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The banjo reviews database is here to help educate people before they purchase an instrument. Of course, this is not meant to be a substitute for playing the instrument yourself!
7232 reviews in the archive.
Where Purchased: online
Year Purchased: 2006
Price Paid: 176 ($US)
sounds okay better than my first store bought banjo but not nearly as good as some other banjos i have played a bit more volume would be nice but for me it is not really needed as this is my camping banjo
Sound Rating: 4
was a kit easy to adjust yes was parts missing when i got it though
Setup Rating: 4
had to finish it my self easy to finish though
Appearance Rating: 7
taipiece junk replaced busted all 5 tuner buttons just split super glued back and all is well
Reliability Rating: 5
they were great in getting me the missing parts no trouble at all graet people.
Customer Service: 9
tailpiece is cheap stamped metal. head is satisfactory but i will replace with another soon only reason i have not is i panted tis one and am reluctant to change asthetics
Components Rating: 5
it is ok not the best value but a fun project education justified the price
Overall Rating: 5
Where Purchased: Direct From Grizzly
Year Purchased: 2007
Price Paid: 169 ($US)
Nice mellow, woody sound. Would sound even better with a fiberskyn head.
Sound Rating: 8
Built from the Grizzly kit and had to set it up myself but had no problem.
Setup Rating: 7
Nice looking banjo...neck and pot are mahogany and really came out nice when finished.
Appearance Rating: 9
Hardward not the best but adequate.
Reliability Rating: 7
Nice to do business with...kit arrived in less than a week.
Customer Service: 10
NIce mahogany neck and pot....bracket hooks could have been better...decent tuning machines...
Components Rating: 7
This was a fun kit to build and for the price, I would recommend it to anyone. It's a handsome looking banjo when finished and it sounds nice, too.
Overall Rating: 10
Where Purchased: Grizzly.com
Year Purchased: 2005
Price Paid: 158 ($US)
Nice plunky sound, softer, and less treble ( darker) but warm compared to a Gold Tone CC-100/MH which is very similar except: Maple neck, wider neck, 24 standard bracket vs. 12 Hex for the Grizzly. I modified the Grizzly to be almost identical to the Gold Tone (24 brackets). Construction review to be posted in the “building part of the web site.
Sound Rating: 8
You the builder do this. Match the hole in the rim to the hole in the neck for the coordinator rod, and it’s almost perfect. Stock 3124 kit provides a ½” bridge, was a bit low so I used a std. 5/8 Grover. No buzzes, good action.
Setup Rating: 9
Mahogany wood takes nice finish and I used Deft brushing lacquer.
Pics posted at “song of the woods” eventually. Did custom inlay of a “star” in peghead and dual marquetry rim strips in rim. Stock kit will come out fine. Recognize that mahogany is much softer than maple so use care in handling the wood before finishing. The sound of mahagony wood is why I built this. Gives a mellow plunky tone and wonderful redish color to the banjo.
Appearance Rating: 9
Modified:
There were too many issues in other web posting about the small footprint Hex brackets holders, so I bought 24 standard from Stew Mac. The No. 12 bolts will be to long so cut to shorten or buy ¾” length. Put on a SteMac no-knot tailpiece. No issues with the planetary tuners after two months playing. Holds tune.
Reliability Rating: 8
About 8 of the bracket hooks had poorly cut threads and the nuts did not fit. I had ordered another 12 hooks and nuts to upgrade the banjo to a conventional 24 bracket format. Once I found the problem it took Grizzly three days to fix. To order the 12 extra took almost three weeks. Email support good. Overall, ok service.
Customer Service: 8
In some ways the weak area, but I changed the kit supplied brackets to StewMac parts. Tail piece too. Bridge is "my" Grover variation with missing center support or foot. No sag after 1 year on the Gold tone. Grover sells a 2 leg maple that I use on another banjo (Hoab) with great success. See Reliability section
Components Rating: 7
If you are comfortable with tools, wood finishing, filling dings, etc, and LOVE the reddish color of mahogany and the tonal characteristics, you will enjoy this kit. I had lots of “pucker factor” doing a freehand inlay of star in the peg head, but it came out fine (I did it 6 times in scrap). My next challenge is to go a banjo builders workshop. I practice on this banjo now more than my other 2.
Overall Rating: 9
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