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Originally Posted by LoathsomePete
A 6 string banjo is just a guitar with a banjo body. The low E string sounds cool, but everything else sounds more or less the same. I don't really have that high of an opinion on them, mostly because the large stores always seem to carry two or three for every one 5-string banjo.
Seeing as how you don't play guitar I'd say get a 5-string and the Hal Leonard Banjo Method Book 1. Most Guitar Centers will carry the Epiphone MB-100 banjo which is an open back, so it's not quite as loud and it has a far more mellow tone, but it sits on your lap comfortably and is incredibly light.That's pretty much the entry tier in terms of cost and is generally pretty good. Make sure you get someone at the store to set up the bridge for you and get it in tune. If you can get National thumb picks, get them. I use a medium and they fit just fine and aren't as long as the Dunlop brand ones.
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I'm hoping to pick up something with a pretty dirty, dank and twangy deeper sound, and a VERY percussive-friendly body as I'm planning on getting really into the 'drum' appeal of a banjo. Not sure if I can find a starter along those lines but I'm more than happy to spend a little extra cash for what I want.
To get poetic, a banjo that brings to mind the greasy, long-nailed fingers of a murderous cajun, not the calloused ones of a good-natured farmer. Went to GC over the weekend and of the four total banjos they had in store, none of them jived the way I want.