After months of struggling against Various Instruments ObsessiveLy Acquired disorder (VIOLA), I have decided that - in addition to my three guitars, two bass guitars, forty whistles, three bodhrans, one mandolin, one keyboard and one harmonica - I also need to have a go at tenor banjo and fiddle.
My question is: please can someone recommend reasonable, cheap, examples of fiddles and tenor banjos which might be suitable for a 45 year old beginner to try?
I have a cheap-should-still-be-good attitude to instruments. I don’t need to show off a pricey weapon in order to enjoy playing it. I never yet paid more than £300 for a guitar, more than £200 for a bodhran (actually, I do consider that expensive - but my Belgarth was an absolute bargain compared to some of the overpriced drums I’ve tried) nor more than £33 for a whistle (my Dixon ABS/aluminiums).
All I want is something playable enough to give me an idea if I get on well enough with the instrument to want to learn it in more depth.
I’d say tenor banjo is the one I really feel tempted by (after watching and hearing Barney McKenna) and as I’m a guitar player it will be less alien than fiddle. Nevertheless, I’m intrigued by fiddle and I want to have a go on that too.
Hobgoblin have cheap examples of both instruments. The Ashbury acoustic guitar I played when I was last in the Hobgoblin shop in Milton Keynes was surprisingly good. Are their banjos playable?
Your disorder is caused by the fact that you only have one harmonica I have a friend who works in a Hobgoblin store. He’s pretty candid about things. If I see him tomorrow I’ll ask his opinion and write back offlist.
You might be right about the harmonica. I might have to get a couple more - even if it’s just so I can fiddle around filing a reed on one to try and get that missing note…
That’s another disorder I have: Instrument Obsessive Tweaking Affliction (IOTA)…
Oh, and Compulsive Acronym Making Psychosis (CAMP)…
Most people start off with a short-scale (17 fret) tenor banjo for Irish music. It’s not very expensive to get a used one, even banjos from the 20s are available and affordable. My boyfriend has been buying a lot of banjos lately and he got his short-neck Orpheum #1 for $350 (about half what it’s worth), a Vega regular size for $550 and a Paramount Style B with built-in mute for $1200. All three instruments are antiques from the 20’s-30’s and all play well and sound great.
Just FYI you are in the U.K…the prices of 4-string banjos here in the U.S. are less I’m told, so look online and see what you see…
Good banjos are also much cheaper than good fiddles.
Yeh, short scale tenor is what I’ve been looking at.
So far I’m looking at a GoldTone open back model and an Ashbury resonator one.
I also keep seeing a cheap brand called Ozark. anyone know anything about these?
I think I’ll buy from within the UK, simply because if I get ripped-off or messed about I do like to visit the supplier in person to express my dissatisfaction…
Fiddles are great fun, but you really need the help of a fiddler with some experience in checking out the possibilities. In my experience, the pricing is market-driven, with shops that cater to young classical players (and their parents) being more expensive, and folks who deal in instruments for folk players being more affordable. There’s not much in the way of clear guidelines (brand names etc.), and no reason to prefer a new one over an older, perhaps more banged-up one. The one recent music store fiddle I own is not very good, the two pre-war German models I got from a classical-market dealer who didn’t think very highly of them have turned out to be keepers. This is where the experienced fiddle player comes in, someone who can help you locate an instrument that will sound right for what you want, play easily, won’t need a lot of tweaking, won’t break the bank. Don’t forget that you’ll need a bow as well–the medium to lower priced carbon fiber bows seem to do fine, but you may encounter some sticker shock in this department.
I’m sure some of you will be disappointed in me, but I have now had a couple of brief goes on a fiddle (good one, I’m told) belonging to a friend, and I have to say that I feel I’m unlikely to pursue that particular dream any further. The bow is too alien to the conditioning of more than 30 years as a guitarist (to me), as is the position in which the instrument is held - I actually find it a little disorientating. I don’t feel I can put in the work with something of which my first impression has been so disappointing…
So, looks like it’s going to be banjo, and maybe a bit more of an effort with the mandolin which I’ve been learning too (and the whistles, of course).
I think I must resign myself to the fact that I am a string plucker, picker and strummer - not destined to be a bow-wielder.
Of course I’m biased, but I think fiddles are the most visually exciting instrument to watch being played.
I was going to suggest buying a Gliga violin from Elida Trading. They’re the sole importers into the UK, and I don’t know anyone playing one of these who hasn’t been wildly pleased with it. You can also order them online from America, but more trouble to return if you’re not satisfied.
The Gold Tone IT250 or SS250 open back @ £395.00 is probably a good deal.
I’ve bought 4 vintage tenor banjos from the 20’s in the last year…3 Vegas and one no-name thing that looked awful when it arrived. My favorite, of course, turned out to be the no-name which I only paid $80 for. It’s not loud but it has a wonderful mellow sound.
Cheers, Brett. That’s one of the sites I’ve been looking at, and one of the banjos! I think I’d want to drive down and check the instrument out before ordering. Even though I’m not a banjo player I’d like to feel the action and hear the sound before buying. I’d also ask for a competent player to demonstrate for me!
Hobgoblin do a Deering short scale tenor for similar money. I hear Deering are a fairly reputable manufacturer, so that’s another I may check out.
If you get good at the tenor banjo,and want to upgrade to a better instrument you should check these out…I just wish I had the spare cash to get one http://homepage.tinet.ie/~tomcussen/
Yes, well, I actually do! But I now have a fiddle as well.
p.s. anyone know a good website with tips on such matters as keeping your dang pegs tight, when to ditch an old bow…stuff like that?
I’ll Google it later–I’m getting ready to go to Seattle and don’t have time now.
I have a friend who works in a Hobgoblin store. He’s pretty candid about things. If I see him tomorrow I’ll ask his opinion and write back offlist.
