Harley Benton BJO-35Pro 5 String Banjo OB

It won’t leave any long lasting impression. It has its flaws that comes with such an affordable instrument.

Tuners feel very cheap and are very imprecise while tuning but after that they stay in tune fine.

The pot which is made out of some very cheap wood wrapped in rather plasticky looking veneer but it’s OK to look at, it’s darker and actually nicer than photos here would let you know.

The biggest flaw is that the pot wood is so soft that hooks holding screws just keep sinking deep into the wood making it impossible to keep the head tuned tight. I had to buy metal washers from hardware store and install them under all those tiny screws heads inside the pot which, luckily, solved the issue for me.

With installing washers, armrest and putting on a heavier set of strings I’m actually having a lot of fun learning the banjo.

Would I buy it again if it got stolen? No, I’d go for something more expansive made out of a solid wood. But I’m glad I have it. For such a low price it’s a fun first banjo for learning basics of playing, setup and maintenance.

If you’re not sure whether you’ll stick with a banjo and just want something budget friendly to try it out, this is what you’re looking for.

This is my first banjo. i started out playing violin in my youth and more recently played mountain dulcimer. My goal here was to buy the least expensive instrument that still had a core of quality materials, properly assembled. My first upgrades will probably be adding an arm rest and some better tuners. Neither is urgently needed. After resolving a couple of minor set up issues it plays well right out of the box. There are other vendors advertising "beginner bundles" for about the same price that include a yard long list of features and accessories. In order to do this they shave the quality of everything in the box down to the absolute, inescapable, minimum. This manufacturer has taken a more rational approach. Good materials and build quality then keep the price low with a limited feature list. That's all i need or wish to pay for at this time.