Can we talk about banjos?

[Larry Mal]

I have these people saved for when I decide to buy another....

https://www.bmfolk.co.uk/banjos/4-string-banjos.html

I like that you linked to the four string tenor banjo- that's been on the list for a while now. It really might as well be a totally different instrument as far as technique goes, no better, no worse. I mainly associate it with putting out chordal accompaniment, although I think it can do a fair amount more.

But I've learned over the years here that sustain is not always really productive with instruments, and the tenor banjo is more or less designed to not sustain at all, or at least a common technique seems to be to mute the chords really quickly even before the very limited sustain that the banjo has can ring out.

You know, imagine various music traditions in which the banjo would find itself, it often plays along with the violin, the guitar, and the mandolin. All those instruments have a good amount of sustain, especially the mandolin and violin.

So the banjo takes a role that is both melodic and percussive- which makes sense, it's basically a drum with strings and frets. The tenor banjo is also very chordal.

Of course, the banjo is so resonant it can drone along with itself- this guy does that a bit with the tenor banjo.

[JSett]

I like that you linked to the four string tenor banjo- that's been on the list for a while now. It really might as well be a totally different instrument as far as technique goes, no better, no worse. I mainly associate it with putting out chordal accompaniment, although I think it can do a fair amount more.

I think it's more alluring to me to go with the four string ones as I grew up with a lot of Irish and Scottish folk around me in my family and the city I grew up in having a large folk scene. I like that punchy, almost ragtime, chop they are often used for. I'm mostly a chord-based player too so it makes a little more sense.

I'm still battling the Mandolin, albeit very slowly, and tend to prefer doing the same sort of style on that. Same with the ukulele.

[Telliot]

I think it's more alluring to me to go with the four string ones as I grew up with a lot of Irish and Scottish folk around me in my family and the city I grew up in having a large folk scene. I like that punchy, almost ragtime, chop they are often used for. I'm mostly a chord-based player too so it makes a little more sense.

Here's a pretty great rundown of the types and history of 4-string banjos, if you haven't already seen it.

[DrQuasar]

I have an old Norma that looks exactly like this one. I love it and totally think you should get a banjo. This one has worked so well for me I never felt the need to explore any further, so I've got nothing on the search.

If you haven't heard Waveland by Noam Pikelny, check it out. It's awesome. Solo banjo.

[Larry Mal]

I'm still going to recommend the Sierra.

[Larry Mal]

Or this.

I don't know if I'm going to be any help, Todd.

[Telliot]

I don't know if I'm going to be any help, Todd.

I disagree! You’ve already given me a ton to consider and I think the Sierra is floating to the top of my list. I really appreciate all your advice so far and hope I won’t be too much of a bother with all my questions in the (hopefully) near future.

[Larry Mal]

Not to beat this into the ground but I did want to show a couple of things. Here's the banjo I have:





Nice simple banjo.

It came with a couple of upgraded tuners:



What happens there is that you set two pitches, so let's say the standard pitch and then one a tone below that. When you want to, you can just pull the knob there. They are called "Keith tuners":

And they cost a lot.

Schaller also makes some, they say the Keith ones are better.

But my point is banjo players use a lot of tunings.

Here's the fifth string capo:



And those are cool. In typical banjo tuning you'd have that fifth string tuned to a G, and the rest of the banjo is tuned to G, so at any given moment you are emphasizing the root in G or the fifth in C and so on. But the sky's the limit here, you can put that to an E and do some haunting E minor stuff and so on.

So whatever direction you go, be sure to get one of those.

[JSett]

Here's a pretty great rundown of the types and history of 4-string banjos, if you haven't already seen it.

I have not, but I will watch it later today. Thanks!

[Larry Mal]

I went to Music Folk yesterday and came across this 1935 Epiphone plectrum banjo.

Incredibly, that banjo is the mid tier of what Epiphone was offering back then. Times were different!

[Telliot]

It’s really a shame what Gibson did to Epiphone’s reputation as a proper guitar builder. The pre-Gibson era bore some pretty great stuff; I guess some of that spilled into the early-to-mid 60s, but they were a shell of their former selves by then, and of course moving them to Japan in the 70s was the death knell. Lately their quality has come up, but they’ll probably never return to anything resembling the company they once were. Gibson will make sure of that as long as they still own the name.

[Larry Mal]

You know, when you look at old Epiphones, what really is better than that now? They were as good as anyone back in the day.

They are good now again, though. And Gibson has started making USA made Epiphone classics again on top of the overseas made guitars getting quality upgrades in the face of strong competition.

My first banjo was actually an Epiphone. I almost forgot that! It was dreadful. It was made during Epiphone's nadir.