Whistle Punk - Posted - 07/15/2014:  15:41:27

instrumentalley.com/Gold-Tone-...c-kit.htm


Anyone got experience with this kit? Seems like a good way to save some money, and a cool project as well.

Edited by - Whistle Punk on 07/15/2014 15:42:38

Kimerer - Posted - 07/15/2014:  18:22:50

I built a Maple Classic kit back in 2003. It turned into a very fine banjo, and I still play it on occasion. I am mostly a frailer, so I don't pick it up all that often, but every now and then I want to put on the finger picks and play loud.

After I completed the kit, I upgraded the tuning machines to planetaries. The Goldtone planetaries work fine, and they fit in the same holes with no modifications. I recommend the upgrade.

Since I had difficulty finding detailed instructions on how to build the kit, I photographed the entire process and posted it to my web page. If you go there you can see all the mistakes I made.

thekimerers.net/brian/gt/

It was a good learning experience, and I ended up with a super banjo.

Brian

mrbook - Posted - 07/16/2014:  06:08:32

It may not really be a way to save much money - you will put a lot of hours of work, and may upgrade a few parts along the way - but it is a great experience. You will know a lot about your banjo by the time it is finished.

grm405 - Posted - 07/16/2014:  06:20:50

I bought one of these kits on ebay years ago that someone else had completed.  Ignoring the horrible building attempt I found that the guts (rim, tone ring, tailpiece, shoes and hooks ) were of very marginal quality and did not produce a good quality banjo even after rebuilding much of it.  I have put the neck on another banjo and the rest of the parts sit in my junk box today.  It is NOT a good way to save money.  You are much better off buying a used banjo.

If you want to build a banjo I would buy the parts from StewMac or Bill Rickard.  But those parts will cost a much as a good used banjo, or more.

store.rickardbanjos.com

Gerry

the-fish - Posted - 07/16/2014:  10:45:19

good comments Gerry- agree- go thru stew mac, even finished gold tones are spotty at best in my opinion which means nothing so dont be offended

Helix - Posted - 07/16/2014:  11:17:21

Buying parts retail is really expensive, whether from this country or elsewhere.

Gold Tone has upgraded many things along the way.

If you do a kit, you'll get a banjo, but with little margin for error, lots can go wrong, you don't want to go from crisis to crisis.

I would buy a used banjo and take it apart and learn how to set one up, there's help here on the hangout. Then if you want to do a build, contact me for parts, I can help a lot.

I feel a healthy interest for tinkering can lead to many hours of fun and enjoyment, customizing a personal art form. It makes us better people, brings things to completion.

I tinkered my way into a trademark, way leads unto way.

Get in there. Dive, Dive.

Helix Mariner

Kimerer - Posted - 07/16/2014:  16:03:01

Building a Goldtone Maple Classic will not result in you owning a world class banjo for cheap. That is not the point. I agree with the others that for the cost of the kit and your time, as well as the amateur quality of the build that you will end up with, if you just want a banjo go buy one.

My Goldtone does have the mentioned horrible building attempt, but it plays and sounds fine.

It depends on what  you want.

After I finished building the banjo I had learned enough about how a banjo goes together that it was totally worth the cost and the time to do it. I do not believe that you gain the same facility by buying a banjo and taking it apart. That is a minimal interaction with your banjo. At that point, all the problems and issues have been resolved, and you are simply being a passive witness to how the finished instrument came out. Not the same.

After the Goldtone kit, I moved on to a Flesher Minstrel kit, and from there I started building gourd banjos from scratch.

So if you just want to have a banjo, go buy one. If you want to have an adventure, ignore all the practical reasons not to do so, and take the plunge.

Just my opinion.

Peace.

Happy picking, whatever route you take.

Montanarick - Posted - 07/16/2014:  19:35:24

Whistle Punk...I can't speak for the kit but I've owned four Goldtones and they were all nice banjos and the parts were fine. I've also owned multiple Deerings, Bart Reiters and Enoch's......and I've  built five banjos so I think I have a pretty good basis for comparison. Wayne Rodgers, who is one of the nicest guys I've dealt with, in the banjo business, would be a good guy to talk to.....give him or one of his people a call. Either way....enjoy the experience....anything having to do with banjos is fun. Rick

jackg - Posted - 07/17/2014:  08:08:00

hi -

My first banjo was from a Saga kit.

Not a great banjo, but I got a lot of understanding from putting on together from scratch.

jack

grm405 - Posted - 07/17/2014:  11:28:50

" I've owned four Goldtones and they were all nice banjos and the parts were fine."

My specific complaints about my MC150 kit:

Multiply rim of very soft wood.  Die-cast zinc tone ring sounds clanky regardless of setup.  Metric hooks rather roughly made with lots of sharp edges and tiny nuts.  Shoes so small you cannot adjust the hooks without the socket hitting the pot and scarring the finish.  Die-cast zinc tailpiece which has a tendency to break and using a tiny adjustment screw which was broken off when I got it.  I also don't care for the die-cast zinc tension hoop common to these cheap banjos as they can (and do) warp irretrievably with a little effort.

The coordinator rods were OK, if you like those huge 6 mm lag screws in the neck.  The whole banjo seemed to be designed (by the Koreans) looking a pictures of a banjo and without regard to what the actual instrument was like.

I certainly would NOT call MY Dojo a quality instrument.  It was just plain crude, outside and especially inside.

While I like some of the modern Gold Tone openbacks, I don't care for the intermediate BG banjos.  I think that RK does it better.

Gerry

Montanarick - Posted - 07/17/2014:  14:42:41

That's fine Gerry, I think specific feedback based on actual experience is good for us all....both positive and negative experience. All I talk about is actual experiences about banjos I've played, owned or built. When I hear people say something negative about a brand or company either based on actual experience or through generalized statements I'm going to offer my personal experience if I think it will help the OP make an informed decision. My four Goldtones ranged from low end to their more expensive models.....built from the 1980s through 2011.....made in the USA (one of Wayne's original travel banjos)......Korea and China. They were all good banjos and the parts were fine. I still own three of them. That's my personal experience with Goldtone.

Montanarick - Posted - 07/17/2014:  19:01:26

Excuse my typo....my Goldtones were built from the early 90's through 2011. My daughter and grandkids play them now. P.S. the banjos I've built have Stewmac parts and they have been great.

country frank - Posted - 07/20/2014:  13:31:33

I'm with Gerry, don't waste your money.

I am always interested in hearing from goldtone fans though, what is it about these over priced, over sized, over weight and under performing banjos that folks respond to?

Enquiring minds would like to know.

country frank - Posted - 07/20/2014:  13:34:03

Larry, good advice as ever regarding the newbie tinkerer. That's how we learn right!

I must send you some more recordings.

Montanarick - Posted - 07/20/2014:  16:06:44

quote:I don't belong to fan clubs....I like a lot of different banjos and never put people down even if the banjo they chose is not my favorite. I would be curious to know specifically which Goldtone models your comparing to other specific brands and models relative to your comments about being overweight, over-sized, over priced. I really don't care about your comment about underperforming. Pretty subjective, unless you have specific examples where all other things are equal...price, type of banjo etc. I don't think anyone expects a Goldtone to perform like a Yates, Huber or Granada.

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Originally posted by country frank

I'm with Gerry, don't waste your money.



I am always interested in hearing from goldtone fans though, what is it about these over priced, over sized, over weight and under performing banjos that folks respond to?



Enquiring minds would like to know.

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Kimerer - Posted - 07/21/2014:  06:17:58

      what is it about these banjos that folks respond to?

Here are the positive things from my perspective:

1. The banjo set up with a low action and light touch. It has not warped or bent or gone out of alignment for ~10 years.

2. It is very easy to play with no fret buzzes, twisted neck, back-bows, or those other problems that show up in cheap banjos.

3. The banjo is stable enough to stay in tune for weeks at a time (I don't pick it up that often).

4. I have had no problems with the parts since the initial problem of a screw arriving with no threads....(how does that happen?)

5. I have seen no warping, no breaking, no moving. It is just a stable instrument.

6. The entire banjo, including the upgrade to planetary pegs, cost me $350.

7. Every issue was handled by Goldtone immediately. They answered the phone and dealt with the problems.

8. I wanted to build a banjo, not just own a banjo, and this one fit the bill.

9. It easily converts to an openback so I can play it OT style without the resonator.

10. The banjo is loud enough to drown out my neighbor's lawn mower when I play it on my patio.

Here are the negative parts:

1. The directions were less than adequate for someone who had never built a banjo before. That is why I published my mistakes on the web.... in case somebody else wanted to see more information.

2. The shoe bolts were just a tad too long for the thickness of the pot. I fixed that with washers (see the web site).

3. The angle of the neck as delivered left the action a bit high, so I had to shim it (big deal).

4. I know about all the mistakes I made while building it, the tearout and the oval holes, etc.

Having said all of that, my conclusion is that the banjo is better than my playing. If I had a better banjo, I would still not be playing any better.

So it depends on what you want. The resulting banjo is fine for my purposes, and it taught me a lot about how to build a banjo, and the price was right.

h - Posted - 07/21/2014:  21:16:01

Gold Tone's higher-end OB series is very high quality, at least in recent years.  I can't speak for their cheaper models or older years.  The OB-250 I have is superior to the comparably-priced Gold Star or Recording King banjos. I've played them and many other mastertone class banjos, I think I know what to listen for.  I would not put any of these Asian products on a par with US banjos in the $2000+ class.

  The OB-250 is about one lb heavier than some other brands.  I think the reason for the extra weight is to avoid the weak low end that is common on even the more expensive Chinese-made banjos.  The extra weight gives a sound somewhat like the Gibson top tensions had, a bit "chunkier".  Some players like that, some don't.   Anything beyond this risks getting into the old "Ford vs Chevy" silliness.  Gold Tone claims they had a record year in 2013, so unless there's a lot of dumb banjo players out there, they must be doing something right.

  Not sure what he means by over-sized.  The OB-250 fits a standard case.  The rim assembly is about 1/4 inch taller than my Gibson, probably where the extra weight comes from.

quote:

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Originally posted by Montanarick

quote:I don't belong to fan clubs....I like a lot of different banjos and never put people down even if the banjo they chose is not my favorite. I would be curious to know specifically which Goldtone models your comparing to other specific brands and models relative to your comments about being overweight, over-sized, over priced. I really don't care about your comment about underperforming. Pretty subjective, unless you have specific examples where all other things are equal...price, type of banjo etc. I don't think anyone expects a Goldtone to perform like a Yates, Huber or Granada.

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Originally posted by country frank

 

I'm with Gerry, don't waste your money.







I am always interested in hearing from goldtone fans though, what is it about these over priced, over sized, over weight and under performing banjos that folks respond to?







Enquiring minds would like to know.

 

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pickNgrin - Posted - 07/21/2014:  21:24:25

If you want a banjo to play, do not mess with a kit. You will be better off getting a good banjo and getting somebody to set it up. Then you can concentrate on playing without having to wonder if your instrument has "issues". It is very rare for somebody to get something exactly right the first time they do something.... so even if you are good at kit building you would probably end up with a so-so instrument. A fine instrument takes some finesse and experience to get put together and set up right.

A kit might be good if you are interested in learning to build instruments. That is a whole separate thing from playing. 

Edited by - pickNgrin on 07/21/2014 21:25:45