Fender FB-54 5-String Banjo  

I bought a Fender FB-54, 2 year old banjo. While I like the banjo, I am disappointed that Fender will NOT support this product with an owners manual.I was only looking for an owners manual. I sent an email to Fender.com and was told that they DO NOT print manuals for imported instruments. That is baloney. What do they make that isn't imported? Seems like they are using their product name but not supporting it. I am very disappointed in Fender as I have some of their 1965 guitars that I bought years ago. What happened to Fender anyway?

this banjo value pack is exactly what it says. It's a great value. I bought this banjo over 3 years ago, and it still sounds great. Comes with a gig bag, which I replaced with a hardshell case from Musician's Friend. Also comes with a Fender stage tuner, Fender strap, extra set of strings, and some really cheap finger picks. Make sure you order a Plastic thumb pick, and Metal fingerpicks with this, as the included ones are garbage. Overall this is a great value. I played this banjo at a bluegrass festival, and it stood up to some much more expensive ones.

I've been playing guitar, bass, mandolin, and piano for about five years now and have been wanting to learn the banjo.  I just received one of these for my birthday, and I have to say: it's amazing.  I love the sound quality and the ease in playing.  It's a beautiful instrument and works flawlessly.  I'm very pleased to own this as my first banjo.  I'd recommend it to anyone.

I picked this banjo up from a thrift store for 120 dollars, pretty much in new condition. I've had it for about a year now and have been playing for about a year. Initially, it sounded mediocre at best. This was due to bad strings, high action, and very low stock bridge. I picked up some Earthwood Banjo Strings and a 1/2 inch bridge, slapped those on. Also lowered the action about as low as I could go without sacrificing any sound quality. Now, after all these alterations which you could have a professional do, including parts, for probably about 40 dollars, it sounds really amazing. No fret buzz, loud as you'd ever need. Another suggestion if you purchase, do not hook your strap to the triangle, metal hooks that come on this banjo. They will break, as they do on most banjos. I just hook my strap to the fasteners that hold the head on. Overall, if you're a beginner or intermediate players and want a banjo with a resonator, this is the one I'd suggest. Most instruments need work to fit your style of playing and to get the sound you like, so expect to change bridges, strings, action, etc... for most instruments.