Harley Benton BJ-65Pro 6 String Banjo

Fantastic value, good enough for a producer!

I'm a Nashville based producer and have finally succumbed to needing a Banjo. I took the risk on this Harley Benton and it was a great success. No structural issues, plays well enough, and darn it - it sounds like a banjo. Nicely done!

Perfetto

Arrivato perfettamente.

Strumento ben rifinito,suono limpido,molto cofortevole da suonare rispetto ad altri provati in passato.

Corde di ottima qualità.

Come sempre soddisfatta dei miei acquisti su questo sito.

Well worth the wait...

I had been looking at this for a few months but every time I came back it was out of stock, finally hit it just right and it was available so I grabbed it quick before it went out of stock again. I'm so glad I did it has been the nicest 6 string banjo I have played (and I tried a few) even my bandmates could not believe how nice it was for the great asking price.

Buy it quick before it goes out of stock again, you won't be disappointed...

Cheers all...

Excellent quality for the price.

Excellent quality for the price. The banjo plays very well and the neck has a very good feel to it. The headstock and the fret inlays are very nice. A few fret ends need a little filing but the whole craftsmanship is excellent. Simply a very nice and beautiful instrument.

Fret Marker

How on earth does having the fret markers in the wrong place get past QC? The one that SHOULD be on the 9th fret is actually on the 10th?

Fantastic quality for the price.

For the price, it should have six stars for features.

- The double coordinator rods are a lot more stable for the neck and allow a precise adjustment of the neck angle (action height)

- The tailpiece is of the type that allow the strings to go up straight to the bridge.

- Tone ring brings the expected weight but I does bring something to the sound and volume.

- fairly good Remo skin.

- radiused fretboard (my guess around 15") decent fretwork and no sharp fret ends.

- Fret inlays are nicely done and are not too gaudy looking, having a nice pale color which I find less agravating than the cheap looking flashy fake "abalone" of some cheap brand.

- Tuners OK

- Weight: around 5 kilos. If you think that's heavy, you are not familiar with banjos. This is actually a decent weight for a tonering double coordinator banjo.

- Sound is where it is obviously not a 2,500€ banjo. Acceptable (usable) nonetheless.

- No 200€ banjos is going to be set up for optimal playability and sound out of the box. You have to set it up. But be careful and don't break it!

Highly recommended!

I bought this mostly out of curiosity. You can play it like a guitar, but to me strumming it sounds quite bad. Lead lines sound alright, but if you really plan to play it, you might want to actually learn a little bit how to play banjo. The build quality is what you would expect at this price point. The finish has some cut corners and some of the frets were too long for the fretboard (enough to hurt your arm), so you might have to do some work on the instrument. As for the sound quality, it sounds like a banjo - at least to me.

Great banjo for the price

This is my first Banjo and I am satisfied with it in general, but I found some issue that I hope Harley Benton would do their best to ensure it won't happen in their other models.

First of all, the banjo frets have sharp edges all over the neck. And the frets are not cut well.

Also when I play the first three strings (E B G), there are some unwanted "resonant/echo" that are louder than the note itself. BUT maybe a new set of strings would fix this.

I'm sure these issues can be fixed easily with expert's help, although I hope my next Harley Benton product would be as perfect as their prices =)

Easy to play, great sound!

I'm a guitarist and wanted an easy transition to banjo, and this is it! 6 string in the style of a guitar, but with that wonderful bright twang of a banjo. The action is nice- not too high, which has been a problem for me in the past with banjos. It's loud- but that's usual for banjos. Sounds great with a capo. No buzzing on frets....straight out of the box, tuned it, and it was very playable. I won't need to make any adjustments- perfect for me. Definitely recommended.

Lovely instrument, at a bargain price.

The excellent quality, sound and construction of this instrument has been mentioned in other reviews.Iv found no negs, it is really fab. Its big and quite heavy, and LOUD.Iv nicknamed mine Big Ben.I also got the case, but a decent telecaser gigbag although not ideal,"fits". Also it can take either loop or ball - end strings. Its got that proper banjo sound, whether played with, thumb and fingers,plec, or fingerpicks, your own ability/style will faithfully reflect a sound that will put a mile- wide grin on your face.I will be playing mine in the pub ,on Sunday afternoon, see how many "bottles" i can get twitching! Dont read any more reviews- buy one.