Banjo Advice

Camm

Hey,

Just looking for a bit of advice.... I'm looking to buy a banjo as a present for someone but i haven't got a clue about them and was just wondering if someone could point me in the right direction. What make should i be looking for and what would be the best for someone just starting out on the banjo etc etc etc.

As far as cost goes, i would probably be looking for something between 300 and 400 Euro. Would this get me something fairly decent?

Any advice would be great!!

Thanks!

TelePaul

Camm wrote:

Hey,

Just looking for a bit of advice.... I'm looking to buy a banjo as a present for someone but i haven't got a clue about them and was just wondering if someone could point me in the right direction. What make should i be looking for and what would be the best for someone just starting out on the banjo etc etc etc.

As far as cost goes, i would probably be looking for something between 300 and 400 Euro. Would this get me something fairly decent?

Any advice would be great!!

Thanks!

Tenor Banjo? Irish Tenor Banjo? Bluegrass Banjo?

aoife161

It really depends on what type of banjo you're looking for.
There are different types, Tenor (4 string) Blue grass (5 string) and you also have a guitar banjo - which has 6 strings.

What type of music would this person be looking to play? If you're looking to play Irish music then a tenor Irish tuned banjo would probably be the best way to go.

But to be honest an Irish tuned banjo, is really only irish tuned because of the strings you put on them, it nothing to do with the instrument itself!

Have a Richwood banjo myself, its a shortscale tenor. I bought it, cuz l was interested in learning and to be honest its been great. Its shorter in scale which means that its slightly easier to play than the longer version.
I think its 17 frets as oppoed to 19? You might need to correct me on that!!
Anyway the Richwood one i have is great. And not too dear, which suited me just fine, cuz i really just wanted to know if i could even play it in the first place!! Been getting lessons once a month too...that helps!

Anyway hope this helps!!

banjopaul

aoife161 wrote:

But to be honest an Irish tuned banjo, is really only irish tuned because of the strings you put on them, it nothing to do with the instrument itself!

In comparison to what, plectrum banjo for example has four strings but is different? There is definitely difference between them. And there is the obvious differences between Irish tenor and bluegrass banjo;s

aoife161 wrote:

Its shorter in scale which means that its slightly easier to play than the longer version.

Matter of opinion, most people prefer the 19 fret.

aoife161 wrote:

I think its 17 frets as oppoed to 19?

Yep, short scale is 17 fret and standard is 19 fret

any who, it really depends on what style the person would want to play. Do they want to play music like this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrlqQ1_vZVE
that's bluegrass;
Or like this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMBjaif1b3Q
that's Irish trad;
Or like this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjcakSrNxlo
that's ragtime;
Or maybe even like this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T45aLnOglE8
that's just weird:D


On buying a new banjo, I would advise you to buy a vintage rather than new as they dont lose value if the person doesn't keep it up, you can get a nice one for around €600-€700. good luck!:D

Camm

Thanks a million guys, taking all that on board and going shopping!!

It would probably be Irish trad music that he'd be looking to play more then anything else so i should probably go for the Irish Tenor banjo then?..

tbh i know absolutely nothing about them so i was clueless before now, thanks for all the help!!.

banjopaul

Yep, for Irish trad you want a tenor banjo. I don't know where you live but it might be good to call into Tom Cussen in Clarenbridge, Galway. He makes and sells great banjos, but also sells reconditioned banjo's, which is where I got my first one. His website is http://www.banjo.ie . It might also be wise to get an experienced player to try the banjo before you buy it, so you know your getting a good deal, good luck!