B50 5-String Banjo

Purchased as a gift. Packaged mininally, but securely.My only experience is with guitars, but this is a good mid-level instrument that can accommodate beginner to intermediate players. Full adjustments seem to all be here, but I could see an expert wanting some of them to be more convenient. All-in-all, I'm happy with the purchase, and feel like it's a pretty low price for the quality.

My son loves this. It was gifted to him by us. The bango is beautiful. He said it was easy to set up and played beautifully. After he played it for a little while he came in and ask how much we spent on it. Of course we would not say, it was a gift. He then asked if we had spent thousands on it. We laughed and assured him no, no where close. It was an indication of the quality of the product.

I’m a lifelong guitar player who finally wanted to get a few toys! The setup isn’t all that hard! I’d recommend buying a tuner and watching some YouTube videos- just gotta follow instructions. I had the intonation and action ideal (I’m a finger style jazz/ blues cat… you insert the eye roll here) in about ten minutes. I haven’t any issues with the machine heads/ tuning heads slipping like most have mentioned. There is a neat little hold down behind the bridge that can be adjusted to suit your needs in terms of tension and string height/ action. I may have mistakenly read that it comes with a case(?)- because it doesn’t! Again- been playing guitar for 30 years, classically trained, started out in grind and crust bands and worked my way to finger style jazz/ blues/ r&b etc so I’m just going off of my ear- not a difficult instrument to play if you are used to the techniques. Not a complaint, just want to mention- banjos are VERY loud and being someone who was raised to “play loud and proud or shut up”, it is a very loud instrument. 😂 Great quality, the fingerboard had some discoloration- looks like heat damage. All around- no buyer’s remorse here and I can’t wait to get rolling like Scruggs. I definitely recommend.

Can't complain for the price.

Got this for my nephew as a Christmas gift. It plays well, holds the tune and looks great. Such an amazing value for the money. He hasn’t put us down since he’s gotten it. :)

I spent an hour getting a loose in box resonator screw (which was, of course, the one under the armrest) back in. No manual so it was trial and error to find tool to fit armrest so I could remove it and get resonator screw lined up to screw in, then get armrest reinstalled. Then another 20 minutes to find YouTube video (which was not for the B50, just generic) and install bridge. I think if they had a manual or video specific to this banjo it would have been a lot easier. It is a nice looking banjo and I will probably keep it if my son approves at Christmas. But I am kinda ticked at the unnecessary assembly I had to learn to do! And please include a simple manual!

I’ve been playing guitar for about 15 years and I decided I wanted to learn banjo. I did extensive research and talked myself out of buying everything I came across. I just couldn’t justify buying a cheap instrument if it was going to suck. If you’re serious about getting a decent instrument, SPEND THE EXTRA MONEY. You won’t regret it.The banjo came with the strings on, which is majorly convenient. Tuning will take a day or so, as the strings will naturally stretch. Anybody familiar with stringed instruments knows this. The bridge will have to be “installed” by you, but a quick YouTube search will teach you how, and it’s simple.I’ve been playing this banjo for about a month and I love it. I play it everyday. Ibanez is a brand you can trust, so don’t buy the $150 banjos you’ll find elsewhere - spend the extra cash and get this one.

Did alot of research before I bought this one. Compared it to Gold Tone, Recording King and Deering. Had alot of similarities. Felt that this was a good place to start. So pleased with this Banjo! Plays well. Feels great and is beautiful. Couldn't be happier.