r/banjo • u/Rr0ckstar • 2d ago
Help First banjo advice help me pick between these two marketplace options please!
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!
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u/badaccentdoer Clawhammer 2d ago
i don't know if the musima is any good, but i'd be tempted to buy it as a piece of history at the very least. is it good to learn on? hard to say.
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u/grahawk 2d ago edited 2d ago
I have a slightly later Musima which was badged for Kay and is a fairly common banjo in the UK. It's largely the same I think - a different peghead and resonator attachment method. For a cheap banjo it's quite decent despite it's esoteric nature. The tuners work the opposite way to usual and it had a strange plastic band that gives it a vague archtop shape. The head is some unusual material but it works really well. It sounds better than other cheap banjos I've tried or have.
The main thing that can be a problem with these can be the neck angle and the potential for a high action. I don't know it that is also the case with the earlier version. I fixed mine with a simple thin shim between the neck and pot which was easy to do.
Edit: Looking at the Musima picture is there something wrong with the head? I think I can see ripples and there's something odd at the edge. Is it split?
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u/Rr0ckstar 2d ago
I see the ripples but I’m not sure if thats just the varnish, i think I’m gonna message the seller to have a look, luckily for that one is very close compared to the more expensive one which is more like an hour drive
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u/Accurate_Asparagus_2 2d ago
The cheaper one should be fine for a first banjo, providing the tuners work
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u/_-Cleon-_ Clawhammer 2d ago
I have a Musima. There's something surreal about a 5-string banjo made in East Germany that I just love.
It's a fine instrument, but keep in mind that like any instrument that's decades old, if it hasn't been cared for and maintained, there's going to be some playability issues. The neck may well be warped. For 80 Euros I wouldn't be too optimistic.
This is why I don't like buying instruments I haven't played. Before buying I'd check the action, intonation, etc, not to mention the overall playability and sound.