r/banjo • u/Responsible-Shame511 • 1d ago
Good banjo?
Do you know if this is a good banjo? Looks like it needs some love.
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u/elwood_burns 1d ago
Not sure on the price, but the thought of having all of that hardware digging into your thigh while you’re playing is painful.
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u/Conscious-Record2655 1d ago
Wow I can't believe Framus banjos are going for more than $100 these days. I used to get these on shopgoodwill for the price of shipping and flip them.
Framus banjos are from Germany. They're kind of weird from a design/construction standpoint but they're serviceable banjos. I assume you're in Europe somewhere? Your local prices will be a bit higher than the US, but $580 is still about double what they're worth, even in a retail setting.
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u/TaintMisbehavein 1d ago
framus are, if nothing, a loud and easy to service banjo. they are tough, and only a little ugly. not worth much in money value but are great players and are very good if you need to stand out volume wise in an acoustic setting. not something id seek out but if I found one for a good price id bring it home. that being said, they are fantastic learning banjos, you could play one for decades and not need to feel like you have to upgrade unless for specific reasons
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u/TaintMisbehavein 1d ago
as a side note, iirc the fretboard has a radius which is mighty different for 95% of banjos
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u/MysteriousDudeness 1d ago
I own a Framus long neck with resonator from around that time period. I paid $200 American for it but it did need some setup and some parts replaced (tailpiece, tuners, head). Now that it's setup correctly, it sounds great!
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u/ImportantPackage6630 1d ago edited 1d ago
That’s an amazing deal
That’s such a good deal. I’m blown away.
Just sew a lap cover or get a chunk of leather and punch some snaps and give your lap a decent buffer. Or weave a strip with some laps. Maybe I’ll construct this vision on mine.
I love my long neck banjo so much. Just get rail road spikes installed on the entire length of the 5th string. I just want to keep adding more.
I don’t know how the brand compares to my Goldtone, but I’d be tempted to buy it and have it shipped.
It’ll be the best banjo in the world as long you play it.
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u/Nowline 1d ago
Framus longneck! I have one with a resonator and it's a cannon. Not a particularly nuanced instrument but your neighbors will at least know what you're up to.
For perspective, the four string versions were highly regarded in Irish trad circles for their ability to punch through the noise of the band. Also the head tensioners are acessible even with the resonator on, which is neat. It's a german brand so they did things a little different