There are a lot of banjo items out there, but honestly you don’t need a lot of them. This for example. However, there are a lot of items that are useful. Heres a list with a quick description of all of them.
Banjo: Well, yea. You want a banjo. I’ll put out an article on everything to look for when buying a banjo soon. For now, here are some quick things to look for. Also review this article Link to Anatomy of a banjo
The Brand: If you can’t find the brand with a quick google search, be very sure in the other aspects.
Head Size: Standard banjo head size is 11 inches. I highly recommend your first banjo have a head size of 11 inches.
Frets: Standard is 22.
Tone: It should sound good to you.
Place of purchase: Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of good places to buy banjos. Brick and mortar stores are preferable, but ask if thestaff has any experience with setting up banjos. If they don’t, you might be better off buying from Janet Davis or Elderly Instruments. They both properly set up instruments (tune the head, tune the strings, adjust co-rods etc).
Strings: Banjo strings are cheap, and its important to change them every once in a while. Find a brand you like, and feel free to mess around with different companies.
Picks: Picks are also fairly cheap. Most of what you need to know is here.
Straps: It can be useful if you plan to stand and play. Also allows for proper form, so that your left hand isn’t supporting weight.
Tuner: Unless you have perfect pitch, you will want one of these.
Metronome: These can be helpful if you find yourself having trouble with timing.
Case: Some stores will provide a soft case. If you plan on traveling, its probably a good idea to get a hard case.
Any things you think I missed? Any other questions? Feel free to comment.
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