Gold Tone BB-400 Banjo Bass

Essentially a short scale electric bass but with a unique sound due to the fact that - well, it's a banjo. Made in Korea, finished in US (who knows what "finished" means, though - they put the strings on?) Only one control - volume - but that's no big deal because of the sliding pickup, which can be moved anywhere from bridge to neck position. Unless you're the sort who changes tone between songs, the lack of tone knob is not an issue. Myself, I find a good tone and stick with it so it's fine by me. Deducted a couple of points not so much on account of the plastic head (for the price I didn't expect skin) but for the fact that they don't even MAKE a skin head for it, while they do for their other banjos.

To the fellow who complained about the feel, the weight, the lack of a back - it sounds as though his complaint is not so much with this instrument, but with BANJOS in general, since most of them have heavier necks than bodies, many of them are open-back, etc. I played the banjo so I knew what I was in for.

Great. It took a little time to find the "sweet spot" for the pickup, but now I've got a nice upright bass tone going. I recommend flatwound strings - not only for more of an upright tone but because the plastic head REALLY picks up string squeak.

I play what might be called "avant-garde new American primitive" - influenced equally by John Fahey and John Cage. It's worked out great for me. My usual electric has great sustain, and is good for certain application, but the Bass Banjo has a sound you won't hear anywhere else. It doesn't have a lot of variety, no, and acoustically it could be a bit louder (a resonator would help in that regard) - but since it gets such a good pickup sound I don't imagine myself ever micing it, anyway.

Here I have a couple of complaints - the action out of the box was a little low. There was buzz on the low E. Using flatwounds it was barely noticeable, and with tapewounds nonexistant - but still, buzz should not occur on a brand new instrument. It won't take heavier strings - I'd have to file the nut down a little, and possibly replace the tuners. Still haven't decided if I'm going to do that yet. I'm getting a pretty good sound as it is, but I DO prefer heavier strings.

It seems pretty tough so far. I've had mine about six months - a decent enough breaking in period. I've primarily used it in the studio, and a couple of live gigs. I am known for being pretty tough on my instruments, though, and it seems to be holding up fine. We'll see how it does over the long haul.

This has been a great addition to my arsenal - which is, admittedly, full of odd instruments like this one. It won't replace my Ibanez electric for "rocking out" but for a more relaxed country / folk, and for classical-style playing it's been tops. I would definately purchase another, at the same price, were it stolen. For the MSRP I might want a skin head thrown in, though...

New, I guess probably 2002. Made in Korea, but "designed by Gold Tone" with final assembly and set-up in Florida. 32" scale, 20 frets, 4 strings. It is built like a banjo with a 13" plastic drum head, 22 brackets, a wooden bridge. "Quick-change" tailpiece is misnamed. It has a slight acoustic sound but not loud enough to be seriously considered an "acoustic-electric." You have to plug this baby in to really hear it. Wooden thumb rest is glued to the head. Back is open, contains two metal support rods, and pickup wires. A fat rectangular humbucker pickup is mounted on one of the rods and rests against the back of the banjo head. You can slide it back and forth to any point between typical "bridge" and "neck" pickup positions. Neck feels a little thick, action is low/medium and not adjustable. Volume knob only, no tone control. Optional gig bag is heavy-duty, well padded. This instrument is lightweight and pretty solidly-built, but it's uncomfortable to play. The neck is heavier than the body, giving it an awkwardly high center of gravity. I wound up having to attach my shoulder strap to a bracket _under_ the neck to hold it up. The open back with the metal rod feels weird, and the plastic zip-tie they used to secure the pickup wires kept stabbing me in the belly. I wound up cutting it off and replacing it with string. There's a metal arm-rest covering about 90 degrees of the banjo rim, but it is positioned too close to the tail, and my arm just hits the top corner of it. Due to the design of the brackets, the armrest cannot be re-positioned. An optional wooden resonator back can be purchased for this instrument. I ordered the back and put it on for a while, thinking a smooth convex surface would be more comfy than the open hoop and truss rod, but the back makes the body awkwardly thick and contributes significantly to the weight of the instrument, so I took it off again. Also, it did not fit easily into the gig bag with the resonator on. Overall I'd have to say this bass is "well made but poorly designed."

I play an eclectic mix of jazz, folk, rock-a-billy, gospel, and lounge. This instrument sonically fits well with what I play (although it looks out of place; it's a jumbo-sized hillbilly banjo.) The sound coming out of the pickup is surprisingly warm and dark, and due to the banjo design it has rapid attack and decay qualities similar to an upright. The advertising copy claims it sounds "eerily" like an upright. Of course it doesn't really sound like an upright but it has a satisfying sorta "Motown" bass boom to it. I put flatwound strings on to maximize this effect. The action is well-suited to slap techniques, but slapping doesn't sound right on this bass. Alas, it's not very versatile. It makes a really pretty sound but that's basically the only sound it makes.

The action was set perfectly when I unpacked it. I discovered when I changed the strings that the slots in the "Quick change" tailpiece were not wide enough to admit passage of the two low strings, and I wound up having to thread the string excruciatingly through the hole. That's probably the biggest flaw, aside from comfort issues I discussed under "features." Also the volume knob is loose. The actual volume pot is fine, just the plastic knob doesn't seem to be held on by anything. It slides right off if I'm not careful handling it.

This bass has so far withstood 6 months of live playing and its solidity has impressed me. The finish is some hefty clear lacquer that looks and feels like it could last forever. There are no strap buttons; I secured my strap with hook clips on the banjo brackets. They aren't going anywhere. The loose volume knob is just a cosmetic thing. I trust this bass to hold up for years to come. I would and I do use it on gigs without a backup.

I emailed the company with my comfort complaints and they "appreciated my input" in their efforts to make their products better ... I called them up and ordered the resonator directly from them, and they seemed very friendly. I haven't had to have the bass repaired, but the folks at Gold Tone made a good impression in my dealings with them.

I've been playing various instruments staring with piano for 20 years. Electric bass for 8 years. I have a Steinberger 5-string and a wierd rebuilt Danelectro shortscale fretless that I found used. I wish I could have PLAYED the banjo bass before buying it, because I was looking for something acoustic, but the banjo bass still was good enough to keep once it arrived. I think though, if it were lost or stolen I probably would not replace it. Things I love about it are the sound and its unusual appearance. I get a lot of comments about it. Things I hate are the tailpiece and the armrest, and the general ungainliness of it. I wish it had an acoustic transducer in or under the bridge; that might've been interesting, and delivered more of the promised "upright bass tone."