Acoustic Banjo

This a nice banjo Bought it for my 13 yo son and he loves it. Sounds great

So the first mini banjo i received was defective; one of the frets sat too low causing a buzzing when i pressed down on D. I took it to a music shop because i couldn't figure out what was wrong (I'm a self taught ukulele player, total newbie to the banjo). Music shop said I'd have to drop it off to fix, $65; half of what i paid. I was really bummed and almost dropped it off to get fixed except one of the reviewers on YouTube suggested i contact the seller because they were great. Great doesn't begin to describe them. They were phenomenal, super responsive, apologetic and asked me to give them another chance. It was on backorder so they thoughtfully gifted me a music stand for all the inconvenience. I received the replacement mini banjo yesterday and it's prefect. It tuned easily, frets were all level, strings sat 1/8" off of bottom frets as my research had suggested. The only thing i had to do was move the bridge about half an inch and i was ready to go. It was also packaged with extra care, included a manual booklet and they kindly surprised me by adding an arm rest on the head. It's the perfect beginner and travel instrument. I'll be starting lessons in a couple weeks and can't wait to do so. I highly recommend this company and their product. I'm sure it's not as perfect as the more expensive ones but it's definitely worth a lot more than the $120 i paid for the bundle (case, strap, tuner, cables to plug into speaker, tools to tighten head, extra set of strings and manual). This is a very happy customer!

i am a pure beginning banjo player, so had no idea what to get. after looking at the reviews, this banjo seemed like a good risk for a beginner to take without spending a fortune. i am happy with the banjo but there are things buyers need to know...for example, you will probably need a banjo stand and a music stand to hold the music..these are not expensive but necessary. there is some concern that the neck is a little narrow for fat fingers, but so far i can manage. the one main surprise was that the setup is quite challenging for a beginner----doable,but more steps than i anticipated. for example, was not clear how the digital tuner worked. the bridge has to be installed correctly. with the strings in the proper place. installing the strap was ok, but one of the attachment points to the banjo fell off (which is why only four stars). but i bought a wider strap that did not need that attachment point, so solvable. i would buy again.

It sounds great, I love it.

I got this for an upcoming trip on which it would be impractical to take a full-sized banjo. I didn't have high expectations for the Vangoa but it really surprised me! I'm a clawhammer player and the strings are spaced far enough apart that playing it is not a different experience for the right hand, which is where the rubber meets the road for what is a practice instrument. The width of the strings at the bridge is 1 11/16", which is exactly the same as a regular banjo. At the nut it unfortunately gets narrower than a regular banjo (13/16" versus 1"), but you can't have everything...certainly not at this price. It is still quite playable for the left hand. You may have to play some things you'd normally play with the left pinky with the ring finger instead; but since this is really just a keep-in-trim instrument it's not that big a deal. The playing experience for the picking or clawhammering hand is about the same as a full-size when it's tuned to C or B. The only beginner I would want to get this instrument is a very young child. A kid 10 and above, or an adult, should not be learning on this instrument, as the distance between the frets is way narrower than a full-size. There's some other goodies included--gig bag, strap, contact pickup (!), plastic thumb and plastic finger picks, an extra set of strings--which one might get some use from even if they found the instrument useless. In terms of use for other than a practice instrument, its voice and size make it a lot like a mandolin or a ukelele. Uke players would probably enjoy this banjo a lot. So it could certainly find its way into a player's arsenal as a novelty instrument. For what it is, to me it's great value for the money.

This is a great little 5 string banjo ukulele. it has the sound of a ukulele which doesn't sound like a quality banjo, never the less is a very pleasant sounding instrument. For a small child wanting to learn to play the banjo, this might be the right size to start out with. If your an adult wanting to learn, it really is to small to try to learn on. For an experienced banjo player, this little instrument is a lot of fun to play. I had to move the bridge back about an inch to correct the intonation and tune it but very little else to start playing it. You won't need to take it to a professional to set it up. quick tip. measure the distance from the nut to the 12th fret and then move the bridge so there is the same distance between the 12 fret and the bridge. Then tune the strings and start playing. I bought it to take on a cruise, just to keep my fingers in condition without having to lug around 20 lbs of banjo and case. After the cruise, I have a grandchild or two that may want to learn to play.

Admittedly, I am still learning to play banjo; a more experienced player might know better. But this seems perfect for a beginner like me. First, the kit comes with everything you would need to get started (well, except lessons. But you're on the internet--go find some!). The banjo was carefully packed and arrived in pristine condition. I did have to tighten the bolts on the resonator and placing the bridge was a bit tricky (again, I'm new to this) but this was basically ready to play right out of the box. Six weeks or so later and I am thrilled I chose to learn banjo and bought this one for my first. It sounds great (even my friend who has played guitar for decades says so), looks great, and I love playing it! My one small complaint is that the two nuts/clips for the strap have both come loose at different times, meaning I had to completely remove the resonator and retighten them. I wish those bolts were a little longer. So now I have to obsessively check them to make sure they're still tight.

Update after 2 weeks: Im going to leave my original review below but my thoughts have changed over the last 2 weeks. First off a cheap banjo is still better then no banjo. BUT if you are able to spend a little bit more then I would recommend it. The first week things went great, but once I really started learning the fret board I started noticing some issues. You have to press very hard on the strings to get a smooth sound when using the fret board. I was getting alot of muted strings and buzzing. I originally thought it was me, but I got some help with my hand placement technique and it didnt change much. The neck is pretty thick so you really have to reach to get those cords. I decided to speak with someone at a music store. I told them my concerns on neck size and the strength it took to get the cords right and we ended up agreeing that I would try out a Gold Tone CC-50. It is double the price but it also solved every issue I was having. The Gold Tone is way more comfortable and easy to play. So my thoughts are if this is all you can afford then go for it. It's just gonna take even more practice. But if your willing to spend 100-200 more then I would recommend looking into the Gold tone ac-1 or the cc-50. Have a blessed day! This is my first banjo so obviously im not super qualified but I have to say I was nervous how it would sound just based off the cheap price. But so far it sounds amazing. BUT GET YOUR OWN TUNER AND PICKS. The tuner that came with it is awful. I couldn't even get it close to being in tune with the provided tuner, But with a phone app I got it perfect. And the picks are very cheap and not sturdy at all. I use the plastic thumb pick it came with and its fine. But the metal picks are terrible. But I grabbed a pack of Dunlop picks and there great. The bag it comes with is nice. Also the measuring stick for installing your bridge it very nice too. I plan to upgrade once I really learn the banjo. But for learning and not wanting to break the bank I think this is a fantastic option!

Ok for a child tried to return it post office said it would cost me 60 pounds to send it back what a ripoff stuck with a banjo i don't wont

Alles, was man zum Banjospielen braucht. Das Paket ist wirklich komplett. Alles drin, von einem Tuner über Ersatzsaiten bis hin zu den Picks und einer Tasche. Das Banjo lässt sich in normaler G-Stimmung stimmen. Der Hals ist kürzer, aber er ist komplett mit allen Frets. Ansonsten klingt es wie ein Banjo und es ist sogar recht laut. Nur die Nut ist nicht richtig eingekerbt gewesen. Die Saiten lagen in einer dünnen Kerbe oben auf und beim greifen der Seite veränderte sich der Ton gleich um zwei Noten, da man mit herunterdrücken der Saite die Spannung gleich mit ändert. Ganz besonders bei den Saiten 1-3. Der Abstand der Saite zum Hals war viel zu groß. Hier half ein spezielles Feilenset für diese Zwecke, wo man die Kerbe abgestimmt auf die Saitendicke tiefer feilt. Die Saite sollte dicht über dem Hals sein, ohne dass sie beim spielen schnarrt. Ist das getan, ist alles prima. (Feilenset: 9,90 Euro, Leere: 5 Euro) Es ist ein guter Begleiter, wenn man auf Reisen ist, da es nicht so viel Platz wegnimmt. Und es ist natürlich leichter, als die großen Banjos. Ob es deswegen gut für Anfänger ist, weiss ich nicht, denn man spielt es, wie jedes "große" Banjo auch. Ich finde nicht, das es auf Grund seiner Größe einfacher zu spielen ist. Man muss hier besonders mit der linken Hand mit spitzen Fingern spielen, damit man wirklich nur eine Saite berührt. Und für den Preis ist die Qualität gut. Sollte man aber nicht mit einem Banjo vergleichen, was ein paar hundert Euro kostet.

The bottom-line is that this is a high quality instrument at a fantastic price. Pop in the bridge, tune it up and start playing real banjo tunes, because this is a real banjo. This is about the size of a tenor ukulele and has a higher pitch than a standard banjo, although you can loosen it up a bit. The bindings are nice, not cheap looking, and the fret work is solid and finished. The tuners are high-quality no-name brand, you will have no trouble with them keeping tune. All other metal gear is likewise high-quality, no-name brand steel and the wood is indeed real.

EL INSTRUMENTO LLEGÓ EN LA PARTE TRASERA CON UN FISURA, PARA EL PRECIO QUE TIENE, HUBIERA ESPERADO EL PRODUCTO EN BUENAS CONDICIONES

As a beginner, I had no idea which banjo to select. After spending weeks reading about the instrument, I decided on this one because i) versatility - I could remove the resonator if I wanted; ii) price - hard to beat; iii) it came with a good selection of accessories; and iv) some good video reviews online. What I didn't expect i) how incredibly well made this was (I'm no expert, but I think most people would agree this is a very well constructed product); ii) how nice it sounds (again, no expert, but this sounds very pleasant to me; iii) the included finger picks (if you're going to learn picking first) are poor - it would be advisable to pick up a set of National metal/plastic picks; iv) the strap has a chemical smell to it and was completely unusable; v) buy a stand - at least for me, I'm far more likely to play if all I have to do is pick it up instead of struggling to take it out of the zippered bag; vi) after about a month of fine tuning, I have barely touched the tuners! I've had it now for about five months and I actually find it easier to play than a guitar and not significantly more challenging than a ukulele (I started guitar, banjo and uke at the same time.) The uke, I purchased based on advice that it's the easiest string instrument to play, but now that I've had both for about the same time, I would say the learning curve is about the same; different technique, but similar technical difficulty. Most beginner uke lessons start on strumming chords and accompanyment (sing/play); being a poor singer, I had trouble finding *complete* songs that sounded good solo/fingerstyle on the uke. Not so with the banjo. Even though I had never previously heard many of the songs I'm learning, the banjo sounds great and I'm enjoying it much more than the uke.