Gold Tone EBT Electric Banjo

My EBT has the telecaster style body and "tobbaco sunburst" paint job. It seems to be an all maple body, but could be another type of light colored wood (alder),and has a straight grained (no figure)maple neck.I know this thing came from Florida, but I don't know if it was assembled elsewhere or not. It is very well made and the fit and finish are great. It has a neck position lipstick pickup, and a humbucker touching the head underneath.The only thing I'm not fond of, is the play in the fifth string peg.

This instument is a joy to play, and the action is sweet and fast. I have not noticed any pick noise while playing in either pickup position. It has a nice bright percussive sound. I run it through an electric guitar amp, and a compressor. The compressor makes the sound more accoustic than it is plugged in direct.I use a clamp on sustainer, and various stomp boxes to get a lot of different sounds. The sustainer lets you play more guitar oriented stuff. The volume and tone controls at the bottom are hard to figure out, and they are unmarked as to what they do. The 3 way switch works pretty well, and you can tell a huge difference between the humbucker and the lipstick. The humbucker gives you the more authentic type banjo sound.I have barely scratched the surface of this things potential at making different sounds.

This will be a solid and reliable instrument. The only thing that I can see being of better quality is the tuners.

Haven't had any dealings with them for repair orwarrenty work yet to know.

I've been playing 24 years. I have too many instuments to mention. I would but another one if this one were stolen. I like how quiet it is to play unamplified, and the clarity it has while amplified. I like the shape of it a lot, and this was my favorite finish of any of them I saw on the web. I have wanted to try an electric banjo to see how it could be used in other types of music besides Bluegrass. I see a lot more alternative potential with this instrument than I do with my highly modified GS 1000 Gold Star. The Gold Star is as fine a banjo as I have ever played, but I see no other application for it except Bluegrass and Country. I've never liked the sound of banjo in a Jazz setting, because it just sounds out of place like an accordian in a Heavy Metal band (Sorry Bela). That's why I don't care if it sounds authentic. I have one that does, and it can't sound like anything else.

Made in the East but I've taken off the sticker so I don't recall exactly where. 5-String electric banjo with Telecaster style body. 21 Frets. Hollow body under head. Double pick-up system, single coil at the neck and another but I haven't had the 8" head off yet to see what it is. One on-line ad says it's a humbucker. In line tuning pegs. Three knobs, two volume and one tone. It has a smooth head but I intend to change that to a frosted head.
It has a flame top look though I don't know if that's simulated or natural.
The neck is standard 5-string banjo width and length.

I haven't tried it with a frosted head yet, BUT with the stock smooth head, you will need plastic finger picks. If you play a tune with metal finger picks with this banjo plugged into an amp, you will notice a regular occuring static electricity amplified snap unless you never brush the metal picks agaist the banjo head.

It's difficult to get a good sound from a standard guitar amp with this thing, although my friends think it gets a great authentic banjo sound. I'm more acustomed to the sound of an acoustic banjo and I just don't think this represents that sound particularly well. I'm still experimenting. It's better through a full range acoustic guitar amp and I'm thinking it would be better yet if it had a piezo style pick-up.

I use it for blugrass and novelty tunes in my three-piece instro-rock band.

It is very well set up as shipped. The documentation says that setting the action is a bit tricky and gives detailed instructions. I haven't felt the need to wrestle with the action, it's purdy good as is. The finish is very nice. The tuners are of good quality. It's definitly worth the $700 range price. The Tele-style body is much more appealing to me than the other overly detailed Gold Tone electric and the rather pedistrian looking Deering electric. I think the Deering electric has a more sophisticated pick up system.

As with any banjo, ya gotta be carefull with that thin neck whilst traveling. I would recommend a hard shell fender guitar case as opposed to a gig bag.

The build of the guitar is solid and good quality all the way around.

I've been playing since the early '70's, mostly finger-style guitar but have been more serious with the banjo in the last four yeats. In addition to the EBT, I own a Fender FB-58 5-string banjo, Fender and Gibson electric guitars, and Taylor acoustics. I do wish the EBT had a piezo style pickup in addition to the magnetic pickups. But it has been fun at gigs.