Washburn Banjo, 5 String

by Washburn

Product Features

• 5 String, Remo head
• Cast aluminum tone ring
• Flat head construction
• Chrome standard tailpiece

Product Details

• Item Weight: 6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 13.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000B7RRYE
• Item model number: B9
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,956 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
  • #40 in Musical Instruments > Folk & World Instruments > Stringed Instruments > Banjos

Product Description

From workhorse to showstopper, our banjos are seen on every stage and played by some of the finest pickers in the country - or the city. See how the addition of a banjo can broaden your sonic palate and add a new dimension to your music. For traditionalists, you'll find all the tone & projection you'd expect from our world class instruments. From tone ring to inlay, it's what a great banjo should be. The B9 is an entry level banjo that will startle you with the quality of its tone and playability.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Good, the Bad & the Ugly..., October 18, 2010

By 

C. D. Potter "BlueRanchRider" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Washburn Banjo, 5 String (Electronics)

Review for Washburn B-9 5-string banjo. I have played guitar for eight years and wanted to try banjo. Having never owned nor played a banjo I decided to purchase this one. Here are the facts...

The Good - This banjo came well packaged. It is attractive for an inexpensive banjo and carries the Washburn name. It can sound much better than the way it does straight out of the box with proper setup. It took me half an hour to fully check and adjust banjo. With the head properly tightened the banjo has a snap and crisp sound that I wanted for bluegrass sound. Most all the components are nicely fit together and the chrome pieces are very attractive. It carries a warranty from Washburn also. Tools for adjustment included as well as instructions for some basic setup. I was pleased with the sound and look of this banjo.

The Bad - After two weeks of daily playing the sound that I had worked to get from this banjo would slowly be gone. Investigation led me to the bad news. The pot wouldn't stay tightened. Apparently the vibrations caused many of the 30 brackets to loosen and cause the banjo to lose all snap and crisp sound. I tightened the head twice in the five weeks that I owned this banjo (Yes, I sold it and purchased a 'quality banjo') Adjustments are necessary but complete readjustment is a problem on these china made banjos. Also the 5th string fret was cut into while grooving the pip during manufacturing. This caused buzzing which I corrected by flipping the pip over and letting it ride above the fret. The aluminum tone ring is a component of cheaper banjos and sounds tinny regardless of setup. And finally, the tuners were not able to hold tune well, and one was not properly seated fully, half of the shaft was visible out of the wood.

The Ugly - Here's the dilemma you are in (perhaps as I was). I wanted to get a cheap banjo to test the waters and see if I'd like it. Didn't want to spend 1000+ for a nice banjo. So I purchased this one. The banjo was a perfect starter banjo and even with all the negative it sounded okay for learning on. The moment I realized banjo playing was definitely in me and I wanted to continue learning and playing more often the flaws of this banjo really surfaced. Cheap tone ring, poor craftsmanship, sub standard components and all really turned me to it. I'm glad I learned on this one and I still think I made the right decision by not investing lots of cash in something I wasn't sure I'd commit to.

The Bottom Line - BUY THIS BANJO IF... you have a budget and refuse to spend more on a banjo; you want a decent banjo but don't care about top line craftsmanship or quality of instrument; you are okay with mediocre sounds on the banjo; or you are simply wanting to see if you'll commit to learning the banjo.

Final thoughts - I'm glad I learned all I did with this banjo. It was a great beginner banjo. The resale value was there because of the Washburn brand. It played well enough to sound decent to a beginner, though now having played a much better instrument there would be no owning one of these again. I only missed this banjo while waiting for my new banjo to arrive. Recommended only as a limited or beginner banjo.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!, September 16, 2010

By 

Ken Callahan (Lexington, KY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Washburn Banjo, 5 String (Electronics)

I bought this banjo for my wife to learn to play. We love it. It looks great and is easy to play. I tuned it when we received it and it is still in tune. It sounds like an expensive instrument. What a great value. Our friends and relatives think we spent a lot more for it when they see it. I recommend this product highly to anyone wanting a beginner banjo or one to practice on.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Works for my use, but a few problems, December 23, 2010

By 

A. Debban "HistoryBuff" (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Washburn Banjo, 5 String (Electronics)

When I wanted to learn the banjo, my wife purschased me a B9 as a Christmas present. I have been playing about two years on it, and being a beginner, don't have much of knowledge base to use as comparison. For the most part I am satisfied, but like another reviewer, the fifth fret seems either mis-installed or shaved down. Recently, when it wouldn't stay in tune, I had an acoustic instrument repairman look at the banjo. He confirmed that a tuning peg was cracked and may have been since I owned the instrument, so I was without a banjo for a while. It eventually got fixed and I still play it, but the Mastercraft instrument I bought while the Washburn was out of service seems to be a much better product.