Vangoa 5 String Banjo 26 Inch, MINI Travel Banjo Beginner Kit with Remo Head, Open Back & Closed Solid Back with beginner Kit, Comfortable Carrying Bag

Got this for my GF. She's just learning and seems to like it very well. It's economically made. But not a cheap toy. Tone is good and holds tuning quite better than expected. I'm might get one for myself in the near future.

We have an update from the previous review. We received the banjo initially because it did not come with the beginner's kit. This made the banjo unplayable because it had no bridge or picks. The company reached out to us and offered a full refund. After a couple of days of back and forth messaging, they offered to ship us the missing items. We received the package within a week or so and everything is going great! I really appreciated the customer service reaching out to us after seeing our old review and issue! Just for others to know, this banjo is about the size of a ukulele. Be sure to tune it correctly (and frequently) to the notes you want. If playing like a regular banjo of DBGDG it does have more of a "twang" sound to it when playing on different frets which changes how it sounds overall. This is good for beginners with all the included components and extras.

This is a great little 5 string banjo ukulele. it has the sound of a ukulele which doesn't sound like a quality banjo, never the less is a very pleasant sounding instrument. For a small child wanting to learn to play the banjo, this might be the right size to start out with. If your an adult wanting to learn, it really is to small to try to learn on. For an experienced banjo player, this little instrument is a lot of fun to play. I had to move the bridge back about an inch to correct the intonation and tune it but very little else to start playing it. You won't need to take it to a professional to set it up. quick tip. measure the distance from the nut to the 12th fret and then move the bridge so there is the same distance between the 12 fret and the bridge. Then tune the strings and start playing. I bought it to take on a cruise, just to keep my fingers in condition without having to lug around 20 lbs of banjo and case. After the cruise, I have a grandchild or two that may want to learn to play.

This banjo was to be ready to play right out the box but mine came and the bridge wasn't installed i had to loosen the wires to get the bridge in and the tuner that came with it does not tune a 5 string banjo only electric , guitar , violin, and a ukulele all of them had more cords then my banjo so as a beginner I was under able to re tune now will have to pay a professional to tune it very nice banjo but not easy to set up for a beginner

This Banjo is gorgeous!! First of all, it was carefully packaged and wrapped. It came in a card board box, then in it's case, then in a bag and all the strings were wrapped in waxrd paper. It comes with so many extras like a tuner, shoulder strap, finger picks, extra strings and a wall holder!! The banjo sounds so great and I can't wait to start my lessons. It's a beautiful instrument at an AMAZING price.

The banjo itself is very nice. It came with everything and the tune is beautiful. Nicely packed. You can tell care was taken. The issue I have is the carry bag that came with it. It was moldy, inside and out...and the banjo was inside, Thankfully the banjo was wrapped in plastic and not damaged by this. I sprayed the bag with lysol laundry sanitizer and washed it on delicate. I need to note the box was not damaged and didn't have any signs of moisture. So I'm not sure if the bags are stored separately and plucked before shipment? I do recommend this product but pay attention to this mold/ possible moisture issue.

Update after 2 weeks: Im going to leave my original review below but my thoughts have changed over the last 2 weeks. First off a cheap banjo is still better then no banjo. BUT if you are able to spend a little bit more then I would recommend it. The first week things went great, but once I really started learning the fret board I started noticing some issues. You have to press very hard on the strings to get a smooth sound when using the fret board. I was getting alot of muted strings and buzzing. I originally thought it was me, but I got some help with my hand placement technique and it didnt change much. The neck is pretty thick so you really have to reach to get those cords. I decided to speak with someone at a music store. I told them my concerns on neck size and the strength it took to get the cords right and we ended up agreeing that I would try out a Gold Tone CC-50. It is double the price but it also solved every issue I was having. The Gold Tone is way more comfortable and easy to play. So my thoughts are if this is all you can afford then go for it. It's just gonna take even more practice. But if your willing to spend 100-200 more then I would recommend looking into the Gold tone ac-1 or the cc-50. Have a blessed day! This is my first banjo so obviously im not super qualified but I have to say I was nervous how it would sound just based off the cheap price. But so far it sounds amazing. BUT GET YOUR OWN TUNER AND PICKS. The tuner that came with it is awful. I couldn't even get it close to being in tune with the provided tuner, But with a phone app I got it perfect. And the picks are very cheap and not sturdy at all. I use the plastic thumb pick it came with and its fine. But the metal picks are terrible. But I grabbed a pack of Dunlop picks and there great. The bag it comes with is nice. Also the measuring stick for installing your bridge it very nice too. I plan to upgrade once I really learn the banjo. But for learning and not wanting to break the bank I think this is a fantastic option!

Ok for a child tried to return it post office said it would cost me 60 pounds to send it back what a ripoff stuck with a banjo i don't wont

The bottom-line is that this is a high quality instrument at a fantastic price. Pop in the bridge, tune it up and start playing real banjo tunes, because this is a real banjo. This is about the size of a tenor ukulele and has a higher pitch than a standard banjo, although you can loosen it up a bit. The bindings are nice, not cheap looking, and the fret work is solid and finished. The tuners are high-quality no-name brand, you will have no trouble with them keeping tune. All other metal gear is likewise high-quality, no-name brand steel and the wood is indeed real.

EL INSTRUMENTO LLEGÓ EN LA PARTE TRASERA CON UN FISURA, PARA EL PRECIO QUE TIENE, HUBIERA ESPERADO EL PRODUCTO EN BUENAS CONDICIONES

As a beginner, I had no idea which banjo to select. After spending weeks reading about the instrument, I decided on this one because i) versatility - I could remove the resonator if I wanted; ii) price - hard to beat; iii) it came with a good selection of accessories; and iv) some good video reviews online. What I didn't expect i) how incredibly well made this was (I'm no expert, but I think most people would agree this is a very well constructed product); ii) how nice it sounds (again, no expert, but this sounds very pleasant to me; iii) the included finger picks (if you're going to learn picking first) are poor - it would be advisable to pick up a set of National metal/plastic picks; iv) the strap has a chemical smell to it and was completely unusable; v) buy a stand - at least for me, I'm far more likely to play if all I have to do is pick it up instead of struggling to take it out of the zippered bag; vi) after about a month of fine tuning, I have barely touched the tuners! I've had it now for about five months and I actually find it easier to play than a guitar and not significantly more challenging than a ukulele (I started guitar, banjo and uke at the same time.) The uke, I purchased based on advice that it's the easiest string instrument to play, but now that I've had both for about the same time, I would say the learning curve is about the same; different technique, but similar technical difficulty. Most beginner uke lessons start on strumming chords and accompanyment (sing/play); being a poor singer, I had trouble finding *complete* songs that sounded good solo/fingerstyle on the uke. Not so with the banjo. Even though I had never previously heard many of the songs I'm learning, the banjo sounds great and I'm enjoying it much more than the uke.

Having been a banjo and guitar player for years when I received this banjo I was pleasantly surprised at how beautifully crafted it was. Installing the bridge is very easy just please remember to slack off the strings enough that your not putting too much pressure on the drum head. I found loosening the bottom screw where Al the strings start from make things much easier. Try not to unwind the strings until they are released from the tuning pegs as they have been cut to size and will be difficult to reattach due to the length. Pay close attention to the instructions when measuring the distances to place it in the right location. Remember as well the bridge is designed to be placed one direction only..it's in the instructions...if you follow what they say about tuning it after you will be fine.. don't be disheartened if it seems like ur not getting it in tune or it won't stay n tune...even very expensive banjos are finiky..it's part of their charm..the soft gig bag fits it perfectly and is well crafted and overall I highly recommend this banjo for both beginners and intermediate players.