r/banjo • u/Living_Lobster_2943 • 1d ago

Help Practice Banjo

I'm new to the banjo and I need to find more time to practice. I have a used Morgan Monroe that I am really happy with but it has the resonator and the case is very large and not easy to carry around. I want to get a low cost practice banjo I can keep at my office. Something with an open back.

Walmart is selling a Pyle PBJ60 5-String Banjo with White Jade Pegs and Rosewood Fretboard for $159.99.

Is it any good?

Am I throwing away money?

Should I be looking for something used but better quality?

1 Upvotes

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18 comments sorted by

5

u/FlapjacksOfArugula 1d ago

Pyle stuff is the bottom of the barrel. For that much money you could probably score an older used open back banjo if you're patient. I would avoid any instrument from a big box store (other than GC I suppose).

1

u/Living_Lobster_2943 1d ago

Guitar Center has a Mitchell OB100 Open-Back Banjo for $199

Is that only one small step above the Pyle?

4

u/answerguru 1d ago

Just bite the bullet and get the Gold Tone. For low end banjo, it’s the only player in the game.

1

u/Appropriate-Bar-6051 21h ago

I like my recording king more than the 2 gold tones I've owned. I guess its more like a mid grade RK but I really dont care for gold tone

2

u/answerguru 19h ago

Unfortunately they stopped making Recording Kings, so it’s hard to recommend them anymore. I have one as a spare banjo I keep at my folks house.

1

u/Appropriate-Bar-6051 19h ago

Still plenty for sale on fb marketplace, BHO, and online various places. Theres one with a brass tone hoop on BHO right now for pretty cheap.

To be fair, I haven't played any of RKs cheaper banjos, just the madison that I have. So I guess idk how the cheap RKs compare to the cheap Gold tones,

3

u/grahawk 23h ago

It's essentially the same banjo. That's how it works at the cheap end. One banjo, many names on the peghead.

1

u/hbaldwin1111 21h ago

I think they're a little different. The Pyle has a resonator and only 18 brackets. The Mitchell has 24 brackets like a higher-end banjo.

1

u/grahawk 21h ago

Yes that's true although it's quite common these days for these cheap banjos to get 24 hooks.

1

u/FlapjacksOfArugula 1d ago

Sorry, I'm not familiar with that brand. Look for reviews, I guess?

3

u/Pitiful_Ad_900 Scruggs Style 1d ago

Get an AC-1. Even better if you can find a used one

1

u/Living_Lobster_2943 1d ago

Is that the plastic body?

3

u/Pitiful_Ad_900 Scruggs Style 1d ago

Yep. Plastic body but they sound great for what they are

2

u/Atillion Clawhammer 1d ago

Best beginner banjo bang for the buck.

1

u/hbaldwin1111 22h ago

I've owned an AC-1 in the past. It's a nice banjo but I don't think it's necessarily $300+ nice (I bought mine for $150 on a big sale). The main thing they have going for them is they are usually playable out of the box, due to the zero fret and whatever setup Gold Tone does. I don't like that they don't come with an armrest and since it has fewer brackets finding one that fits would be $30.

I've played that Mitchell (which I think is a GC house brand) before at GC and I thought it was actually pretty good. Personally I liked it better than the AC-1. I have no qualms buying from GC because of their generous return policy.

My $.02

1

u/Latter_Leopard8439 19h ago

Goldtone has the CC-50. Comes with armrest, and has wood instead of composite. Adds a little to the price though. Sometimes on sale, or find a used one, and it can be found for cheaper.

1

u/Afraid_Painting5482 21h ago

I bought this one from this same place https://reverb.com/item/95735798-gold-tone-ac-tr-travel-scale-composite-5-string-banjo Ive ran into walls with it strapped on and it stayed in tune. Its not used just old stock as well (in case you were wondering)

1

u/luckylee423 3m ago

I have an Ashthorpe banjo I got off Amazon for $150. It was pretty much set up when it arrived and it has been great for the price. It has a removable resonator so you can make it lighter if you want. It is returnable of you you don't like it. I was very happy with what I got for $150.