Classic Goodtime 2 Banjo

I'm a guitar player/bass player/ukulele player & I bought this on a whim at a well-known, mom & pops music outlet in DC. My goodwill banjo had broken and I was in the process of learning.

I can say after a month of use, I'm so incredibly impressed with the workmanship. I couldn't imagine owning a different instrument. The wood is incredible, the resonator pops the sound beautifully. It's everything I could have wanted and more.

Highly recommend especially for beginning musicians who are starting with a banjo. It's important to get something that has great action so you can learn properly.

Thanks guys!

(Posted on 1/31/13)

I started my banjo career with an offshore hunk of junk. It had an aluminum pot and junky tuners and just didn't sound right or stay in tune. I found my Goodtime (a lefty BTW) on a buy & sell website, and have never looked back. It's a joy to play, and makes practicing fun.
I have a Sierra on the way, but will still hang on to my Goodtime; We've had too many goodtimes together to part friends :)

(Posted on 8/14/12)

When I wanted to finally get to learning the banjo everyone I talked to said buy a good one even if you've never played before. It took a lot of convincing for me to plunk the money down... but I'm so glad that I did.

I did a lot of research because I really wanted something I could grow into and am extremely happy with my Goodtime 2. This is my first banjo so to be fair I have nothing to compare it against. What I can say with confidence is that it's easy to play and after about 8 Months of practicing it shows no signs of wear or breakdown, and I play almost every day.

The look of the Classic is really nice though that's just a personal preference. It sounds amazingly loud from other banjos I've heard and has a very comfortable feel around the neck.

So my last bit of advice is that I 100% agree with the ideal of buy as much banjo as you can afford, you will end up getting what you paid for. Go with quality and sound. Also like the first reviewer mentioned, shop around. This is a great banjo but does not have to cost you the $900 Deering is charging. I found mine brand new for $550.

(Posted on 5/25/12)

I bought a Goodtime Banjo a couple of years ago and was looking for something with a bit more "umph" to it. I found this banjo on the Deering website and shopped around. Lo and behold, I found it on amazon.com for $549.00. I purchased it immediately and even got a nice hard case for well less than the $909.00 listed here!

Upon taking this banjo out of the box, I didn't think I had ever seen more beautiful sight. It is truly a testament to gorgeous craftsmanship and quality. Right out of the box, it has great action for easy fingering and the frets play without a hitch right up the fingerboard. And with spikes on the 7, 9, and 10 frets, it is easier than ever to quickly change keys.

The resonator adds a whole heap of volume over my Goodtime open-back while still retaining clear, concise note separation with a very nice bluegrass pop. Don't let the fact that this banjo doesn't come with a tone ring fool you, because this thing still has loads of volume; my neighbors can hear me playing on my back porch from inside their house with the windows closed (not that they complain).

This banjo is my greatest investment of 2012, so far, as there's nothing like a spiffy new banjo to make you want to play even more than you were before. Even with a $909.00 price tag, it is the greatest and best banjo in it's price range from any company, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy this banjo again; at the $549.00 price tag from amazon.com, this banjo should be in the hands of every single person who might have ever thought of playing the banjo.

(Posted on 4/29/12)