Beowoulf - Posted - 03/05/2026:  08:42:02

Hi all!

I'm returning to active status after a 10 year hiatus. I started playing in 2009 and took lessons for 6 years. Due to life complications, I quit playing in 2016. I gave away my Deering Goodtime and sold a fantastic, gorgeous, luthier-built banjo. What a mistake!!



Anyway, I'm recently retired and am  flirting with the idea of getting back into it. My old banjo teacher (a well-known professional) has pointed out to me a Deering Midnight Special in "very good" condition for $671 (USD) or $917 (Canadian) - which includes tax, shipping, and insurance. I'd also have to buy a case, tuner, strap, and stand. I'm wondering if I should go for it.



I'm not 100% sure I want to restart the whole "banjo thing," but I am surely leaning in that direction. If this is a great deal on a good banjo, I would hate to miss out on it.



What do you think?

Edited by - Beowoulf on 03/05/2026 08:43:58

DH#52 - Posted - 03/05/2026:  09:11:16

If I were returning to playing banjo, yet not entirely sure I’d stick with it, I’d think that buying a banjo for that price is a wise investment. Spending more than that now may not be wise; no offense. You can always resell a Goodtime if it comes to that.



There may be some who would recommend a higher-end banjo, but the Goodtime makes more sense, I think. It’s a great banjo to gauge your interest in getting back to picking.



Best of luck.



Steve

Edited by - DH#52 on 03/05/2026 09:15:50

1935tb-11 - Posted - 03/05/2026:  11:23:25

i don't know alot about this banjo except it doesn't have your traditional tone ring it has the hoop style and i think its made of some kind of steel. the us price is about half of a new one..... so maybe its worth a shot.

RB3 - Posted - 03/05/2026:  12:01:33

$671 appears to be about half the price of a new one from Deering. That seems to me to be a pretty good deal for a decent "starter" instrument that's in good condition. If it turns out that you lose interest again, it shouldn't be too difficult to recover your money by reselling it.

Beowoulf - Posted - 03/07/2026:  19:15:19

Hi again,

I was looking at a picture pf the Deering Midnight Special I am considering. Something is amiss!

The first picture is what the the peghead looks like on the Deering website.
The second picture is what the peghead looks like on the one I am thinking of buying.

Can anyone shed some light? (Of course, I much prefer the first picture! Isn't it always the way?)

Dean T - Posted - 03/07/2026:  20:14:17

The word “Special” used in a Deering Goodtime model, and on the headstock, signifies that it has a tone ring. Any Goodtime model that doesn’t say Special on it, and has just the star, is NOT a Goodtime Special, and does not have a tone ring. It’s just a one piece wood rim. The photo on the right is not a Goodtime Special, and definitely not a midnight special. It’s a basic model with a transitional dark stain. And Deering hasent used those cheap junk open geared tuners for a good 20 years. So the picture on the right is also an older Goodtime.

Beowoulf - Posted - 03/07/2026:  22:03:29

Yep! You're right! I've managed to get this all fouled up. It is branded on the wrbsite as "Goodtime Midnight Banjo". There's no "Special." *I* must have added that, not knowing both existed.

So it's not the deal I was thinking it was. I guess this one is quite inferior to the Midnight Special. I was wondering about those tuners.

Guess I shouldn't get it. My return to my old banjo adventure will have to wait awhile.

I want a respectable intermediate level banjo. Under a thousand Canadian dollars would be nice. Used is fine. If any of you have a good lead, please let me know! Sorry for all the confusion!

A Drum On A Stick - Posted - 03/08/2026:  12:42:11

I'm over in Toronto, but the regular goodtime can be had new for well under that price.

shop.12fret.com/products/deeri...s=1&_ss=r

No tone ring or truss rod, but well put together and enough warranty to get you through some years of playing without worry.

I checked facebook marketplace in Montreal, but didn't see anything super compelling at the moment, though there are a couple gold tones in the surrounding area:

facebook.com/marketplace/item/...23920812/

facebook.com/marketplace/item/...80050125/