Vangoa 5 String Banjo 26 Inch, MINI Travel Banjo Beginner Kit with Remo Head, Open Back & Closed Solid Back with beginner Kit, Comfortable Carrying Bag

Got this for my GF. She's just learning and seems to like it very well. It's economically made. But not a cheap toy. Tone is good and holds tuning quite better than expected. I'm might get one for myself in the near future.

We have an update from the previous review. We received the banjo initially because it did not come with the beginner's kit. This made the banjo unplayable because it had no bridge or picks. The company reached out to us and offered a full refund. After a couple of days of back and forth messaging, they offered to ship us the missing items. We received the package within a week or so and everything is going great! I really appreciated the customer service reaching out to us after seeing our old review and issue! Just for others to know, this banjo is about the size of a ukulele. Be sure to tune it correctly (and frequently) to the notes you want. If playing like a regular banjo of DBGDG it does have more of a "twang" sound to it when playing on different frets which changes how it sounds overall. This is good for beginners with all the included components and extras.

This banjo was to be ready to play right out the box but mine came and the bridge wasn't installed i had to loosen the wires to get the bridge in and the tuner that came with it does not tune a 5 string banjo only electric , guitar , violin, and a ukulele all of them had more cords then my banjo so as a beginner I was under able to re tune now will have to pay a professional to tune it very nice banjo but not easy to set up for a beginner

This Banjo is gorgeous!! First of all, it was carefully packaged and wrapped. It came in a card board box, then in it's case, then in a bag and all the strings were wrapped in waxrd paper. It comes with so many extras like a tuner, shoulder strap, finger picks, extra strings and a wall holder!! The banjo sounds so great and I can't wait to start my lessons. It's a beautiful instrument at an AMAZING price.

This is a great little 5 string banjo ukulele. it has the sound of a ukulele which doesn't sound like a quality banjo, never the less is a very pleasant sounding instrument. For a small child wanting to learn to play the banjo, this might be the right size to start out with. If your an adult wanting to learn, it really is to small to try to learn on. For an experienced banjo player, this little instrument is a lot of fun to play. I had to move the bridge back about an inch to correct the intonation and tune it but very little else to start playing it. You won't need to take it to a professional to set it up. quick tip. measure the distance from the nut to the 12th fret and then move the bridge so there is the same distance between the 12 fret and the bridge. Then tune the strings and start playing. I bought it to take on a cruise, just to keep my fingers in condition without having to lug around 20 lbs of banjo and case. After the cruise, I have a grandchild or two that may want to learn to play.

The banjo itself is very nice. It came with everything and the tune is beautiful. Nicely packed. You can tell care was taken. The issue I have is the carry bag that came with it. It was moldy, inside and out...and the banjo was inside, Thankfully the banjo was wrapped in plastic and not damaged by this. I sprayed the bag with lysol laundry sanitizer and washed it on delicate. I need to note the box was not damaged and didn't have any signs of moisture. So I'm not sure if the bags are stored separately and plucked before shipment? I do recommend this product but pay attention to this mold/ possible moisture issue.

Update after 2 weeks: Im going to leave my original review below but my thoughts have changed over the last 2 weeks. First off a cheap banjo is still better then no banjo. BUT if you are able to spend a little bit more then I would recommend it. The first week things went great, but once I really started learning the fret board I started noticing some issues. You have to press very hard on the strings to get a smooth sound when using the fret board. I was getting alot of muted strings and buzzing. I originally thought it was me, but I got some help with my hand placement technique and it didnt change much. The neck is pretty thick so you really have to reach to get those cords. I decided to speak with someone at a music store. I told them my concerns on neck size and the strength it took to get the cords right and we ended up agreeing that I would try out a Gold Tone CC-50. It is double the price but it also solved every issue I was having. The Gold Tone is way more comfortable and easy to play. So my thoughts are if this is all you can afford then go for it. It's just gonna take even more practice. But if your willing to spend 100-200 more then I would recommend looking into the Gold tone ac-1 or the cc-50. Have a blessed day! This is my first banjo so obviously im not super qualified but I have to say I was nervous how it would sound just based off the cheap price. But so far it sounds amazing. BUT GET YOUR OWN TUNER AND PICKS. The tuner that came with it is awful. I couldn't even get it close to being in tune with the provided tuner, But with a phone app I got it perfect. And the picks are very cheap and not sturdy at all. I use the plastic thumb pick it came with and its fine. But the metal picks are terrible. But I grabbed a pack of Dunlop picks and there great. The bag it comes with is nice. Also the measuring stick for installing your bridge it very nice too. I plan to upgrade once I really learn the banjo. But for learning and not wanting to break the bank I think this is a fantastic option!

Once it was setup and properly tuned it plays and sounds pretty good!