even better!

Start your search by looking in your local yellow pages under “Music Instruments: Retail.” Let your fingers do the walking until you find a listing that indicates a focus on acoustic, folk, and bluegrass music. Here’s an example from my yellow pages in the San Francisco Bay Area: “Since 1969; New - Used - Vintage; Guitars - Mandolins - Banjos; Harps - Violins - Ukuleles; Repairs - Appraisals; We Buy Used Instruments,” followed by a Web site address. A quick search on the Internet showed me that this particular store’s inventory included banjos in a wide range of price categories. You should be looking for this kind of store.

If you can find a similar store in your area, the drive is worth it, even if it takes you several hours away from home. By taking the time to get to know the folks who work at this store, you can not only have access to their expertise, but you also get lots of good advice regarding local teachers, jam sessions, concerts, festivals, and workshops.

If you’re considering a purchase of a professional quality instrument — a banjo that could easily cost $2,000 or more — your visit to an acoustic specialty store is practically mandatory. Whether you’re buying a beginner’s instrument or the best that they’ve got in stock, you want to actually see and play as many different banjos as possible. As you compare each banjo’s sound, construction, craftsmanship, and playability, don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions of the banjo specialist at the store.

Buying online

The Internet is a great place to buy some things, but what about a banjo? If you’re a new player and don’t have a more experienced banjo-playing friend or a teacher to help you, I’d advise against it. Internet buying usually requires a knowledgeable buyer, and if you’re new to banjos, you may not be able to make the best purchase on your own. Take the stress off yourself and make that personal connection with the acoustic specialty store to find just the right instrument for you and your budget. You support your regional acoustic music scene and aren’t at the mercy of the dreaded Music Store Dude!

If you’re already playing and looking to step up to a better-sounding instrument, shopping on the Internet can be a positive experience. The key is knowing what you’re looking for and being an educated buyer in regard to the particular instrument you’re looking for (check out “Stepping Up to a Better Banjo” earlier in this chapter for help in how to begin your banjo search).

Many of the best regional music stores maintain an active presence on the Internet and update their inventory daily on their homepages. Several of these retail outlets have a true international reach and are very dependable places to buy both new and used instruments and accessories.

Be sure to check an Internet store’s return policy before you purchase. Don’t buy from anyone who won’t allow you to return a banjo that you don’t like after you’ve had it for a couple of days. And for now, I’d totally avoid online purchases from individual buyers, unless you’ve been able to establish direct phone contact with a seller and come to total agreement on a return policy, method of payment, and how the instrument is to be shipped. Finally, never buy an instrument from someone claiming in an e-mail to be a member of a royal family or who wants to send $10 million dollars to you along with your banjo!

Getting you started: A banjo store directory

Here’s a short list of some of the best regional and national stores that specialize in new and used resonator and open-back banjos, along with their Web-site addresses. Each store is a brick-and-mortar walk-in establishment as well as a retail outlet providing excellent Internet and telephone customer service. Inventory varies at each store depending upon what’s in stock:

Banjo.Com: Atlanta, GA; www.banjo.com

Denver Folklore Center: Denver, CO; www.denverfolklore.com

Dusty Strings: Seattle, WA; www.dustystrings.com

Elderly Instruments: Lansing, MI; www.elderly.com

First Quality Music: Louisville, KY; www.fqms.com

Greg Boyd’s House of Fine Instruments: Missoula, MT; www.gregboyd.com

Gruhn Guitars: Nashville, TN; www.gruhn.com

Gryphon Stringed Instruments: Palo Alto, CA; www.gryphonstrings.com

Jack Hatfield Music: Pigeon Forge, TN; www.hatfieldmusic.com

Janet Davis Music Company: Bella Vista, AR; www.janetdavismusic.com

Mandolin Brothers: Staten Island, NY; www.mandoweb.com

Mass Street Music: Lawrence, KS; www.massstreetmusic.com

McPeake’s Unique Instruments: Mt. Juliet, TN; www.cmcpeake.com

The Music Emporium: Lexington, MA; www.themusicemporium.com

Picker’s Supply: Fredericksburg, VA; www.pickerssupply.com

Turtle Hill Banjo Company: Bryantown, MD; www.turtlehillbanjo.com

Please Mr. Postman: Shipping your banjo

If you purchase a banjo that has to be mailed to you, I strongly suggest paying more and using an overnight or two-day service for shipping. Package companies do inflict damage on banjos every now and then. However, shipping by air, rather than by the cheaper ground service, dramatically decreases the risk of your new banjo arriving in multiple pieces.

If your banjo does meet unfortunate circumstances in transit, immediately contact the store or buyer from which you made the purchase. The store will arrange for the shipping company to come and inspect the banjo. Then, they either take the instrument with them or have you return it. Be sure to save all packing materials, because this is crucial evidence in the shipping company’s determination of damages. A reputable music store either sends a replacement or arranges for a repair as soon as the damaged banjo is received.