Dean Backwoods Mini Travel Banjo

I wanted a travel banjo so bought this one as it's one of the smaller (and more affordable) models available. I do believe that for this price it should come with a gig bag. There is less sustain than with my Gold Tone so slides and hammer's don't sound as long but that's something I can live with. If this is your first banjo there are some things you should know 1) You'll want to tune it and then check bridge placement and tune again. You can Google proper bridge adjustment to learn how to do this. It is easy. 2) You WILL want to stuff the pot with something to tone it down. You can also Google this but essentially what you do is try putting some different materials in the pot and check the sound. I settled on a pair of pajama bottoms :) You can really fine-tune the sound of your banjo this way. My banjo came with steel strings which I was happy about - I play with picks. 3) The nut on my banjo had slots that were too narrow and were pinching the strings causing it to go sharp and not stay in tune.. I gently opened them a little with a nail file and rubbed a little pencil lead in the slot. I also replaced the strings with a better set (light gauge). Because this is a short-neck banjo and the strings are light gauge the string tension is very light and I think these factors make for an easy playing banjo. Learning to play banjo is not easy but it's fun so if this is your first banjo don't give up too easily. For all of these fixes a five star review is generous but it’s a fun banjo.

Low grade quality not a good sound get what ya pay for

I saw it had possibilities. The head was that slick gray kind that looks like a pig's bladder. Why do they choose that awful head? Why not at least a frosted top. I changed the head to a fiberskin. Looks better and sounds better. The guitar style tuners were junk. I replaced with a set of open geared grover tuners. The scale length called for C tuning, but instead I installed a set of Deering Julia Belle heavy gauge 12 to 24 and tuned it down to A. Now it sounds great. The banjo has potential, but it requires a lot of setting up. I really love it. It's the ultimate campfire banjo.

Exactly what I was looking for.I tried a cheap full-size banjo, found that my shoulder hurt long after playing it. Ordered this so I can still learn to play. Arrived last week, has already seen a few string changes and light use.It is not exactly the same as any other banjo. The short scale means tuning higher and wanting more tension on the strings. I couldn't find anywhere what gauges are on it by default, but it seems like it uses a medium set to tune cGCEG. The tension is a good bit higher than regular banjo, somewhere between that and tenor I'm guessing. It can take lighter than it comes with, I found that it was fine at 10-12 lbs per string but tastes vary.

The media could not be loaded.  Pretty awesome little instrument for the price. The tuners feel cheap, but hold tune decently. It arrived set up very well, untuned of course, but the bridge was set correctly and the head was properly tightened. I have attached a short video demonstrating the sound of the instrument in a few different styles of playing.

really like to play it can't put it down .Easier to play than regular size Jo's frets closer together

I was driving a lot for work and wanted a banjo I could play on the road (no, not while I was driving). This fit the bill. But I couldn't find a case that would fit well enough to protect it. Finally I did, a baritone ukulele case (Asin #B00BMIHAMU) that had just the right amount of padding. But now I'm working from home. Who knew? Still the combination would be great for backpacking, etc.

If you have a knowledgeable repairman available, I would recommend this banjo for anyone! I’m a musician, not a repairman. It took all the advice from others to make it playable, now it’s very fine.The box from Amazon wasn’t damaged but the inner box was destroyed and the banjo was loose and shifting around freely inside Amazon’s box. The tension on the drum was so loose and the truss rods for the neck also loose. I didn’t realize the neck was twisted out from straight as it looked ok but couldn’t be tuned properly. After a lot of work, it’s an excellent banjo that’s brought me and the friends I play with great joy. It was such a mess to begin with that I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep it. Now I am for sure!