Reviewing the cheapest banjo you can buy!
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- čas přidán 13. 07. 2024
- This is the HARLEY BENTON BJO-35Pro 5 String Banjo OB from Thomann and I am going to review and demo it. Brilliant beginner banjo or cheap junk? Let's find out!
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"So, Sir, do you want to play the drums or a guitar?" - "Yes".
banjo picks are ghastly, can't find any enjoyment in using those monstrosities.
@@WoodyPianoShackthree finger Scruggs style is a pain the key is learning the roll patterns. Try two finger lead then move into Scruggs. Also the plastic finger picks don’t give you the greatest tone butttt they’re more comfortable and prep you got the metal ones. The position you play on the drum matters as well close to the neck the deeper the tone closer to the bridge the more twangy the tone.
So fun fact I couldn’t figure out clawhammer until I watched a guy playing and he told me”you’ve got a drum too use it.” Fallow throw is massively important you’re not just playing melody but rhythm as well on the banjo.
You honestly don't give yourself enough credits for videos like these -you're a great presenter which makes the content interesting, and the demo at the end was fantastic!
you're too kind, I appreciate that, I'm just joking around because I know it's not so interesting for most of my normal audience1 but thanks for watching!
Can do plenty with that banjo. Change that tailpiece to a No Knot, change the tuning pegs to planetary types, add an arm rest, throw on some light nylguts…. it’ll sounds great and look the part!
Holy Molly, we have a bluegrass channel incoming! 😂😂😂
I played guitar in a bluegrass band for years and I still play some banjo too, I loved the expression and the feeling you gave to your banjo demo!
This is actually what they call an "Old Time" banjo as it has no resonator underneath (a sort of wood pan assembled under the "drum" frame) and you played it correctly, therefore using what they call "Clawhammer" style, without using the "Earl Scruggs" roll with the fingerpicks that is typical of more recent bluegrass.
I honestly did not expect such a faithful sound from a pianist! Very well done!
About the tuner, it might be interesting to know that banjo players usually retrofit their instruments with a special kind of tuner where you can fix a "High" and "Low" tuning, therefore you can easily change during playing and have a sort of "bending" effect. You can have an idea of what I'm saying by looking for "Auld Lang Syne banjo" in youtube, there's a "Baptist Banjo" guy who plays it great. This cannot be acheived with standard tuners, you definitely need those wierd "High and Low" tuners to have this sound.
Isn't music an amazing and infinite universe? 😀
Oh... I almost forgot: if you want to practice banjo and don't want to hassle your neigbours, put a clothes clamp on the small wooden bridge on the drum head, it will work and it's much more Country than buying a violin sordino!
really appreciate your informative and encouraging comment LAghemo, one of the few positive feedbacks I received, in fact most viewers skipped this video .... :o
@@WoodyPianoShack well, I imagine most of your viewers are keyboard players but this is actually a shame, as the really good and "teaching" part for me was seeing that you worked your way to acheive a good risult in a quite particular instruments, although you are not a "string picker" like me 🙂.
That's a sign of love for music to me, and something to learn.
Keep calm and play banjo!
Of course we will watch even if just a Banjo review Woody as we love your channel 😁👍
Cool video. Really appreciate the fact you don't just stick to synth/piano reviews and you mix it up. Happy plucking and make sure you look after your banjo string!!
I really enjoyed this! I've always liked the sound of the banjo but never knew much about them. I am now edjumacated.
I have to give you kudos for these videos. Bravo, sir.
the good thing about a banjo is: it will always sound like a banjo and with a bit of fiddling, you can even make very cheap instruments sound cool. my first was an epiphone open back for about 200 bucks. my second was a fender for about 600. i sold my second one cos there was virtually no difference. i put nylon strings on my epiphone and play clawhammer style and its like the instrument was made for it. loveitloveitloveit!
Ah those were the days. The best you can get for $200 now are the goldtone all plastic ones. Solid instruments tho and 250 is unheard of in the fretless market.
@@FatBoy42069the cheap goldtones include fretless versions.
I live in the Ozark mountains been pickin banjo 60 years I got serious with it about 13 finally saved enough money to buy a better banjo. So dad carried me to Harrison Arkansas. Looking at the banjos I asked my dad which one should I buy.
He said boy good stuff ain't cheap and cheap stuff ain't good. Lesson learned. I bought a Gibson and still playing it to this day.
Happy new years everyone.
Love the new banjo 🪕 and the channel even tho i miss ur synth reviews! Good 👍 job on describing the parts of the banjo and a bit of how it plays!
thanks for sticking with me, we'll get back to business eventually!
The biggest quirk is probably to do with the presenter 😂😂 I do love your videos Woody. Good luck in your new place 👍
u got that right!
Nice job! I had no idea about banjoes. Now I have a good idea what they are about. Thanks for that!
mission accomplished! :D
I watch every video you make. You have a knack for making them all interesting. :-)
why thankyou jon! i appreciate the views on these oddball topics :)
Last year I made a similar choice… having no more space for new synths or guitars (I have about 25/30 gave a couple away). But I wanted something new to explore. So I bought a mandolin. Small and lots of fun.
Great video brother! Just ordered one similar to this on Ebay, a Rouge starter banjo...
love banjos and the uke too....still waiting for the jd-pro :)
Nice playing on the ol' Cripple Creek! I'm looking forward to when you move on to songs like Irish Rover! And the upgrade video sounds great.
good call, irish rover is already on my repertoire to learn! glad someone equally mad to think a banjo upgrade video might be interesting!
I have a Harley Benton guitar and I am very well pleased with it. My last banjo was not as good as what you showed it was sufficient, but cost $250. It did cause me to want to buy a more expensive one and Harley Benton makes upgraded versions Which I will purchase your video was informative and it wasn’t like so many others you were completely honest and it shows not claiming you knew more than you did and I appreciate the honesty. Thanks.
my pleasure, cheers and thanks.
Gotta love Thomann honestly. They also sell some neat renaissance lutes.
Banjo videos aren't something I'd normally seek out, but Woody makes it look fun. Now I'm interested to see the tuning machine upgrade!
I recently bought a second-hand acoustic guitar that's fairly nice, but it had cheap tuners. I replaced them with some inexpensive Gotoh tuners and they're a big improvement.
glad to hear that! the tricky thing is that I will have to enlarge the holes in the headstock with potential for my clumsy lack of skills to really mess up the instrument.... but let's do it!
@@WoodyPianoShack Hmm, I was lucky in that mine were drop-in replacements for the existing tuners. But you might want to try a step drill bit for enlarging the holes. It's basically a conical-shaped drill bit, and the diameter increases in increments from the tip to the shank. That might make it easier to enlarge the holes (compared to a regular drill bit). Good luck!
@@davidbono9359 thanks, yep, i purchased one of those!
I’m bit off on time here but did you ever pick up a banjo if not do so. Theyre tremendously fun to play and fairly easy once you get the hang of them.
Spectacular Video ! My first thought was " I m gonna build my own from a candy box!"...Not any more..
Although I can appreciate a bit of bluegrass music from time to time, I've never had much interest in banjos. Yet you managed to fascinate me again with your explanation and review of this nice instrument. I'm almost tempted to buy one too. In short, I give you a big compliment for your ability to make interesting and fun videos. I wouldn't normally watch reports of bunkers and bomb shelters from WW2 either, but those videos of yours about it were also very interesting. If you keep making such fun and positive videos, I'll keep watching!
i appreciate the motivating comment, thanks!
Where do I find those WW2 videos that Woody made?
@@osiris5315 Right here on Woody’s channel of course. He posted them in October of last year. Enjoy!
I just realizd you review the Bjo 25 pro model i was look at hbj 25
I had this exact banjo! Except the "brand" on the peghead was Estella. I wound up making it fretless and had to shim the hell out of the heel to get the neck angle right. Me and that banjo had some good times together...
It really works
Solid intro for anyone getting started the finger nail method is called clawhammer or old time. The key to figuring it out is the bum diddy and remembering there’s a drum use it. You add rhythm and melody with banjo. The finger picks are for playing blue grass three finger lead. We also rarely play chords when in alternate tunings it’s single note that’s the benefit of an open tuning you can fret one note and play it with the open chord. I recommend watching Clifton hicks tutorials on playing to learn more.
If you’re looking to up grade a banjo I recommend using downward facing tuning pegs. It’s more traditional and gives more fine tuning (having a note slightly off on an open tuning is way more noticeable) For anyone who wants something in a similar price range with amazing tone and feel the good tone ac1 is rather nice and comes in both fretted and fretless versions. Gold tone is one of the major banjo makers around and them tend to knock it outta the park for price and playability. They make everything form $2000 usd cello banjos to around $250 usd all composite ac1 banjos.
Some asides if you’re lookin to get into the banjo and please do its the most fun you’ll have learning a new instrument and will change the way you play everything else. Fretless banjos are nice because we use more slides than guitar and a fretless adds a really nice scaling to it.
Banjos also come in all shapes and sizes. From jazz and plectrum banjos (only having four stings tuned to a orchestra scale and played more like a guitar or mandolin with a normal pick ie a plectrum) to open back or resonator (resonators are louder but typically are used for playing in a group) to large pots (the drum portion) to long necks (three added frets making it the key of E major) to little tiny A scale banjos (five frets up)
Banjos have been used in everything from jazz bands and orchestras to bluegrass and folk music.
You can play chords on them but typically we’re constructing chords via single strings being played in arrangement with our open stings. Again the internet is beyond helpful in your hunt ti learn a few resources I recommend are Clifton hicks here on CZcams, banjo hangout as a way to get tab charts, and watching people play in youtube. Banjo has a decent learning curb at the start but once you figure it out you’ll never loss it.
brilliant post, lots of great advice, i will re-read when getting back into the banj, i typically only play on the porch in the summer, now more with fingerpicks!
@@WoodyPianoShack that's awesome man keep it up your clawhammer playing was already really good to begin with just a year ago. I'd love to see an update on your playing now.
Picked up a Harley Benton electric violin and it was surprisingly decent for the price! Pretty hefty instrument especially compared with the more well-known brand equivalents I'm sure!
I brought one too as a gift and very good quality for the price and starter violin 👍
darn it mick, now you've got me tempted! i don't need more instruments to butcher!
That was great.
Glad to see you’re back at it again! I’d watch you review a washing machine, so no worries :-)
good to know, I have a dishwasher purchase pending...
That seems like great value for money! Well worth the upgrade :) I briefly considered picking up a cheap clarinet after binging on Girl in Airports for a while, but after seeing some reviews, it seems that in that case you do get what you pay for...
browsing the cheap chinese instruments on thomann is too addictive, i'm so tempted to push the button on a trumpet or a cello, to name but a few. Girl in Airports a new thing for me, thanks for the tips!
The song My Silver Lining by First Aid Kit (from...) got me interested in banjo-style guitar picking.
I thought the Banjo Ben Clark channel was fun.
I play 6 instruments, and the banjo is definitely the hardest one I've ever tried. But what a fun instrument to discover. Once you learn how to do Carolina rolls it's addicting.
yeah, the bluegrass style fingerpicking looks to be pretty hard.
"Banjo equivalent of Stairway to Heaven," tooo funny! 😅
Here is a review of the Harley Benton Pro 55. Much better banjo czcams.com/video/UL9vD4ZVtxc/video.html
I bought a 'Vintage' brand bed-pan banjo back in 2005.
Cost me £99 IIRC
I'm still crap at playing it ... but it's fun to noodle around on.
Those banjo picks ... weird.
Aklot makes a very nice one for $150-$160 also.
Banjo player here... crikey... Sounds alright!
I used to play the banjo, maybe I will think about coming back?
Nice
It makes my Fender strat sound less twangy in comparison! 🎸
you got to embrace the twang!
Yes for the tuners video
it's gonna happen.
@@WoodyPianoShack please!
Funny to watch the review of a banjo that cost less than 1/2 of what I spent on a tuning peg upgrade. How about you go the other way and do a review of the Deering Gabriella?
I play clawhammer banjo and this was my first banjo. It s ok, you can learn to pay the banjo on it. But you get what you pay for, a cheap banjo. 😉
Question : I revied the same produck and it had the back maybe you removed it?
yeah, i think there is a similar version with a removable resonator back. mine is without it.
@@WoodyPianoShack thank you for answearing
Requested covers: The Beverly Hillbillies theme, Dukes of Hazard and that techno tune from the 90s with a banjo! Edit: The tune I'm thinking of was Swamp Thing by The Grid
i never thought banjo requests would be a thing on this channel!
I bought a five string Ibanez and it was wonderful but dirt cheap..... I now have a Washburn that I will put up against banjos that cost ten times as much....
i have 4 banjos 4.000usd deering and a cheap morgan 800usd and a 4stringer tenor and a gold tone goaldplated same level as my deering must say not much of a quality difference in tone build and playability on my deering vs morgan there is but its small tone is about taste or like, or dont like
Thanks for the fun review and I hope you don't mind me qualifying a few of the things you said and adding a bit of info.
Since banjos are so important in early jazz styles, I want to explain that jazz banjos work rather differently to the bluegrass system you demonstrated. I don't play banjo, but I play with people who do, and I helped my wife work out the notes so she could play hers.
There's nothing wrong with buying a cheap banjo for starters, so long as it has 4 or 5 strings and not 6, and it isn't a beaten-up wall hanger. If you buy a good secondhand banjo it will actually increase slightly in value, or at least keep up with inflation. When used in jazz bands, banjos are played with a plectrum, usually a big soft one. Any fifth string is removed for jazz, unless you play a 6-string banjo like Johnny St Cyr did on many of the early Louis Armstrong recordings. But unless you really know what you're doing, avoid 6-string banjos.
For jazz purposes there are 3 alternative tuning systems. G-plectrum banjos typically use G-plectrum tuning which is tight and a bit jangly, but great for pushing a band with 6+ musicians. But guitarists sometimes play their G-plectrum banjos tuned like the top 4 on a guitar, rather than learn a new tuning system, and that works nearly as well. Tenor banjos players usually use tenor tuning. This tuning was inspired by viola tuning, I believe. Ragtime viola players need banjos to play jazz, as the ragtime orchestras were folding up. This tenor tuning (rising in 5ths starting from C ) is mucher more open than the G-plectrum tuning, and is particularly good for virtuosic performances. It sounds very pretty to me, but maybe lacks the aggression of the G-plectrum. This can show when it's time to strum the rhythm in a full-sized band.
Not all banjo arms are long. Some tenors have very short arms. Proper banjos do not use machine heads. If I remember correctly, that big pin showing in the drum runs right through the banjo, and is for tensioning the arm and getting it in line. Not all banjos are open at the back. Many have resonators made of wood and steel or brass. Weights of banjos vary considerably, but concert banjos are pretty heavy. Logically, the lighter banjos have less volume. The banjo has saved the music careers of many guitarists - but we should only take up an instrument if we're really keen to play it - otherwise we are unlikely to succeed with it.
Are we going to get a series of banjo jokes now? Why is it unsafe to leave your banjo on the back seat of your car? Answer: When you return the window will be smashed and you'll have three banjos.
thanks for all the insights, much appreciated! that joke is one of my favs too!
@@WoodyPianoShack That's nice, and I look forward to seeing more of your reviews. I was in the process of unsubscribing from lots of channels when I saw your review. Safe assured, I remain subscribed.
Speaking of banjo jokes: Do you know the definition of a gentleman?
actually sounds quite nice even though i really don't like banjos lol.
I want to learn the Banjo 🪕 because it was played in Jamaican music in the 1950’s
Just came across this video Woody 10 months since you published it. Are you still banjoing? Would be interesting to have a keyboard-banjo duel with yourself on video! 😊
it would indeed! yeah, i still pick at it occassionally! for me more of a summer instrument!
I started to order one of these, because of this article, I would recomend anyone wanting a beginner banjo to order it today. today i am banjo-less. this smacks of my first banjo. Great review and spot-on. if I were not 72, invalid wife, could croak at anytime, Bidenomics, I would have completed the form from Harley Banjo site.
We will teach you in the West Virginia mountains. Seen Deliverance?
i learned everything i know about country from that film
Nothing wrong with banjo's man. Hey, and this tomming from a rocker.
Several in-corrections in this video- example 3:17 "the top string you never fret" False. You absolutely play that 5th string. fretted and capoed and every other way like any other string.
I really wish there was a review online about this instrument done by somebody who knows how to play
me too! until then, this will just have to make do!
@@WoodyPianoShack You mean we will have to make due?
@@WoodyPianoShack you do know how to play though 🙏🪕
Hee Haw stairway to hog heaven on the banjo. Enjoy all your videos.
Was hoping you would actually play it in different styles … since you are reviewing it.
A work in progress...and one day Deliverance..🙃
What a lousy poly, no outputs, lacks MIDI, one thin, nasal tone, goes out of tune if you look at wrong!
i should totally replace with the moog 1.
The joke is that banjo players spend more time tuning than playing.
if you dont kow what the rod does you have no place reviewing the banjo
I want to be like the kid in Deliverance. 🪕