Ashthorpe 5-String Banjo - Full Size with 24 Brackets, Closed Back, Mahogany Resonator, Geared 5th Tuner, Padded Gig Bag

As a lifelong musician - but new at banjo - I was very surprised to buy this banjo sight unseen to discover just beautifully built it is. The materials are top notch and the finish is excellent - a quality one might expect from a much more expensive instrument. The tone is crisp and bright as well. The case is of good quality. I took my time reviewing the many low cost banjo offerings on Amazon, checking many independent reviews before making this choice. Very pleased indeed!

The media could not be loaded. It has been about a year since I've made this purchase and I though it would be a good time to review this product. I've played it for at least an hour everyday (give or take a few days) and some days I would have longer sessions.Pros:- Sounds like a banjo- Comes strung out of the box- Great value (for first banjo)- No complaints on build quality after daily play.Cons:- Some finish got worn off on the resonator due to my strap rubbing up against it during play.- The inlay dots are painted on.- Tuners could be better.- Frets were a little sharp.The frets were a little sharp when I got it and a friend said to just sand them down to smooth them out. Only one string snapped (2 months ago) and I just replaced it with the provided string replacement that came in the gig bag. I would suggest looking into videos on how to maintenance it once you get it. Such as how to adjust drum tightness (the drum head may need to be tightened after shipping), tune the strings, and adjust string bridge. There are plenty of videos online on how to do those things. I suggest NOT to mess with string height (inner nut) or the truss rod (neck curvature). Those two things require a good understanding as these can make your banjo unplayable (trust me, I ruined my second banjo).I didn't have any experience with string instruments and was looking for a good value banjo. As it was pretty cheap, the investment into a new hobby wasn't too scary. It is cheap, but it's a great way to find out if this hobby is for you. One of the best purchases I've ever made.

For a starter banjo, I chose this over others in the same price range based on (a) overwhelmingly positive user reviews, (b) real tonewoods, and (c) an obviously well-padded gig bag. It arrived quickly, and came with a couple of nice surprises.First, the fretboard is listed as laurel (a rosewood substitute), but it's a much darker brown than the photos suggest – could pass for actual rosewood. Second, unusually, this banjo ships with the bridge already set up (because the gig bag really is very well-padded). You might appreciate this if you're not used to measuring scale lengths.Nice medium weight, with nice medium twang. The neck's grain definitely looks like real mahogany, as do the outside layers on the body's and resonator's rim and backplate (although I assume those are plywoods). The only things I could find wrong were a couple of tiny white specks on the fretboard – evidently from the styrofoam shipping shroud – and they rubbed right off.Overall, I'm really pleased with this. Other sub-$200 banjos here tantalize with prettier inlays, ebony-looking fretboards, or extra accessories (strap, clip-on tuner, pickup, etc.). But they're made with lower-grade neck and body woods (sapele, okoume, or even birch), and the faux-ebony fretboards are a synthetic fiber made from old newspapers. This feels (and sounds) like a solid choice, at a good price, and I'm picking up the accessories separately.

Very nice for beginners! It comes with all 5 strings attached. Bridge attached. Resonator is detachable. You need to use a plus screw driver to unscrew 4 screws. (Screw driver is not included.) I started with the tool then used my fingers to finish unscrewing. I bought a tuner separately to help me tune it. Beautiful instrument!Included inside the bag were the extra set of strings, 3 picks, two metal contraptions that I did not use yet, a cloth. It also comes with a sheet of paper that has chords on one side and a guide on part of the banjo, which is really helpful.They say sounding good is 80% is skill and 20% is instrument so this is a good start for me to learn how to play the banjo!It came a day earlier than expected but I am so glad it did.I'm impressed! Thank you!

I've always loved bluegrass and mountain music and wanted to learn how to play the banjo for years. I finally decided it was time to teach myself and purchased this one several weeks ago. In my opinion this is a great instrument to get started. The case is of surprisingly good quality and the banjo feels nice as you pluck around. I watched a setup video by Jim Pankey on YouTube and tweaked a few things on my banjo before really sitting down to learn it and it sounds great. There are a few fit and finish problems with the one I received though. For instance one of the pieces on the resonator that holds the top in place is loose and needs to be glued back in. There's also a small imperfection in the fretboard higher up on the neck lose to the head of the banjo. But considering the price of the instrument those issues are pretty minor. It stays in tune longer than I expected it would. The strings that come with it aren't horrible, it sounds bright and has a good amount of heft to it. If you're considering purchasing this banjo I would definitely recommend it.

I recently acquired this banjo. I never played banjo before, so this one was a good fit for me. It seems well made and plays well for me. I am learning to play two and three finger picking style. The banjo itself looks great and tunes well. The padded gig bag is awesome. The accessories are a great addition. Don't know why they came with regular guitar picks. Should have came with thumb and finger picks. Other than that, I'm pretty happy overall with my new banjo.

Assembles easily and sounds great. The gig bag is very sturdy.

Excellent quality at an excellent value! I was so excited to finally get a banjo. This banjo is a legit banjo and the sound quality is awesome!