Dean Backwoods 6 Banjo  

I was impressed when I pulled this instrument out of the box. The set-up was a snap and it's got a very nice look to it.

I'm a drummer who's never played a regular banjo but since I play a little bit of guitar and wanted to do a little bit of banjo, this seemed like a good choice. I've had a good time playing it so far and it appears to be a quality instrument (especially for the price).

For the price you can't beat this.

The more I play the BW6, the more I like it. I'm considering an eventual transition over to a regular 5-string banjo but for now I'm very happy with the BW6.  This is the first Dean I've owned and I like it.

good quality banjo decent price fast shipping

decent banjo for the price

Overall is is a great instrument the only thing I would add would be a onboard pickup/mic for amplification.

This is a nicely crafted instrument.  It is rugged and stands up to changes in climate and stays in tune!

Given the complexities and components of a banjo it is a good value.  Musician's Friend had the best price hands down from any other vendor I could find...online or otherwise.

This banjo has been the most fun to play.  I get plenty of looks on stage and everyone loves the sound!

The metal wrist-rest isn't all that comfortable.  And out of the box it sounded like a brick.  But with a neck adjustment, head tightening, new strings, and proper bridge placement, it sounds and plays like some much more expensive 6-string banjos I've played.  I needed this for a dixieland gig, since I know way more jazz chords on the guitar than I know on my 5-string banjo.  But while I'm waiting for the dixieland music to arrive, I'm having a blast picking it with some of my more complex guitar picking patterns. (No, you can't pick it like a 5-string.)

If you don't play banjo at all, and especially if you can already fingerpick like crazy, this is a GREAT way to get banjo tonality into your sound.  Just be prepared to do some guitar-tech work on it, since these don't exactly ship with the heads tightened up or the bridge properly aligned.

- Paul Race, School of The Rock

If you are considering this "banjitar" you will be disappointed if you think there is no learning curve with the six string guitar tuning. If you do not learn a few "tricks" this thing will sound like junk. First and foremost you will need to mute the body when playing. Either use a palm mute behind the bridge or keep the fleshy part of the hand on the body above the strings. If you do this you will begin to get that "banjo" sound. Stay away from full guitar chords and stick with note picking and you can get a good bajo sound. For even a better experience tune the little e string down to d and the a to g "open G". This will give you a very good banjo sound. At first I was not pleased with my purchase but with a little experimentation and breaking some "guitar" habits it is now a very versitile tool in my arsenal.

Built very nice with great back and grover tuners.

As an intro to that banjo sound this is a good deal. Now that I have palyed around with it in open G tuning I think I want the real deal 5 string!

If you just want some new sounds...and are willing to work through the "tricks" you will not be disappointed.