• Washburn B8 Review

  
  As reviewed by Dave P on 6/30/2011

  I bought the B8 for my first banjo 6 months ago. I have learned alot since then, so here are my thoughts: Like many of the inexpensive banjos, the B8 uses an aluminum rim instead of wood. This produces a tin like sound that is difficult to improve as your playing gets better. The Pros: Very good looking banjo, very light, smaller than normal neck would be good for younger players, it is inexpensive but it plays. The hardware is inexpensive but works. The Cons: Once you are playing well, the sound will let you down. Most banjos can be upgraded to improve the sound, but aluminum rim banjos are difficult to improve. The narrow neck makes clean fretting difficult. Very little components are worth upgrading. Before buying a banjo, do a google search for reviews and read them. Also, look to see if the banjo is an aluminum rim (cheaper), wood rim(low price), wood rim with tone hoop (more volume and tone), wood rim with tone ring (most volume and tone). Wood rim banjos are easier to upgrade to improve the sound as your playing improves. Also a wood rim open back is a great first banjo. They are light, relatively inexpensive, and are a good platform for upgrades. You can also stick a sock between the head and coord rod or dowel stick to lower the volume while you are practicing. If you stick to banjo and upgrade, they can be used as nice travel banjo. Do some homework,

  8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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• no

  
  As reviewed by Kid on 5/5/2011

  I had been waiting for this banjo for a week, when it finally came I was very disappointed. It had chips and cracks, the finish was cheap and different from pictures, and the first time I had it in the gig-bag the strap broke.

  3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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• not bad for the price

  
  As reviewed by Sean Olsen on 2/17/2012

  now, I've had this banjo for a couple of years now. I've read the other reviews, and maybe I just got lucky. It shipped fine, and the only part that "malfunctioned" was the piece that held the upper part of the strap on the banjo. It kind of just fell off. Apart from that, its not bad. It looks pretty good, if you take care of it,and the the only other problem Ive had with it was the fifth tuning peg, but I got that fixed for less than 20 dollars (and had it re-stringed) I mean, if you want a beginner banjo just to help you learn, this might be not a bad choice. If youre looking to get serious after that, then maybe put in a little more cash and just get a nice quality banjo to learn and last a long time. I know I'll be getting a new one soon too.

  2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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