Customer Reviews

Washburn Banjo, 5 String

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Great product. Love this thing! Sounds great for the price. Easy to fret. Amazon's price was awesome.

I could not be happier, this is a great starter banjo. For some one like me that is just starting out, this was a great deal. It will be years before I have to upgrade, if I ever have to!

The banjo came as described. It was my husband's first banjo, so we have nothing to compare it to. I know it isn't as good sounding as the more expensive models, but it is definately step up from the cheaper student models. Great for the price.

This is the first banjo we have owned, so we don't have practical experience with others to compare. But it seems very well-made, and is an attractive looking and sounding instrument.