The 1938 Gibson Mastertone flathead five-string, made famous by Earl Scruggs, is valued at thousands of dollars since fewer than 100 were ever made. How much is a 1938 Mastertone Flathead banjo worth? The Gibson pots and hardware of that period are complex and unequaled – a good body with original hardware might technically be worth $1400+ by itself. Some conversions were quite good, and the banjos are worth the prices people are asking. Needless to say, both vary widely in quality. When plucking a string lightly, you should hear a clear, consistent note. Some other things to look for when assessing a banjo for quality are: Do the strings push down easily? Test the action on both ends of the neck to make sure the strings aren’t too hard to push down and don’t feel like they will cut your fingers. In New Orleans, the reverse might be true, for all I know.
The fact that guitar has more strings that are closer to each other makes it hard, especially for beginners, to pluck or strum a precise chord.Ĭhances are if it had been a 5-string, he could have got $150-250 for it in our area, just because Bluegrass (which requires a 5-string banjo) is so predominant in SW Ohio, and traditional Jazz (which usually uses a 4-string) is not so popular. If you compare how easy it is to move fingers over fingerboard or frets, you will realize it is harder to work on guitar than banjo since banjo has fewer strings. Sometimes they are called guitjos, ganjos, banjitars, etc., but we like to just call ours a 6-string banjo. Is there a 6 string banjo?Ħ-string banjos are tuned just like a guitar and are the perfect crossover instrument for guitarists. Mandolin banjos come in a great variety of styles. The Irish tenor banjo, which tuning became popular in the 1960s, is also tuned the same as a mandolin, but an octave lower. The Mandolin Banjo and Tenor Banjo Essentially it is tuned the same as a mandolin. Its development was pushed by the need for vaudeville performers to have an instrument that could be played with the ease of the ukulele, but with more volume. The banjo ukulele, also known as the banjolele or banjo uke, is a four-stringed musical instrument with a small banjo-type body and a fretted ukulele neck. 2) Gold Tone CC-100R Cripple Creek Banjo.What are good banjos?Ģ0 Best Banjo Reviews and the Best Banjo Brands In the past, younger children were discouraged from starting at any early age most teachers would not accept students who could not already read well this was usually age 8 or older. One way to classify banjos is: 4 strings, 5 strings, and 6 strings.Ī: Depending on the child and the instrument, ages 3-6. Just like guitars, basses, and other string instruments, banjos come built in different models. However, that distinction is not universal the banjolin name was patented in 1885 by John Farris for an instrument with 8 strings. 8 How much is a good Gibson banjo worth?īanjolins today are supposed to have four strings instead of 8 strings (in courses or pairs).7 What to look for when buying a banjo?.