Hofner HBA-6

Glossy finish, generally well done, i did spot one blemish area on the resonater however it is on the area where my arm would cover any way. I may at a later date alter the finish with 000 wire wool to take off the gloss as i prefer a satin finish. Tuners hold the instrument in tune and appear to be solidly built, they are white though and i would have preferred cream, another job later. The fret board feels very much like a standard guitar scale but a little more unusual in the feel but thats just a case of getting use to a banjo body as a opposed to a guitar body. A nice well built case is included, deep purple lining, gold latches, lockable and a big section inside for accessories such as picks, strap, spare strings, would even fit a bottle of Jack.I pressume its laminated wood, it seemed medium heavy, i thought the heaviness may be related to the resonater but after taking it off i discovered their was a brass tone ring and these add to the weight of a banjo. The actual resonater is surprisingly light. The finger board is Rosewood 21 frets, the fret work looks generally even and well done, no dead notes along the board, standard dot inlays although the head stock is very pretty and nicely inlaid with abalone.

I tried several banjos of this sort, the six string banjo or English Banjo or Banjitar has its own unique sound and you can't compare it to a tenor/blue grass banjo because its a completely different beast. The Hofner HBA-6 is based on the English concept of putting a guitar neck on a banjo body, this one is produced by a Germany company (Hofner) but built in China. Very cosmopolitan!I'd say it has a better sound/tone than Ozark, Tanglewood and all the cheap ones you see on eBay seeling for around ??100, i did try quite a few banjo's recently when i was in leeds. A good sound projection which can have a lot of bark played nearer to the bridge or with a mellowness nearer to the fingerboard.

I got this six string banjo to play trad jazz, i opted for the the six string because i wanted to find that Johnny St Cyr sound which you can't get on a 4 string. The other more obvious advantage is you don't have to learn new chord structures as all the jazz chords transfer straight across. However the bottom end on a banjo is less pronouced than on a guitar, i've discovered the sound is very mid-range to bright depending on string choice.

Action generally about right, i could tweek it some. Overall the finish is good, just one blemish already mentioned. The strings are hoop ended so i doubt ball ends would work

This is going to be gigged. I can't really see any issues with this banjitar, it should last a life time. The parts look easy enough to interchange, upgrade or replace.

Played guitar for many years and also teach, members of the RGT. Love the authenitc banjo tone it produces, wish it was a bit lighter but having compared it to several other banjo's i think it was the right choice for me. A Deering 6 string was to hard to justify but i did'nt want a rubbish banjo either so i'd say the Hofner comes in at mid-range for price and quality.