Fender FB-59 Banjo, Natural

This banjo is VERY heavy... I mean ... it's HEAVY. Just letting you know, now. The banjo is very nice. Great sound. Very warm and encouraging to play. However, I'm an idiot... When I first opened the banjo ... I could not, for the life of me, realize, that the bridge was NOT installed ... and really thought there was something wrong with it ... "Why are the strings touching the fret board, the head, etc. ... I'm an idiot! So ... what do I do? I start tuning the thing without the bridge ... and snap! There goes string number 1!Well ... eventually, I realized, "duh" the bridge is in the compartment, with all the other little tools to maintain the banjo. I took the banjo to guitar center, and was going to have them "check it out" ... another stupid idea, cuz, after I did that, I went back to work, and during lunch, watched a few YouTube vids on how to change strings, install the bridge, adjust the tailpiece, etc.... and marched my idiot behind back to G.C., and said, "I'll take the banjo back and do it myself..." and that's exactly what I did, and I'm glad ... because, I wasn't going to pay $100...The downside ... and it's NOT the banjo ... but, a banjo strap ... In my opinion, you need a banjo strap for this fella... otherwise, I'm not sure you'll be able to effectively play it ... but, what do I know... I'm not a banjo player ... yet... :)The screw on the drone string (5th) was VERY loose ... So ... no problem, I tightened it up with the provided screw driver ...I must say, the banjo holds it tune VERY, VERY well ... It has a nice deep and strong sound ... The case that comes with it isn't anything to write home about .... I think it's a little long for the banjo ... but, it's better than those Guitar Center clunkers that are cheaply made, and klunky as all get out, not to mention, WAY over priced, $200 and then they try to make you feel good by knocking the price down to $100 .... and then, only further insult, by selling it for $70 .... Oh well ... I'm not bitter ... am I?Any ways ... if you get this one, you'll love it.... You really will ... If you're looking for another Fender banjo, the FB-54 is another great sounding banjo ... half the weight ... way less bucks .... But, the FB-59 is clearly a nice instrument... I love it...Mine, after putting the bridge on, and setting proper intonation, had no buzzes ... Some people claim they have ... However, nothing that a little adjustment on the kneck won't fix ... and all banjos, I would assume, need some sort of adjustment ... Afterall ... one adjustment isn't for every single player .... otherwise, they'd all come adjusted and all ....Good luck ... you won't go wrong ....

You have to set this up yourself, or take it to the nearest guitar shop. A banjo should never be shipped "pre-set" as it will ruin the drum. In any case this Banjo exceeded my expectations for the price. You can do things musically with this six string Banjo that cannot be duplicated by a 4 or 5 stringer. Even my 5 string Banjo player friends have been borrowing it for gigs! But, Don't believe the hype, it does not sound good if you play it guitar style.You must learn a few new licks and modify your style somewhat. It tunes like a guitar, but it IS a Banjo, not a guitar.

I bought this banjo for my boyfriend and once he got it put together and set up, he loves it. His only complaint is that it didn't come fully assembled. I knew this, only because I read reviews about this banjo elsewhere, and they stated the same thing. Not sure why they come this way, I'm not a banjo player, but I can imagine for someone who is just starting out playing one, it can be a little irritating to have to put it together yourself.Other than that, he loves this thing. She's beautiful if I must say so myself. And sounds awesome.

I purchased this banjo never playing it before. I went on youtube and saw a person playing one and what I heard impressed me. BUT when I got the banjo the sound was so impressive that I could not believe I got this banjo at the price. It sounds like a banjo that you would pay $5000.00. For the price this is one fantastic banjo!! Thanks to Fender for making such an awesome instrument. I also did not know that it came with a real nice hard shell case that says Fender on it was an added bonus.

very nice banjo/guitar. Cant go wrong with fender. All my guitars are fenders

The Fender FB-58 is a great banjo for Scruggs-style players. It is loud and bright sounding. With a proper setup, it has the twang of a $2000 instrument. Note that it is quite heavy and solid. The inlays are pearloid, not mother of pearl like on the Fender FB-59, but they're still attractive. The plating on the hardware is durable, and the wood is top notch; I personally like the sunburst pattern on the back of the resonator and of the neck. My one complaint concerns the frets; they really don't hold up too well. I've played my FB-58 lightly for one year, and the frets already show visible signs of flattening. Overall, I think this is the best bet in the under $1000 class of banjos. If you have a little extra to spend, consider the Fender FB-59; it sounds the same as the FB-58, but is made of better material, such as walnut and bone on the 59 versus maple and plastic on the 58.

The FB 58 is an amazing banjo for the price. I had an expensive $2000 Deering Boston and I bought a Fender just for a spare beater banjo but after setting it up properly it had that nice Bluegrass sound so I sold my Boston and bought another fender so now I have two. However the secret in getting this thing does sound great is to replace the head with a clear or black remo head and tightknit as tight as you possibly can without breaking it. Replace the cheap bridge with a good quality Sullivan bridge and also if you can afford it replaced a cheap tailpiece with a presto style, and do the proper neck angle adjustment. you will have a very nice sounding bluegrass banjo that just pops and comes alive.

This banjo sounds great with the proper setup. Clear head and thin bridge makes it loud with a $6,000 dollar sound. I have never heard better.