I just started playing the banjo a couple of months ago. I've also played the guitar for 16 years and the mandolin for just a little over a year now. Let me tell you this...this is a quality instrument, especially for the price. It has a warm tone to it, unlike other cheaper models. I highly suggest spending the extra $ you'll be glad that you did.

This was the first banjo that I ever bought, and let me tell you, quite possibly the last. It made learning the in and outs of blue grass so much fun and so easy. For the quality vs price alone, any newbie to banjos should pick up a Gold Tone. You will not be disappointed.

I've had this banjo for a year and a half, no problems at all. It stays in tune, sounds great, and the action is perfect. I played a fender fb-54 for a weak before buying this one. The fender had a metal pot, this one is wood with a rolled brass tone ring. It's tone just didn't compare to this one. The gold tone is the first banjo I've bought, but have played guitar and any other stringed instruments I could get my hands on for years.

I've been playing other string instruments for years and finally decided to buy a banjo. On first look I decided to get one of the cheaper banjos in the 180-250 range. On a last minute decision, I changed my mind. I know what a banjo should sound like, so I finally found some audio clips of the cheaper banjos. The cheaper ones will have some of that "tin can" sound. They are not as heavy and do not have tone rings, etc. This banjo has a brass tone ring. I then was able to hear audio of the CC-100R banjo, and I was sold. It has great tone, no tin can noise. It is very bright, of course not as good as more expensive banjos but in my opinion well worth the extra bit of money over the cheapest banjos. Some people might still benefit from the cheaper ones because of price, and that the cheaper ones can get the job done. Visit Goldtone's website for audio clips. This banjo has maple wood, a bone nut, 5th string nut and geared 5th string tuning peg. The fret board looks great. It plays great, very easy to fret notes, and absolutely no buzz or noises from the Goldtone setup. All in all I'm very happy with my purchase.

Best banjo for the price. I had the fender FB-54 and didn't like it. Quality and sound just don't compare.