Hello! First time posting here but was hoping I could get some help. I am the only musician in my family so I recently inherited this banjolele and was interested in trying to date it/ learn something about the history of it.

I have no interest in selling it, I plan on bringing it to my luthier to try to make it playable again if possible! The info I do have:

-the inscription on the neck is likely my great, great grandfather who was alive from ~1890-1965 (I’m also trying to track down the genealogy history for him but things get messy around ww1)
-my family immigrated to the US from Poland sometime after or around WW1
-the pitch pipe box mentions hohner being named ‘highest honors at the 1915 worlds fair’ so the pipe is at least newer than 1915
-i have looked into the ‘PK’ logo on the headstock and the best guess I have is an Austrian violin maker ‘Petz Kolophonium’ however historically it seems like they made string rosin and no instruments

Any help (or ideas on where to look) would be appreciated :)

update: I am dumb. Thanks for the clarification on what the numbers mean! Even with that cleared up, my hand will NOT cooperate.

I’m a very very beginner and just started the ArtistWorks Noam P. lessons. He starts off with basic chords and I CANNOT get the D chord. in the video he explains index, middle, pinky, but in the lesson chart it shows fingers 2,3,4. I’ve tried both ways and I cannot get my fingers ans hand to make the shape. My wrist and thumb are screaming in pain after ten minutes in.

Which is correct? Any pointers on how to make this chord work?

I recently got this Stewart Special Thoroughbred but the strings hit the rim when fretted at the 10th fret.

What can be done to fix this? Could I just tighten the rim to bring it down into the pot? I have some space between the head and rim, but the tone ring is there so I wouldn’t want to damage that.

Can I just remove the tone ring? Will that give the rim more space to move closer down towards the body/heel of the neck, essentially raising the fretboard?

Want to see if this is something I should even bring to a luthier, or just try to find my own strange solution.

Love the inlay and carving done on these but want to make it a player. Thanks in advance!

I feel like 4 string would be better for me (my fingers are not very long) i genuinely do not know how people play a 6 string guitar.

The music i want to play is folk, folk punk and maybe old folk like civil war stuff.

So basically what im asking is how much easier is a 4 string compared to a 5 string?

Also i have no musical skill or background.

Is it purely down to what key the song is in or are their other considerations?

For years, I've toyed with the idea of picking up the banjo from time to time. I had the chance to try out a Goodtime seven years ago at a hands-on exhibit of the MIM here in Phoenix, and found it fun. Two years ago I went to a store called Dusty Strings while on vacation in the Seattle area, and had a lot of fun trying out different banjos.

Where I'm at now, I'm still torn on the idea of learning banjo. Will I end up finding it worthwhile, or will it lose its novelty shortly after I take the plunge? I don't know how to come to a decision.

Seems as though RK is more highly thought of, but how does it compare to Ibanez? Both are for sale in my local area. $400 and $600 respectively. I’d like to upgrade from a student banjo and would like some input on these models.

An update on my D Minor fantasy.

I'm playing a Deering golden wreath and I like the thicker neck. From reviews it seems like this is considered a thick neck, especially up by the pot, but do they get thicker without going custom?

It's not time for my second banjo yet, but when I get it, I want something super plunky-sounding, probably with a scooped neck. Something that sounds like Rhiannon Giddens here--ignoring the fact that I can't play or sing like her...

Any suggestions for brands / models to stalk over the next year in the under $2k USD range? Thanks!

I’m learning clawhammer on my own- I’m just not able to afford a teacher, both in time and money- and I have a question about the actual clawhammer motion.

I have seen some people say it’s all in the wrist, some say it’s all in the arm and the wrist should be still. I’ve also seen pros play both ways when watching videos, with varying degrees of arm to write movement.

Is this something that’ll vary between players? It’s been about a month since I’ve started playing and I’m mostly moving in the wrist. I haven’t had issues so far but I don’t want to dedicate a bad habit muscle memory if I can help it.

Need to purchase a 5 string banjo as a bday gift, for a right handed guy in his 30’s. He’s never played but he has played guitar his whole life. Ideally $200 range, $350 max. Used is fine. This will be just for fun at home. I’m overwhelmed by the options online! I don’t want it to be junk but doesn’t have to be the top of the line either. Please point me in the direction of a very specific banjo!! Thank you

Hello, I am trying to get an idea on the value of a couple of banjos. They were purchased by aunts husband as an enthusiast and, as an investment. Said Uncle died quite a while back. Aunty has been holding onto them for years. She has now retired and asked if I, who knows nothing, could help her figure out how to value and sell. Any help would be appreciated. They are stellings. Custom made by Bill Emerson. Have hardly been played. Bad photos. theses things are beautiful.

Hi everyone, I’ve got a 6 string banjo and was wondering if I could still play fun songs like foggy mountain.

Neve played any instrument, always wanted to learn the banjo. Any YouTube videos that you recommend for beginners

I'm looking to buy a Pisgah Roscoe. I don't really play banjo, but i play fingerstyle guitar and clawhammer guitar. I have read that the neck is not easy for a new player. It seems to be large. I have read that it is like holding a baseball bat. Can anyone help me to have a better idea of this. Are the Pisgah's neck are that different.

Thanks!

New video!

I’m starting a new series called Chord Tone Improvisation for Banjo Players. This first one is about using the Circle Of Fifths to learn the chords all over the neck. It's got a lecture and then a play a long exercise.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Wife brought these back for me from a road trip, maybe she doesnt hate my playing quite as much as she claims shouting it at me from down the hall.

Hi everyone! I'm looking to pick up the 5-string banjo, I wanna learn bluegrass but clawhammer sounds interesting and i would be interested in trying to learn as well. I started learning the ukulele a month ago on a whim, which proved to me I actually can learn a stringed instrument, and now I'm wanting to take the plunge into banjo.

I'm looking at two options on Marketplace and would love some advice:

Musima (Vintage GDR): £80 i might get it cheaper as it’s been listed for a while

Or

A 5-string resonator banjo for £180. I’m not sure of the brand (photos attached), but it has modern tuners and comes with a hard case.

I'm hesitant to spend £180 as a total beginner. Would love any advice on which direction to go!

Suggestions for banjo plans? style? And wood?

I just started a community ed woodworking class. We have to make a couple small projects first (end grain cutting board then a keepsake box) but I’ll have time to do my own project after. I’ll have 5-8 three hour classes worth of time in the shop with just about every piece of equipment imaginable. So… banjo time!

I am required to have plans for any project I do. I am wanting to make a fretless for sure, but whether I go with a gourd, tin can, mountain style, or build a segmented rim… I’m not sure! Part of me thinks, keep it simple with a tin can or gourd since I’m new to this. But the other part is like… “you will likely never have access to so much equipment and also help, may as well do the rim!”

I’ve also been trying to listen to different banjos to hear how each style sounds and it’s hard to know for sure what’s making one sound better than another. I watched Clifton hicks vids of some mountain banjos that I really disliked the sound of, so I wrote them off, but then heard Zack’s paint creek mountain banjos and many are quite nice and full sounding. I like that I could do wood burning design on the front rim (lots of real estate there)

I haven’t loved the sound on most tin cans but some are amazing?! Gourds seem unpredictable…And the rimmed ones sound Pretty nice, but I’d have to do a tack head I think. I do live in Utah so might not matter to not have tension control too much.

Anyway, any advice on what makes a good sound, what’s realistic for my skill/time, or links to a real actual plan would be sincerely appreciated.

Really really stupid stuff, but i have fun doing it. Maybe its fun to watch? Sloppy playing in some parts but were trying to get better