Jameson Guitars 6-String Banjo Guitar with Closed Back Resonator and 24 Brackets

My first banjo, so it took a while to get it setup how I like it and this is a fantastic little instrument! The setup is involved in the grooves on the bridge piece and positioning it on the snare head. Plenty of videos to show you how to do this on regular banjos. There is no learning curve other than setup for guitarists if you play in standard tuning (EADGBE). The action was a bit high, but when I grooved the bridge deeper (the low E kept popping off under tension) with a file, it has lowered it to where it is comfortable. Most of the stuff you are going to play is under the 12th fret, and it sounds great for playing fast picked chords. If you want to emulate the sound of a real banjo, then use the Open G tuning (DGDGBD) and the only difference is that the low G (5th String) is an octave lower than on a banjo. The head on this is a Remo and the brackets are well put together and not cheap pot metal. The tuners are smooth and the frets are comfortable, though I always prefer larger jumbo or extra jumbo frets, but most acoustic instruments are low to medium and this is in that range. The volume is exceptional and the tone sounds great for a lead sound cutting through the mix in a song. Having played several banjos in the music store that cost considerably more than this, it sounds as good or better to my ears. If you enjoy open chord fingerpicking or playing fast picked licks, this is a great instrument. Bluesy sounds and power chords are not going to sound very good though. I love this instrument for Irish/Scottish tunes! This instrument is a spectacular deal and is very well made with a solid wood back and quality metal brackets.

Mix Wholesale does a GREAT job getting items shipped safely and quickly. I wrote another review earlier and gave only 4 stars because I had to pay $28.50 to return a 5 string banjo; however, I immediately reordered this 6 string banjo and it arrived 4 days early and it is a beautiful instrument to look at as well as play. I am an 83 yr. Old retired music and guitar teacher and I was fully expecting to have to do a complete set up on my new 6 string Jameson banjo. To my great surprise, it is pretty well set up right out of the box. The craftsmanship is fantastic, especially for an instrument under $200. Older reviews I had read and seen on You Tube made me think it was a much poorer instrument! Mix Wholesale is doing a great job putting these instrument of such quality and fair price on Amazon. Thanks to them, and thanks to Jameson for producing a quality instrument at such an affordable price!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Years ago a friend found an old family heirloom Banjitar that was in bad shape, and asked me to take it to a luthier for restoration. When It was done I had the opportunity to play it for a while before returning it to it's rightful owner. I enjoyed it, and thought about getting one of my own from time to time. The R.W.Jameson banjitar is the least expensive instrument of that type that I have come across. That is a little worrisome because usually you get what you pay for, but I took the chance and I'm glad I did. The Jameson Banjitar is not the most refined instrument, but it was better than I expected. When it arrived, I adjusted the bridge using the harmonics, and tuned it up with a clip on tuner. The scale length is somewhat longer than I expected, approximately 26 and 3/16". The nut is approximately 1 and 11/16" wide. The neck on mine will need a little strut rod tweak, the action is a little high, the fret ends are not smooth which I notice when moving my hand on the neck. The hardware all looks good, and the mahogany on the resonator back is impressive. It was strung with what appear to be ordinary 11 - 52 phosphor bronze acoustic guitar strings. All in all it looks better and is more playable than I expected at this price. It was louder than all get out, and blaring. The only adjustment I have made so far is a wadded up Kleenex stuffed under the strings between the bridge and the tail piece. That cleaned up the sound quite a bit. I bought a banjo Strap: (Neotech 5701002 Super Banjo Strap) With the strap attached to the existing "strap hooks" on the banjo body it is very top heavy. I plan to add a "strap hook" to the heel of the neck to improve the balance. I also bought a case: (Carrion C-2901 Black Hardshell 5-string Resonator Banjo Case) The case fits, but the bottom is flat and doesn't support the resonator as well as I think it should, so I took the Styrofoam ring from the box that the banjitar came in, and put it on the bottom of the case. Maybe I'll cover that with felt some day. I was at a loss for songs to play on the banjitar at first. But after a while "Mr. Bojangles", "Thunder Road", and "Freight train" just started to sound right on the banjitar. Sooner or later I'll get around to adjusting it and getting better strings, but in the mean time it's a blast to play.

I'm not sure how to write a review for this without sounding like a company rep. This is by far one of the nicest instruments I have ever seen. I own two Ovation guitars (steel and nylon) and a Peavey bass. This offers a good fourth to the set. At the price on this Bantar I wasn't expecting such quality. At the time I write this review, this instrument is solid 5 stars at 13 reviews. There's good reason for that: there's a standard 5-string banjo here on Amazon made by the same company and it has 128 reviews with solid 4 & 5 stars (vast majority 5). So I guess they must make a good instrument. I know I'm very pleased with mine. When the ad says it's a $450 instrument they're selling at about 150 bucks... believe it. This is total quality head to tail. It is gorgeous, heavy (as a banjo should be) and offers quality sound. It may be expected that being basically a banjo, the treble strings have considerably more report than the E and A bass strings; that's the nature of the beast. This isn't a guitar with a banjo body, but a somewhat different instrument, one in which the lower strings are clearly audible but not as pronounced and deep as they can be on a guitar because the sound is amplified by a banjo head. The result is a typical banjo "twang" with a nice semi-bass drone thrown in, and presents a unique sound. One downside, but quite normal: on my instrument the action is considerably high (not unusual on a store-bought, un-tamed instrument). So the first thing I'll have to do is find either a shorter bridge or cut this one down a bit. However the neck is straight and the Bantar well-produced. Once the bridge is re-done I believe I'll have an excellent instrument. Pretty much every instrument I've ever purchased "off the shelf" has required similar work; it is expected. The sound is mellow and resonant, and not as "twangy" as some off-the-shelf banjos I've heard. I credit this to the wood sides and backing (as opposed to metal sides sometimes found on other banjos). I am sorely tempted to replace the head on this with clear mylar and do some artistic woodburning on the inside backplate. People would think I bought a $2000 instrument. If you want to play this as an open-back, the back is easily removed via four thumb-screws. I can't recommend one way or another as I prefer a closed-back instrument, but that feature does make this very versatile. There are few things these days that I purchase and find to be pristine. Aside from the action needing some work (which again, is very common)... this is pristine. At the time I write this review every review on here is 5 stars; I gladly add mine to the mix. Highly recommended instrument of top quality and performance. [edit] I've had this instrument about a week now and I'm quite pleased with it still. I did do something different: I switched out the steel strings for high-tension nylon guitar strings. Martin or D'Addario ball-end sets work fine. The sound it produces is significantly more mellow than steel strings. I also found a set of gold-tone tuning pegs here on Amazon that are the exact same make and model that comes with the banjo. So remove the silver ones and wow... the gold tone looks great with this instrument. This is quite a buy for someone looking specifically for a Bantar. Lots of folks will choose to get a 5-string banjo so they can learn the standard banjo rifts, but for a guitar player wanting a unique sound this is perfect.

PROS: Very good construction, chrome and wood all nicely finished,excellent bright (banjo) tone with adjustments (see below), intonation much better than I expected. For the very reasonable price a good deal. CONS: shipped new with only 25 of 26 ring tie-down lugs and an unusable bridge--split in two places, low E wouldn't stay in string slot. Come on, a bad bridge on a banjo?? Also quite a bit of adjustment required to get acceptable action--including (ugh) adjusting bow of neck downwards with tension rod. Best part of deal was the vendor customer service from MDWsupport.com: rapid, responsive, friendly. Answered email within the hour sent replacement parts same day tho only the bridge was the right part. Suspect I didn't describe the lug and nut clearly enough, my bad. Banjo gets 3 stars, 5 for the company. I would recommend both.

I already have a custom 6 string banjo that a friend and I put together over 20 years ago and wouldn't part with for any amount of money. It has a Fender Tele neck with exceptionally low action, sounds like a million dollars and is my favorite instrument to play. That said, being high strung, I'm unable to play a solo on the high strings, so I thought I would like to get another with more conventional strings. Enter this Jameson 6-String Banjo. I read all the other reviews, a summary of which is that while it's quality construction, it needs a total professional setup. When I received it yesterday, the cardboard box was badly torn, partially crushed and I expected it to be toally destroyed. Happily, somehow it was undamaged and I took it to the luthier this morning, who confirmed both the quality and the need for a total setup. Knowing your way around stringed instruments is one thing, but being a professional with over fifty years experience is quite another. I watched him work on it for two hours and I concur with other reviewers that unless you're an experienced professional, don't try to DIY. BOTTOM LINE: Fit and finish, excellent. Components, excellent, including the tuners. Sound as received, TERRIBLE!. Installed 9-42 cryogenic electric guitar strings which, as hoped, were a huge improvement both in the sound and playability. Comes with a 5/8" bridge, which is too high My guy says it needs a 1/2" bridge and we're trying to find a compensated one. So, should you buy it? As long as you're willing to spend the time and effort to buy different strings and a bridge AND have it professionally set up, ABSOLUTELY BUY IT ! It will then compare favorably with the most expensive ones on the market and you will have saved yourself many hundreds of dollars. You're welcome. 5-24-26 EDIT: I ended up doing Nashville Tuning on this banjo as I have on my custom one and it sounds great.

Ok so this is not a Deering or a Gold Tone. It does not come set up from the factory and chances are the banjo head (drum head) will not have the appropriate tension and if you tune it up without making any adjustments, when you try to play it (especially the lower strings) it will sound dull and lifeless. If you know how, set it up as a banjo first, then put a set of GHS six string Banjo strings on it, properly mensurate the bridge, and also properly adjust the tailpiece. Doing all of this, you can get some very nice tones out of this instrument. The 1 3/4” wide nut makes this just awesome for fingerpicking and it’s a lot of fun to play but it may seem too wide for some. It is however not a 5 string banjo. Even with perfect set up and playing with finger picks you will not sound like Earl Scruggs or J.D. Crowe. You can get “banjo like” tones out of the treble strings and it certainly does very well for Irish ballads or for diversifying your sound; but if you are buying this to play bluegrass banjo you will not get the “authentic” sound you’re likely expecting. I play 5 string banjo as well and although this is a great instrument it’s not the same. If you really want that sound and feel, get a 5 string banjo and one of Geoff Hohwald’s books to learn from and practice! This banjo is a great value and it plays and sounds great once it’s set up. I really like it and I play the hell out of it. But if you’re not prepared to set it up or to pay someone to do it for you, this is likely not for you.

As a guitar player, I wanted to interject some different sounds into my groups performances, but didn't have the time to re-learn a completely different instrument. This allows me to play in normal guitar chord shapes but sounds like a banjo. It does sound like a banjo, but the lower notes sound too deep, so I put a capo on the 5th fret and this really sounds like a banjo. I'm no banjo expert but this seems to be a quality instrument. I'll probably change out the tuners and take it to a professional to adjust the tightness of the head, but otherwise it's a fantastic instrument for the price and I'd recommend one for anyone that wants something a little different.

Love it, having a lot of fun with it....Whish it could have been electric. Great banjo sound...Need instruction on how to adjust tension on resonator... Good price for quality....

Just wish it had pegs installed for a strap, otherwise a very nice instrument…

I “play” guitar, and I’m using that term loosely! I love the banjo sound, but was not interested in learning the new chord patterns of a 5 string. This is the best quality / price point I have seen. On the plus side: the price, it does have a resonator, came packaged well, the finish looks impressive, action was surprisingly low, intonation was pretty close, Remo head, comes with tools for head adjustment (good thing too, I’ll explain) and Allen key. What kept me from 5 stars? There wasn’t very much. You will likely want to get this set up by someone who knows what they are doing. When I tuned it up, I noticed the bridge was tilting towards the headstock. I pulled off the resonator and checked the torque on the brackets. One bracket bolt was very very loose, I tightened it up and did a gradual tighting around the head of the others. This brought the bridge almost perfect. The only thing I noticed was slight imperfections in the wood on the face of the headstock.

It came in less time expected, was packed really well. No damage whatsoever. Beautiful looking instrument. Had it set up by a professional and now it plays and sounds really well for the price. I would recommend it.

Quality and packaging are very good, banjo will not stay tuned may have to do a complete setup to get this to play and maintain the tuning