Broadkaster Banjo Experience?

Well, just to update: I have my bass rig (which is way too heavy now that I'm older, and not playing bass live anymore!) in the local store to sell. As soon as it does, I'll be ordering a Gretsch Broadkaster Supreme! It has all the specs I've seen make up a good banjo, namely a brass tone ring and one piece flange. It looks great, sounds good from the very few vids I've seen, and I've not been disappointed in a Gretsch yet, so I'll keep with em! Hopefully my old rig will sell sooner rather than later!

 

I'm still waiting for my old, heavy bass rig to sell at the store to finance the banjo. Hopefully it'll sell before too terribly long!

 

UPDATE: Bass Rig sold, so I have on order the Broadkaster Supreme! Can't wait to get her in and give her a few rolls, lol! I've been borrowing a bud's banjo to get started while I waited, so it'll be interesting to hear the tonal differences. Pics will come when it's in!

 

Well, final update: My local store went to order the Broadkaster Supreme, and it was mysteriously discontinued, although I never saw anything about that and it's still on the website. So....went with a plan B and played everything in the store, and decided on the Deering Goodtime Classic Special 2. Great tone and playability for its price, so I'm a happy camper.

 

I can't help but think that trying to learn Scotty Moore and Setzer tunes with all the fingerpicking has helped me get a decent leg up on banjo. I've been working on the different rolls and chord changes. I found getting used to the Mandolin's tuning way more difficult than the banjo-it's pretty easy to think of it as the D-Litttle E on a guitar, with the E tuned down to D, then the high G on top....but that *&^#ed G string is in the wrong place for a guitar player, lol. It is taking some time to get used to grabbing that G as the lowest string but highest note, but I'm getting there.

As for the mandolin, while on vacation, I found a good deal on a Kentucky F style that was in need of some TLC. Thank goodness I taught myself the basics of setup a long time ago, because I got it for a steal. Thankfully there were no complicated issues, and it sounds great-lots of bark!

 

I loved the look of the Supreme, and it seemed to have all the qualities of a good, set up banjo, and it was fine as hell. But, I am very happy with the Good Time.

I kept waiting and waiting on the Gretsch F style Mando too, but it was constantly getting pushed back. I had to pull the trigger on something, because we were looking to play out before too terribly long, and I didn't want to have picked up a mandolin the previous week. I really lucked out with the Kentucky, as it has a great projection and tone. FWIW, I was able to finally play a Gretsch one. It has nice playability, and a good sound-I didn't think either was as good as the Kentucky, but that's not really a fair comparison. One was setup, and the other probably wasn't. The finish was just ok on the Gretsch, but maybe there are others out there that looked better than this one did.

 

That being said, there's still more than enough Gretsch's on my want list out there!

 

Been a while, but time for an update: I got the banjo back in October, and played it pretty regular for a month or so, put it down for a week or so, back up, so and so forth....then the picking began to click and I was able to pick the rolls and chord changes at a good moderate speed. I've gotten comfortable with it enough that it's worked it's way onto our setlist at least. What really pushed me forward with it was to stop practicing rolls and chord changes so much and start learning actual songs...and still work on that stuff, but not exclusively. That was the ticket, as it's really starting to open up for me, and I'm enjoying the heck out of it.

 

Not too bad for the most part, lol. I usually stick to the music room when I'm practicing it, so I don't really disturb anyone. That's easier when you're playing actual songs than wrote roll practice. I usually do that at lunch when no one's home!