There are many aspects that go into purchasing a banjo, with manufacturers and vendors trying to dazzle buyers with features galore.
If a person wants to play bluegrass music, a resonator banjo would be their ideal instrument; for clawhammer style or traditional mountain music however, an open back banjo would likely work better.
Affordability
Beginners tend to start off with open back banjos as these tend to be less costly and easier to transport, making them ideal for playing while on the move.
Although open back models don’t produce as full and vibrant melodies as resonator banjos, they still produce lush and captivating tunes, particularly when used with phosphor bronze strings.
One potential drawback of this banjo is its absence of a gig bag or case, which may cause inconvenience for some musicians. Nonetheless, this issue can easily be overcome by finding an affordable case to hold it.
The Deering Goodtime banjo is an excellent starting point for beginners looking to start playing banjo. Boasting an excellent tone, its tuning process is user-friendly – ideal for clawhammer style playing – though its lack of geared fifth tuner may present issues for some musicians.
Sound
Open back banjos typically feature a more delicate sound due to their sound waves being absorbed by both body and clothing of their players, providing them with a mellower, gentler sound ideal for genres such as folk and traditional tunes.
Although not ideal for bluegrass playing, open back banjos can still be useful to beginners picking clawhammer music by taking off its resonator and replacing it with an open back one. However, most professionals opt for resonator banjos when performing bluegrass. Beginner pickers may use open back banjos if they remove its resonator to play clawhammer music on it.
Many banjos come equipped with a resonator, but you can remove this feature to make the instrument lighter and more budget friendly. Furthermore, installing a pickup can boost its volume – especially useful if playing with an ensemble or for home playback – however first decide whether your banjo will be used casually or for larger gatherings that demand loud sounds.
Styles of Music
Open back banjos tend to offer a mellower sound, are lighter and less costly than their resonator counterparts, and may be better suited for clawhammer style play. Resonators, on the other hand, may be harder for some musicians to manage due to being heavier and bulkier.
Resonator banjos feature an additional component known as a resonator, a bowl-shaped component attached to the back of their pot and used to direct sound towards audiences. This gives resonator banjos a louder tone, making them particularly suitable for bluegrass music as they stand out as lead instruments.
Open-back banjos tend to work best with mountain music and traditional genres, as they tend to be played at lower volumes where other instruments do not compete for attention. However, you can add a pickup onto any banjo and use it with an amplifier for louder genres; there are affordable resonator banjos from Deering, Bishline, and Artisan available as options.
Maintenance
Many banjo novices might be stumped as to why some 5-string banjos feature resonators while others do not, let alone understand that this feature can increase loudness (ideal for bluegrass music but less suitable for folk, old-timey or clawhammer styles) while open back banjos tend to produce softer sounding music.
Traditional stuffing techniques aim to reduce unwanted overtones by dampening head vibrations; unfortunately this results in severe reduction in volume and frequency response – effectively deadening its tone.
Pisgah banjos feature a two-way adjustable truss rod to provide neck relief. Access this by removing the neck from its rim using an allen wrench provided. We suggest tightening each nut 1/8 turn at a time until tightness has reached desired level – being careful not to crank too tight; otherwise this could pull loose the flange from its round rim.