Gold Tone is a great banjo brand, I was looking really hard at one before I settled on my Gretsch (although I've got my eyes on a Deering). I'd highly recommend the Hal Leonard Banjo Method books. I would not try taking on the Earl Scruggs book right away as it's pretty much for intermediate/ advanced players and can be a little discouraging. I ended up just putting a t-shirt in the pot to mute the sound and just sat and practiced open G rolls while watching TV and it really helped me with getting use to the style. I would also recommend learning with finger picks as it gives you a lot of volume, but try to find or order online national medium thumb picks. Most stores only carry Dunlop thumb picks and they are WAY too big and a little clumsy.
Other than that, have fun! Banjo is a great instrument.
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