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| Moderated by: Richard Hefner |
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| My first post and a question - Beginner Questions - Banjo - Banjo - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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raulin Approved 
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Hi everybody, I'm new here and also a newbie regarding banjos and banjo playing. I'm actually a guitar player but have joined a folk-americana band with two great banjo players a few months ago and now I've made up my mind about learning how to play the bluegrass banjo. I bought the cheapest possible banjo from a German online shop, and after two months picking I've made some progress and have got really hooked to banjo playing. Now I'm thinking over hanging this one on my studio wall for decoration and buying a serious banjo, so that I can further progress without having to fight for every tone every time. I'm from Spain and the only banjos easily available here are either the toy banjos like the one I bought or else fender banjos. I should also mention that my budget is not particularly high... Now, this is my question, what is your opinion about the Fender FB-58? Is that a 'professional' choice? anyone got experience with one of those? Many thanks in advance for your help! Keep picking!
____________________ http://www.soundclick.com/raulindelosbosques |
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Richard Hefner Administrator 
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Hi raulin, Yes, the Fender FB58 is a good choice. It's the top of the line Fender banjo (I'd stay away from the other models if you want the most 'professional') and is an excellent banjo. Some people might consider it more of an intermediate banjo and would refer to the really expensive (several thousand dollar) banjos such as Gibsons, Stellings, etc. as truly professional instruments, but the FB58 should serve you very well. It's a good choice in this price range and is a really nice banjo. 
____________________ Richard Hefner Webmaster, ezFolk.com MP3 Page: http://www.ezfolk.com/audio/richardhefner |
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raulin Approved
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Richard Hefner wrote: Hi raulin, Many thanks for your reply, Richard I'm decided to buy the Fender FB58. Sometime before Christmas I'll order it from some German online-shop - where these are the cheapest to buy for us Europeans -, even if I have to set it up myself  . I'd really want to buy if from some US online shop, because there you can have your banjo set-up before shipping, but shipping prices + customs tariffs makes this rather expensive as compared with the above mentioned German shops.Greets!
____________________ http://www.soundclick.com/raulindelosbosques |
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raulin Approved
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Hello everybody, Finally, I bought my Fender FB-58 banjo from a German online shop and received it last Tuesday. After having checked it quite thoroughly, I'm somewhat disappointed in what refers to some points, like the tuning pegs. I really thought these were going to be, if obviously not professional level, at least so good so as to be able to keep the strings tuned... well, maybe I just got bad luck with this particular instrument, because it's only the 4th tuning peg that is 'troublesome' and won't let me tune the 4th string in D (although apparently it stays perfectly in tune in D# or E# ...). Another weak point is the bridge: apart from not having been fine-sanded, it seems the notches for the strings are too deep, so that there occurs some fret-buzz when I play the 5th... As for the strong points of the banjo, the finish is simply beautiful - the flame maple resonator is gorgeous - and both the hardware (less the tuning pegs) and wood seem fine quality. In what refers to volume, the Fender is not particularly loud, being'as loud' as my toy banjo, but the sound is really sweet - always clean and chimey, never harsh or distorting like my other banjo. The playability of this instrument is a dream... your fingers seem to fly, hammer-ons and pull-offs are easy as a pie, and one can go down the neck and the tones are always clean and one's fingers don't get 'under the strings' as it used to happen on my other banjo. I've realised something funny: I was worried about the 'rubbing-metal' noises of my fingerpicks when I played on my toy banjo. I was really concerned about this and I thought it was just my crappy playing technique. Now, these noises seem to have disappeared when I play this one...  Greets!
____________________ http://www.soundclick.com/raulindelosbosques |
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Philj200 Approved 
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I lived in Barcelona for a while right on Las Ramblas (played in a local rock band too), but that was a long time ago. Love your country. Wish I spoke Spanish better. Can I assume that you tried adjusting the set screw at the end of the tuner? Sometimes that's all it takes. You may have a defective tuner. It that's the case, the seller should help you resolve the problem. Or you can order a replacement or an upgrade on line. Banjo tuners can be 1:1 friction pegs. Not always easy to tune but cheap. I have them on thress of my banos. I have 8:1 geared tuners on the others for the fourth through first strings. The geared fifth string tuners are 4:1. My experience is that these are the common ratios. With the Euro so strong these days, you might be able to buy a set of high-quality tuners for less than $100 US. They will make your banjo picking experience much more pleasant. Last edited on Sun Dec 16th, 2007 09:23 pm by Philj200 ____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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raulin Approved
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Philj200 wrote: Can I assume that you tried adjusting the set screw at the end of the tuner? Sometimes that's all it takes. Hi Phil, Many thanks for your reply! That's exactly the piece of avice a friend of mine gave me when I told him about the problem... He's a banjo builder and restorer and I'll let him check it out before referring the problem to the shop or buying new pegs. I've already resolved the problem with the bridge with a small amount of 'super-glue' in the 5th string brigde-notch, so that now this is not so deep and the string doesn't buzz any more  . In any case, the bridge will be replaced as soon as possible and I'll wait until my friend checks everything in the banjo is OK before buying new tuners. I find this banjo is a good instrument for the price. It's crafted in China, and I assume that in many occasions this is equal to 'not-so-good' finish or set-up. All in all, I think that after replacing bridge and - if needed - tuning pegs this one will turn out a professional level instrument. Again, many thanks to you and to Richard for your advice! Greets from Southern Spain! Last edited on Mon Dec 17th, 2007 07:54 am by raulin ____________________ http://www.soundclick.com/raulindelosbosques |
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thunder Approved 
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Hi Raulin. I'm Joaquim, in the Gorg forum. Congratulations for your new banjo.
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raulin Approved
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thunder wrote: Hi Raulin. Hi Joaquim! Glad to meet you here! I think we're only three spaniards here in this forum, and each of us from quite a different (far away) part of Spain... Maybe we could get together for a jam sometime  Merry Christmas to y'all, Spaniards and Americans alike!!
____________________ http://www.soundclick.com/raulindelosbosques |
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| ezFolk Forums > Banjo > Beginner Questions - Banjo > My first post and a question | |
